Queen of Quarantine

by Caroline Peckham

  “Saint, pull over,” I instructed as I spotted Mila in the seat beside Danny, but Saint kept driving.

  “Dude,” Blake growled. “It could be important.”

  “The only important things in the world are in this car,” Saint said matter of factly, but as sweet as that was, he still needed to stop.

  “Saint,” I demanded.

  “I’m with the boss man, let’s not risk it,” Kyan said, yawning and leaning back against his seat like he was planning a nap.

  “There’s no risk, it’s our friends,” I growled as Danny flashed his lights again and Mila waved anxiously at us. “Stop the car.”

  “Just pull over, man,” Nash insisted and Saint growled in irritation.

  I leaned forward between the seats, gripping Saint’s bicep and speaking in his ear. “Please.”

  His jaw pulsed then he indicated off the road and parked up, putting the hazard lights on even though no one was around but us and our friends.

  Blake opened the door and I hurried out after him as Danny pulled his car up his car behind us, excitement rushing through me. Mila spilled out of the vehicle, running toward us and my heart leapt as she wrapped her arms around me.

  “I was so worried, girl,” she said, holding me tight. “Where the fuck have you been?”

  “It’s a long story,” I said as I hugged her firmly, stepping back as she continued to grip my hands. Hell I’d missed her. And I hated that we had go. That our world was so messed up and there was no place for normality in it anymore.

  “Yeah, and we can’t tell it. We don’t have long, we’ve gotta go,” Blake said seriously as Danny stepped out of the car and walked toward us with his brow furrowed in concern.

  “Are you in trouble?” Mila asked in a whisper, squeezing my hands and I nodded, not wanting to lie to her. But there were so many things I couldn’t say for her own safety.

  “We’re in deep shit,” I admitted. “But we’re gonna be okay. Saint has a plan.”

  “Will you come back?” she asked anxiously.

  I shared a sad look with Blake then shook my head. “I don’t think so,” I sighed.

  Mila’s eyes swam with tears as she gazed at me and I felt my own eyes blurring too. She’d been a good friend to me. The only true girl friend I’d ever really had. And there was at least one thing I could do for her.

  “Wait here,” I said, turning and jogging back to the car. I popped the trunk and Saint cursed colourfully as I opened the silver box holding the vaccines, taking out a bottle of the precious liquid and a couple of syringes, drawing up the doses they’d need. I locked the box up tight again, shutting the trunk and running back to Mila.

  “Here.” I pressed them into her palm and she looked down at the syringes in confusion.

  “What’s this?” she asked as Blake ran a hand through his hair, throwing an anxious glance back at Saint’s car.

  “It’s a vaccine. A working vaccine for the Hades Virus,” I whispered, though there wasn’t a soul around for miles to hear us. I just knew how valuable this knowledge was.

  Mila’s large eyes rounded as she looked over at Danny in excitement then back to me. “Are you serious? Where the hell did you get this, girl?”

  “Like she said, it’s a long story,” Blake interjected.

  “I can give it to you guys, roll up your sleeves,” I said. Dad had trained me to do it years ago and it was pretty simple.

  Mila went first, allowing me to inject her with the vaccine and it warmed my heart to know how much she trusted me. When I’d given it to Danny too, Blake slid an arm around my waist and drew me a step back. “This sucks balls, but we’ve really gotta go. There’s some assholes out looking for us.”

  “No shit,” Danny breathed, glancing over his shoulder nervously.

  A decision flashed in Mila’s eyes and she grabbed my hand as Blake tried to draw me away. “What can we do to help you?”

  “I have an idea,” Saint’s cutting voice filled the air and I nearly jumped out of my skin as he appeared beside me like a damn ghost.

  He held out a bunch of phones to Mila. “Take these. Turn them on and make a call on at least one of them. Then drive south for a hundred miles before tossing them.”

  Mila gaped at him. “Is someone tracking you?” she asked in shock.

  “Obviously,” Saint said coolly and I elbowed him in the ribs.

  “This is some action movie shit, I swear,” Danny said, looking kind of excited by that.

