by April Zyon
Dead silence. Then she heard him curse. “Jesus, Quinn. Shit, don’t tell me anything more over the phone. Are you safe? Because if you’re not … fuck, I don’t know. Shit,” he muttered again. “I don’t know if I should offer or not, but do you want me to come over? I know we’ve never officially met or anything, but I hate knowing you’re going through this virtually alone.”
She wanted him to come over, but it wasn’t fair. He was no match for the monster that was stalking her. “I’m safe, Piran. The sheriff is here and will have cars driving past all night. Tomorrow my handler will be here and … well, I don’t know.” She sighed, wiping her tear-laden eyes on her knees. “I just want you to know that talking to you and getting to know you has been the brightest part of my life.” She wanted to tell him that now, before her phone was taken from her. She was sure that was one of the first things that would happen when her handler arrived.
“Quinn, you’re killing me here. Damn it, all I want to do is hold you right now and I can’t. And I don’t want you saying goodbye to me, either, not now and not any time soon. I don’t know how this will all work out but it will. We’re going to get that date in one of these days. I need you to believe that, okay? And if you change your mind and want me to come over, I will. Even if it’s to sit on your front stoop to give you an added sense of safety, I’m good with that.”
“You’re killing me, Piran.” She repeated his words back to him. “It’s just so dangerous. You’re only a civilian just like me, and bullets seriously suck, trust me. Let the guys with the bullet-proof vests take care of things, yeah?” She took a deep breath and before she could stop herself she gave him her address. “But promise me if there is any hint of him crossing state lines, any sighting of him, you will go home and be safe? Please?”
“I’m on my way.” She could hear movement on his end of the phone. “Tell the sheriff not to shoot me when I get there, would you. Stay tucked away and I’ll see you soon.” The call ended right after she heard a door slam shut.
The sheriff walked back in, and once again Quinn wiped at her eyes. “Piran Raske was my date tonight and who I butt-dialed. He’s coming over here. He requested that you don’t shoot him? I can’t believe I have broken every rule I was given in the matter of ten minutes.” She was shocked at herself. She had followed the rules to the letter for so long, but all it had taken was talking to Piran at that moment to have her spilling out her life story, in shortened version, to him.
“Piran, huh? Interesting,” the sheriff said. He was looking at her in a contemplative manner. “Good lad that one. Stayed out of trouble for the most part. Even joined the military after high school because he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. You could do worse than that guy, Quinn.”
“I haven’t even met him face-to-face, Sheriff.” She did smile, however. “Tonight was the thirteenth time we tried to meet up. I guess thirteen is going to be the magic number, huh? I wouldn’t be surprised if he went running for home once he learns everything. The man coming for me is a monster and, military training or no, I am not so sure that Piran would be a match for him.”
The sheriff gave a snorting laugh that had her staring at him while he waved a hand. “Sorry, but you will learn that there are those around these parts who don’t put up with monsters of any kind, human or otherwise. Believe me when I say that you definitely picked the right spot to come if you need protection, Quinn. Best place on the planet, actually.” His phone rang and after excusing himself he wandered into the next room to take the call while leaving her wondering what the hell he meant.
She shook her head. “I don’t think there is a place on this planet I would be safe as long as he’s out of prison.” She’d had several attempts on her life, but they had stopped after she’d been given this latest identity and relocated to Shifter Falls. She knew that had to do with only her handler knowing who she was. Nothing had been placed on paper, and all documentation she had for citizenship was through a German immigrant who was willing to change money for his dead daughter’s identity. There was no trail at all that would lead to her, except through her handler.
A knock on the door ten minutes later had the sheriff moving faster than she’d thought possible to get there to answer it. He had his hand on the butt of his gun when he looked through the peephole. When he relaxed, Quinn let out a breath of relief. Pulling open the door, the older man stepped to the side to reveal Piran, in the flesh.
Quinn stood, rubbing her damp hands down her jean-clad legs. “Not exactly how I pictured we would first meet.” She was likely a hot mess. She had been crying, hadn’t run a brush through her short black hair, and was in ratty jeans and an old MIT t-shirt she’d bought at Goodwill. “Hi, I’m Quinn,” she said, holding out her hand. She saw the sheriff walking out of the house, locking the door before he did so, which had her shaking her head. How odd.
Piran was handsome, like drop-dead gorgeous. He was almost a full foot taller than her at six feet tall. He had ripples of muscles on his lanky body, and he was tanned. His dark green eyes drew her in instantly, and his hair, while short, was a brown color that made her want to run her fingers through it. God help her but she wanted to touch him, often.
