It had been three months since she’d seen last seen Hawtie and Clint. The two of them had been busy traveling in their RV while Quinn had been in Canada with Julian and the others. She and Julian had left Canada a couple of times in order to meet with Vern and some other vampires, but for the most part they’d spent the past three months with Cassie, Devon, and the children.
Quinn had hated to say goodbye to all of them and leave the warm environment they’d created for the children to thrive in, but it was time for them to meet with the vampires in Oregon. When she’d told Clint and Hawtie that she would be heading to Oregon soon, they had asked her to meet them in Vegas on her way there and she’d happily agreed. She’d squealed in delight when they’d announced that they were getting married while she was here.
Hawtie’s smile caused her warm brown eyes to crinkle when she turned to Quinn. “I think I’m ready to go.”
Quinn grinned at her as she briefly adjusted the small tiara on Hawtie’s upswept auburn hair. Behind her, Julian unfolded himself from the booth and rose to his feet with supple ease. Quinn gathered her own bouquet of red roses from where she’d left it on the table.
Her eyes flicked to the mirror before she could stop them. The memories of the fire didn’t come screaming to life like they had for the first couple of months after it, but the blistering heat of an imaginary flame licked at her skin before she abruptly shut the memory away.
She ran her hand over the soft brown hair sticking nearly an inch off her head now. Her eyebrows and lashes had come back in, but it was neither of those things that gave her a shock of memory every time she caught her reflection.
She knew, with more time, she would get used to not seeing her scars, but their disappearance was still too new for her. Her finger briefly traced over one of the remaining scars on her palm before she turned away from the mirror to face Hawtie.
“Let’s go!” Quinn declared brightly.
Hawtie squeezed her arm before Julian took hold of Hawtie’s hand. He led her to the doorway and pulled the door open. They stepped out into the main area of the small chapel. Clint, Chris, Melissa, Luther, Dani, and Lou were all standing in the room, waiting for them. Clint’s lined face broke into a broad grin. He threw his shoulders proudly back as he surveyed Hawtie from head to toe.
“You look beautiful!” Clint declared.
“I know,” Hawtie replied. “You’re not looking so bad yourself.”
And he wasn’t. Clint had somehow managed to get his bushy gray hair under control without a baseball cap, and he surprisingly wore a sports coat well. Quinn never would have believed Clint could look at home in anything other than jeans and a flannel, but she was completely wrong.
“I’ll take it from here, Billy Idol,” Clint said to Julian.
Julian scowled at him. “You’ve used that one before.”
“Still applies. Move aside,” Clint commanded.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to kill him for you?” Julian asked Hawtie. “You can do better.”
Hawtie laughed as she released Julian’s hand and stepped forward to hook her arm through Clint’s. “This short little man ran away with my heart in grade school.”
Clint chuckled. “I got to her before she knew better. Now all of you, go. I’ve been trying to get her here for almost fifty years, and I’m not taking the chance of her running from me now.”
“Wouldn’t blame her,” Julian replied with a smile.
“Go,” Quinn said and nudged him in the back.
Julian kissed her before turning away to walk down the aisle with the others. Quinn remained waiting at the back of the white carpet running down the center aisle to the small pulpit at the front. The others split up to sit in the front pews. When the music began to play, Quinn walked slowly down the aisle and slid into the pew beside Julian. He took hold of her hand, and his fingers traced over the gold wedding band and ruby ring he’d given her a week after they’d discussed rings in the RV.
“Mine,” he whispered.
She turned to smile at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek as her hand fell on the silver ring she’d given him. “And you have been branded.”
“Repeatedly,” he replied with a grin that had her imagining wicked things that had no place being thought of in a chapel.
Pulling away from him, she turned to wait for Hawtie and Clint to make their way down the aisle. Julian’s finger trailed over the skin exposed by the off-the-shoulder black dress Hawtie had chosen for her. His hand wrapped around her nape, his thumb brushing over the sensitive skin there. She was sure he’d caught a glimpse of some of her thoughts when his finger stilled on her, and his body went rigid against hers.
Leaning forward, his lips caressed her ear while he spoke. “It’s not a real church.”
She laughed as she shot him a look over her shoulder. “It is a real wedding.”
“After the wedding.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Yes, I am,” he said without remorse.
“Behave.”
She swatted at his hand, but he didn’t release his hold on her. She turned back to watch as Hawtie and Clint stepped onto the carpet. They’d decided to walk down the aisle together. She’d never seen either of them look more radiant as they both beamed from ear to ear. Her hand clenched around Julian’s when he drew her closer to rest her back against his chest.
Her gaze fell on the pew across from them as Chris lifted Melissa’s hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. They both smiled lovingly at each other. “I think we’ll be attending their wedding next,” she whispered to Julian when he rested his chin on her shoulder.
She felt him smile against her cheek. “I think you’re right.”
Behind Chris and Melissa, Lou and Dani rolled their eyes at the couple while Luther stalwartly kept his attention focused on Hawtie and Clint instead of the kissing couple.