  “We’ll do it,” Mila announced.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” I asked, my throat tight with emotion at leaving her, unsure when I’d ever see her again. But hopefully there was a time beyond this when I could. I just didn’t know how we’d get there yet.

  “Of course not,” Mila said firmly and I pulled her into another hug as my heart beat painfully against my ribs.

  “Thank you,” I breathed.

  “Love you, girl. Call me as soon as you can, okay?” she begged and I nodded as I released her, swallowing down the sharp lump in my throat.

  I hugged Danny too then Blake embraced them before they got back into their car, waving to us as they turned around and headed in the opposite direction. A heavy breath left me as they disappeared and I really hoped I’d seen them again soon.

  “Well, I suppose the stop was worthwhile after all, but we should have discussed giving out that vaccine, Tatum,” Saint said sharply, taking my hand and guiding me back to the car at a fierce pace.

  “They deserve to have one,” I said fiercely. “And I don’t have to ask your permission. They’re my friends. And the only reason that vaccine was created was because of what I went through in that lab. I at least want some good things to come from me suffering through all of that.”

  “I will not allow rash decisions to put any of us at risk,” Saint said, not backing down one bit despite my more than valid points.

  “Well unfortunately for you, you’re not a dictator, so it’s not up to you all of the time,” I said curtly and he wheeled me around, shoving me up against the side of his car and glaring down at me, making my heart judder violently.

  “I will protect you at all costs, siren. I will protect all of us, and if being a dictator is what it takes to do that, I am more than suitable for the role.”

  “Come on, bro, chill. We need to get on the road,” Blake called from the other side of the car.

  Nash stepped out, walking around to us and posturing at Saint. “Watch how you place your hands on her, Memphis.”

  “I didn’t ask for your opinion, Nash.” Saint didn’t take his eyes from mine, his muscles bulging against his t-shirt as he kept me in his grip.

  As much as I appreciated Monroe looking out for me, I didn’t need to be saved from Saint. We had our own language, and this was a part of it.

  I slid my hand up his chest, resting it against his furiously thumping heart and his throat bobbed. “I make my own decisions, Saint. And my decisions will always be for the good of the people I love. That includes my friends. So you can be pissed at me all you like, but I’m not sorry.”

  “We don’t have time for this,” Monroe snarled, reaching out to grip Saint’s arm, but he jerked his shoulder to shrug him off.

  “Foolishness breeds dangerous situations,” Saint breathed. “I’ll punish you the next time you don’t consult me on a decision like that.” He pulled away and I rolled my eyes, grabbing the back door and climbing in over Kyan who was fast asleep.

  Everyone else got back into the car and Saint took off down the road, the silence between us ringing in my head.

  “I’m gonna butter the inside of your asshole and let a gopher go to town on it,” Kyan murmured in his sleep and I broke a laugh as Blake and Nash cracked up too.

  Saint glanced at Kyan in the rear view mirror, his eyes glittering with mirth and the tension instantly disbanded between us all.

  Blake threaded his fingers through mine and I leaned against him, breathing in his masculine scent as the
miles sailed away beneath the tires.

  With Mila and Danny laying a false trail, I hoped it meant we were lost to the wind now and no one would be able to track us down. I didn’t know where we were going, but it was part of a plan designed by Saint Memphis. So I wasn’t worried. Because if anyone could outsmart the man hunting us, it was the one who’d been made in his image.

  ***

  Blake breathed softly as he slept beside me and Kyan mumbled nonsense in my ear. I loved the closeness of them, but I was craving the touch of my other Night Keepers too. Ever since I’d gotten out of that lab, I swear I’d formed a seriously possessive streak for them all. I just wanted to be touching them at all times to reassure myself they weren’t going anywhere. And after coming so close to losing Kyan, I guessed the feeling had intensified.

  I unclipped my belt and climbed through the front seats, dropping smoothly onto Nash’s lap.

  “No,” Saint objected. “Back in your seat, it’s not safe up here if we crash.”

  I wound my arms around Monroe’s neck and he hugged me against him. “There’s literally no one else on the roads because of lockdown, we’re not gonna crash,” I argued.

  “A deer could run out of the forest,” Saint growled.

  “He’s right, princess. It’s not safe,” Monroe murmured, looking saddened to say it as he held me close. I thought of what had happened to his family with a pang of guilt knotting up my chest. Shit.

  “Oh Nash, I-” I started.

  “I need a piss!” Blake suddenly announced.

  “Here.” Saint popped the glove compartment, taking out an empty bottle and tossing it at him.

  “Nah, I want a wild piss. I’m not going in a bottle,” Blake insisted.

  “It’s the bottle or nothing,” Saint said calmly.

  “Just pull over for two minutes,” Monroe said, his fingers skating up my spine and I shivered.

  “I actually need to pee too and I’m definitely not going to try and go in a bottle,” I said with a light laugh.

  Saint took a Shewee from the glove compartment in answer to that and my jaw dropped as he tossed the bright pink plastic thing onto my lap.

  “No!” I laughed, tossing it over my shoulder into the back. “Pull over.”

  Saint’s jaw ticked, but he indicated off of the road, pulling up beside the forest and I jumped out of the car. Nash followed and Blake took off into the trees ahead of us.

  “Watch her,” Saint ordered Monroe and I rolled my eyes as Nash took my hand, but I didn’t pull it free.

  “You can watch me pee if you like, but it might be a bit of a weird bonding experience.” I threaded my fingers with Monroe’s and he chuckled as I led him into the woods.

  “I’ll take any bonding experience with you after being without you for so damn long,” he murmured in my ear and I bit my lip as we picked up the pace.

  When we were far enough off the road, I slipped away from him behind a large pine and squatted down to pee. The forest was eerily quiet, but the silence was soon broken by the sound of Blake singing Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera somewhere nearby in the trees, drawing a smile onto my face. Damn, that was old school.

  When I was done, I headed around the tree to find Monroe and he grabbed hold of me, pinning me back against the huge trunk. He pressed his finger to his lips and I grinned as he tilted his head down to kiss me. His tongue moved in fierce, claiming strokes against mine as his hands pressed either side of me on the tree. He smelled like the forest, like a feral man who lived off the land, chopped wood naked and built fires-

  “Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he said heavily, cutting through my fantasy as I fisted my hand in his shirt to keep him close. “I’ve missed all of our plotting too.” He smirked as I scraped my fingers through his dark blonde hair. I was totally fucking smitten with him. I didn’t know if it was the intensity in his eyes or that godly mouth that was getting me so hot right now, but I knew I couldn’t allow myself the temptation when we should be running for the hills. So I drew back and put a little space between us to keep my libido from diving into the driver’s seat. That bitch had been working overtime since I’d been back with my tribe.

  “Well how about we start plotting together again? Let’s sneak up on Blake and scare the crap out of him,” I said conspiratorially.

  He dipped his head, nipping at my neck with a deep laugh that set my pulse racing. “I’m game if you are.”

  Monroe’s eyes glinted as he stepped back and we snuck in the direction Blake’s voice was coming from. He was swinging his hips as he peed, his singing getting louder as we closed in behind him, making a quiet approach. Nash stepped on a branch and a loud crack made Blake wheel around and my jaw dropped at the sight of his dick jammed into the pink plastic Shewee.

  “Dude, what the fuck?” Monroe burst out laughing and Blake sniggered.

  “Thought I’d give it a go. You only live once, right?” He reached down and tugged on it to get it off, but it didn’t move. His gaze fell to it as he tugged again and a yelp of pain left him. “Oh fuck.”

  “Hilarious,” Nash deadpanned as I fell apart laughing. “Come on, we need to go.”

  “It’s not a joke, it’s fucking stuck.” Blake tugged on it again and swallowed another noise of pain when it didn’t move.

  “Give it here.” Monroe strode forward, knocking his hand away and grabbing hold of it, tugging sharply. Blake jerked forward with a panicked gasp, shoving Monroe in the chest.

  “Ow, motherfucker!” he barked.

  I clutched my side as more laughter ripped through me, unable to stop.

  “Tate,” Blake growled. “Stop laughing. Your laugh is sexy and that’s just gonna make me hard which will only make things worse!”