Quinn focused on the front of the chapel when Clint and Hawtie arrived there. A small man with bottle glasses and a handlebar mustache stepped forward to perform the ceremony. Tears burned in her eyes while she watched Clint and Hawtie recite their vows to each other.
Quinn broke into applause and jumped to her feet when the two of them were pronounced man and wife. Clint dipped Hawtie back over his arm and gave her a kiss that had everyone cheering louder. Hawtie looked dazed when Clint set her back on her feet.
Chris released a loud whistle and they all moved forward to throw confetti at the couple as they walked down the aisle. Quinn stepped into the aisle with Julian and followed the newlyweds toward the open doors at the end.
In two days, they would be leaving for Oregon to meet with Vern and more vampires. The following day they were boarding a private jet to Europe. Julian had purchased the jet and had it remodeled with detailed specifications designed to keep them safe from the sun while they traveled.
When necessary, they would call on Devon to use his ability in order to guarantee them safe passage as they moved from Europe onto Africa, Asia, and Australia before finally coming home again. She had no idea how long they would be gone, but tonight she planned to celebrate this wedding until the sun came up.
Julian lifted her into his arms and spun her around before setting her on her feet again to twirl her out the doors of the chapel.
EPILOGUE
Two years later
Quinn remained behind the heavily tinted sliding glass door of the beach house Julian had rented for them in Aruba. He stood on the beach, his head tipped back as he let the fading rays of the sun play over his body. The sun was nearly at a point where she could join him, but he’d been standing out there for two hours, absorbing the rays with little ill effect.
“He’s almost there,” Chris said from beside her. “Another couple years and he may be able to stay in it off and on throughout the whole day.”
“Yes,” she murmured.
Julian’s determination to walk in the sun again had remained unwavering through the past two years. No mat
ter where they traveled, he’d spent time every day steadily increasing his exposure to the sun’s rays until he’d attained this point.
She glanced at Chris when he ran a hand through his disordered hair. Shadows lined his eyes as he stared at the beach. “You look tired,” she said.
“I am,” he muttered.
“Get some sleep.”
“Easier said than done,” he replied and turned to walk away from her.
When the last of the sun dipped behind the sparkling, clear blue ocean, she slid open the door and stepped onto the sand. The sea breeze drifted over her, flattening her sundress against her calves and blowing her shoulder-length hair around her face. Despite the fact she knew they were safe here, she had stakes strapped discreetly away on her. She’d never be caught unawares again, but she’d relaxed enough while they were here to wear a bikini again, and she’d discovered swimming wasn’t difficult with stakes holstered to her ankles.
Julian turned to face her as she made her way toward him. The fine grains of warm sand slid between her toes when she wiggled them on the beach. He held his hand out to her, and she took hold of it. Her ability had increased to the point that they were always connected by it now, but for a second, his heart gave a solid beat when their skin slid into contact again.
Her ability may have grown stronger over the past two years, but she hadn’t used it to kill again, and her constant connection to Julian helped to keep her grounded when the urge for more power and life swept over her.
The connection had also made them both stronger, something she knew the other vampires could sense when they were around. That strength helped to solidify Julian’s leadership over them and their belief she was their savior. She still hadn’t gotten used to the idea of that, but she had learned to deal with it.
She marveled as the setting sun created pinks and oranges that burned across the sky. The colors reflected in the rolling waves of the ocean. “I’m not ready to leave here,” she murmured.
They’d finally found a measure of peace on this island for the past month, but it was time for them to get back to the real world. “I’m going to bring you back here every year,” he promised.
She tilted her head back to smile at him. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I have no doubt. I know you’re looking forward to seeing Clint and Hawtie though.”
“I am!” she said eagerly.
It had been two years since she’d last seen her friends in Vegas. Their lengthy tour through Europe and Asia had taken more time than any of them had anticipated as they stopped in nearly every country along the way. Then, their travel plans had been extended into Central and South America when the vampires there also wanted to meet with them.
They’d left Belize behind before coming here. She’d seen so much of the world in the last two years, more than she’d ever dreamed of being able to see, and she’d loved so much of it, but she was ready to return to her loved ones.
Their very first stop was going to be Canada to meet up with Hawtie and Clint at Cassie and Devon’s property. Over a year ago, Hawtie and Clint had grown tired of the RV life and taken Cassie and Devon up on their offer to help with training the young Hunters and Guardians. Clint and Hawtie both gushed over the phone about how happy they were, and Quinn couldn’t wait to see that happiness in person. She also couldn’t wait to see Cassie, Devon, and all of the children again.
“I thought Canada might not be such a bad place to set up a solid base of operations,” Julian said.
“You hate the cold.”
He draped his arm around her shoulders to pull her against his chest. “We won’t stay there year round. We can stay there six months out of the year—no, four months.”
She chuckled as she rested her palm against his bare chest. His skin had taken on a golden hue from the sun. The tan would fade by morning, but there were no blisters or burns on him, not anymore.
“June through September,” she said.
“Maybe three months.”
She stood on her toes to kiss his jaw. “Then what do we do for the other nine months?”
“Then we come south, to here.”
She turned to gaze back at the large home with its wall of tinted windows facing the beach. Despite the heavy tint, she was still able to see within the home whereas no humans could. She watched Luther, Dani, and Lou walk by the wall of windows on the first floor. They went to the sliding glass door leading to the beach.
Lou opened the door for them to exit and followed behind. Quinn licked her lips when she saw the pitcher of pink liquid she knew held some delicious concoction that Luther had mixed together. Dani set the pitcher and an assortment of glasses on the table near the house.
“I really do love this place,” she murmured.
“So you’ve said,” Julian replied, drawing her attention back to him. “Many times.” His ice-blue eyes reflected the colors of the sunset when he smiled at her. “That’s why I bought it for you.”
Quinn’s gaze shot from him to the house and back to him again. “Seriously?” she blurted.
“I don’t kid, Dewdrop, not about making you happy.”
She opened her mouth to sputter something, but words completely failed her. Finally, she was able to think clearly enough to speak again. “But we’d be so far from all the vampires we’ve taken charge of.”
And they had gathered quite the following over the past two years. Vampire attacks on humans were way down. The vampires who had joined with them had all formed a tenuous truce with the Hunters and Guardians. A truce she knew would only grow over the years as the trust deepened with time.
“Bonus in my mind,” he replied with a shrug. “We’re so far from those in China, Australia, or even South America while we’re in the U.S. and Canada anyway. If something happens on the other side of the world, it won’t make any difference if we’re here or somewhere else. It’s why we have regulators in those areas to deal with any problems until we can arrive to take control, if it becomes necessary. Every year or so we can take a couple of weeks, or a month, to travel back to those countries and reestablish our relationships with the vampires there. Plus, there is an airport here.”
She had no idea what to say to that. He was right, of course, but she’d never considered being able to call this place their own.
Clasping his cheeks between her palms, she rose onto her toes. “You bought me a house,” she murmured against his lips.
“I bought you a house.”
“Maybe we can do six months here and six months in Canada,” she suggested.
He locked his arm around her waist and drew her flush against his chest. “Seven and five.”
“Deal,” she agreed and threw her arms around his neck.
The kiss he gave her had her toes digging into the sand before he lifted her off the beach and carried her back toward the house. He went to carry her past the others and inside, but she broke the kiss and slapped him playfully on his shoulders. “I want to tell them!”
He groaned but set her on her feet. The sand shifted beneath her as she ran over to the table and slid onto the bench beside Lou. Dani pushed a drink toward her; judging by the scent, it was a tequila sunrise. Sharing drinks around the table had become their nightly ritual since arriving here, and she wasn’t willing to break it when they were leaving tomorrow.
“Where are Chris and Melissa?” she inquired, wanting to tell everyone at once.
The question was no sooner out of her mouth than she spotted the married couple descending the spiraling staircase and making their way across the tiled living room to the door. In his arms, Chris carried their two-month-old son, Andrew. They had all tried to convince the two of them to return to Cassie and Devon when they’d learned Melissa was pregnant, but they’d refused to do so.
Instead, Chris and Melissa had gotten married on the coast of New Zealand in a small ceremony before they’d all traveled to Argentina. Now, the young couple looked like zombies as they leaned against eac
h other while they shuffled toward the doors. They stepped outside and walked over to the table, forgetting to close the door behind them.
“Can I?” Quinn asked and held her hands out for the tiny bundle while Lou jumped up to close the door.
Chris handed Andrew over to her. She beamed down at the baby when he wrapped his tiny hand around one of her fingers. His onyx eyes watched her while he blew bubbles at her. She may not have dreamed of having children herself, but she’d fallen in love with Andrew. She often watched him while Julian was on the beach and Chris and Melissa napped.
Andrew cooed happily as he jerked on her finger and giggled. She would never have children, but she would have Andrew and his children and countless others to watch over long after their parents were gone from this world. She shut off the depressing thought and bent to kiss his forehead. She inhaled his sweet, baby powder and milk scent.
She was so engrossed in Andrew that she forgot about Julian’s news until Julian cleared his throat and straddled the bench to sit beside her. He ran his finger over Andrew’s cheek before kissing her ear. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to tell them?”
“Oh, yes!” she cried and lifted her head to look at all of them. “Julian bought this house! We can use it as part of our base for five months of the year and stay in Canada for the other seven! When we’re not traveling again, of course.”
“What?” Julian sputtered. “I didn’t agree to seven in Canada.”
She smiled sweetly at him as the others talked excitedly amongst themselves. “You didn’t specify seven and five months where.”
He scowled at her for a minute before leaning forward to kiss her nose. “You’re lucky I love you.”
“I am,” she replied. “I really am.”
He pulled her closer to him, and she dropped her head onto his chest. “I’m lucky you love me too.”
“You really are. No one else would put up with you.”