  I literally couldn’t, especially when Nash grabbed the Shewee again and yanked hard. Blake cursed then tried to punch him in the dick in retaliation, but Monroe was too fast as he danced out of the way.

  “Just hold still, I got some kid’s dick out of his zipper once, I can totally do this,” Monroe insisted, bending forward to get a closer look and Blake stilled as I worked to smother my laughter. Monroe was eye to eye with the pee hole as he examined it and he slid his hand along the base as he tried to loosen its grip on Blake’s dick.

  “Ah! That’s my balls,” Blake growled, smacking Monroe around the ear, making his head dip and the Shewee poked him in the eye.

  “Argh!” Monroe reared away from him in horror. “That fucking piss hole went in my eye!”

  “How’s that my fault?” Blake roared.

  “Because you stuck a Shewee on your fucking dick!” Monroe shouted back and another laugh tumbled from my chest but I hurried forward to help Blake, gently taking hold of the Shewee and turning it.

  “No twisting,” Blake gasped in horror, slapping my hands away and taking hold of the plastic as he tried to work it free.

  “For the love of all that is holy,” Saint’s voice made my heart leap and I turned around, finding him standing behind me, shaking his head at Blake. He reached into his pocket, taking out a tube of lube and walking forward to squirt it into the Shewee.

  “Why are you walking around with that in your pocket?” Nash asked in confusion and I was pretty damn curious myself.

  “I don’t need to explain myself to you,” Saint said simply as he slid the Shewee off of Blake’s cock then handed it to him. “You will clean this and return it to Tatum.”

  “I’m like, totally good living my life without that in it actually,” I said, but Saint just fixed Blake with a glare for a long moment then turned, tossing a bottle of hand sanitiser at me before walking back toward the car. “Hurry up, no more games.”

  Blake tucked his dick away as I sanitised my hands then passed the bottle to Monroe who rubbed it everywhere. Including around his eye, making me stifle a snort which he shot me a glare for.

  “Well, it could have been worse anyway,” Blake commented.

  “How could it have been worse? Your dick poked me in t
he eye,” Monroe growled.

  “It wasn’t my dick, it was the Shewee. Jeez, dramatic much?”

  Monroe dove forward and punched him in the ribs then the two of them started wrestling – hopefully not in the puddle of piss.

  Blake caught my hand as I tried to make a run for the car to tell Kyan what had happened and I ended up in the middle of them, being tickled and poked until all of us were laughing, the sound carrying up into the trees. The two of them turned on me pretty damn quickly, crushing me between them so my back was to Blake’s chest and my front was to Monroe’s.

  “Hmm, what are we gonna do with this little bird we’ve got trapped in our cage?” Blake taunted, his mouth brushing my ear and making me want to lean into his touch. But I wasn’t going to be easy prey.

  “Maybe you should both close your eyes and I’ll give you payment to get out of your trap,” I suggested huskily and Nash grinned as he shut his eyes.

  I glanced over my shoulder to find Blake had done the same then drew Monroe closer to me by the back of his neck, grinding my ass into Blake’s crotch, his dick growing solid against me, so I guessed the Shewee hadn’t done any permanent damage. If it had, I’d have stomped on the bitch.

  “I’m waiting for your mouth on mine,” I purred and Monroe leaned forward as I reeled him in then I ducked aside at the last moment and looked up to find his mouth colliding with Blake’s.

  “Dammit, Cinders,” Blake growled, the two of them lurching away from one another and I laughed my victory, sprinting back toward the car as I escaped.

  “Oh no you don’t!” Nash cried, racing after me just as Saint started blasting the horn impatiently.

  I laughed as I tore through the trees, their footfalls crashing along behind me as they tried to catch up. The car came into view and Saint glared at me from the driver’s seat with his brows pulling together. He looked like a father whose patience was wearing thin and we were definitely the kids grinding his gears. Maybe he’d like me to call him Daddy the next time he spanked me.

  “Open the door!” I called to him as his eyes moved to Nash and Blake chasing behind me.

  Saint opened it immediately and I dove into his lap while he slammed it shut and two heavy bodies collided with the car, rocking the whole thing.