Stepping forward, Piran took her hand in his larger, rougher one. He was wearing a crooked grin on his face. “Nice to finally meet you, Quinn. I’m Piran,” he said in a teasing tone. She noted he was dressed down like she was, in old jeans and a well-worn shirt that hid nothing of his torso. Nothing at all. Wow. “This may not be the ideal situation but at least we finally did it, right?”
Smiling, she nodded. “Lucky number thirteen?” She moved in closer to him and placed a hand on his chest. Goodness, he was ripped. His body was lithe and trim, but it also showed the true muscle definition of a man that worked with his hands daily. He might not be huge like some of the men she had met, but he was powerful all the same. She noticed something else as well, something odd that she had observed from the other men she’d met on the site. He inhaled deeply when she came closer, his eyes closing as he did so. “If you dare tell me I’m not the right one, I think I might kick you,” she said, only half teasing. “Before I started to talk to you I went out on several dates and all the men did that and then said that. Is it something in the air or do I smell bad or something?”
“Oh, sweetheart, you definitely do not smell bad. You smell damn tasty, actually, like my very own personal treat.” Lowering his head, he inhaled deeply once more and put a hand on her hip, the touch light and non-threatening. “Damn but all I want to do is lick you up. If you tell me that’s perfume you’re wearing, though, we may need to have words.”
She was pulled even closer to him, their bodies connecting every inch possible. She shook her head. “I don’t wear perfume. I’m allergic to most of them, so I don’t wear them at all. Only Dove soap and deodorant,” she confessed, rubbing her cheek against his chest, and felt like purring like a damn cat. “How are you so warm?” His whole body was hot, in more than one way, too. “This feels so good.” How did it feel so right? They had just met and it felt perfect to have him holding her. It was almost like they’d been cleaved from the same stone and fit together perfectly.
Quinn felt more than heard his low chuckle. The sound, like his deep voice, was at odds with her first perception of the man. “I’ve always run hotter than the average person.” He stroked a hand up her back to gently wrap around her nape, warming even more of her. “I’m glad to find out that you don’t wear perfume, that it’s only and all woman I’m smelling. But it does make it harder not to take a nibble or a lick.”
Quinn looked up at him. “How about we start with a kiss?” She was willing to break all of her rules for this man and it made no sense, but she went with it. “Just ignore the scars that you might find on my body if you decide to nibble and lick on me, and keep in mind that I get to do the same to you.” She licked her lips now. She wanted to tug him down and kiss him, desperately.
“You will be exp
laining that particular statement later. After I get a taste of you.” His head lowered toward hers slowly. The closer he got, the faster her breathing, until she was about to shake loose from her own skin out of need. Gently he brushed his lips to hers, taking in the breath she let out on a whoosh. Then he cupped her nape tighter and slanted his mouth over hers while pressing his body impossibly closer.
When the kiss finally ended, Quinn was certain she had died and gone to heaven because there was no way that a man could kiss like a god. It was almost like he wrapped every facet of his body into hers and kept her tight while he made love to her mouth. It wasn’t a kiss—it was a promise of what more could come. When she finally opened her eyes, a silly smile curved her lips. “Goodness, if you kiss like that…” She didn’t go on because she likely would have made an embarrassment of herself.
He looked pleased with himself. “Does this mean I can stay for a while? Maybe we can kiss some more while you tell me what I need to know. Better to forewarn and arm me with information than to leave me stumbling around blind. And to make it not nearly so one-sided you can ask me anything you want to.”
Quinn took a deep breath and nodded. “Let’s get comfortable and I will tell you the whole sorry story of who I really am and what I’m going through right now. If you want to leave after that, I completely understand. If you find it too dangerous, I get it.” She hoped not, but she would understand.
Piran kept a hand on her back as she led him into the living room and sat down at her side on the sofa. He looped his arm around her to keep her at his side, but it wasn’t a grip she’d have to fight if she needed to get loose. He was a series of contradictions, and if she didn’t know better she’d swear she was missing something important about him that was way too obvious. But first one problem at a time, hers.
“When I was born, my mom knew who my father was but left him. She moved as far from him as she could. As I grew up she wouldn’t tell me about him, but one day when I was five he was there. He took a gun and shot my mother in the head and made me watch. He had one of his men take me then. He said that he couldn’t deny that I was his child because of my eyes. The blue rings around the green, and the shape of my mouth, I guess.” She shrugged. “I was in shock. I couldn’t speak and when I did start to cry I was smacked and told that I should be grateful he was even taking on the burden of a child. Little did I know.” She buried her cheek against his shoulder, taking several minutes to simply pull herself back together.
“I was never allowed to go to school, never allowed friends or anything of the sort. I was homeschooled, but I noticed that there were a lot of children coming and going from the house. When I was ten, I questioned it. That’s when I was told to mind my own business. Well, being a ten-year-old being told not to do something didn’t sit well with me, not when I was finally realizing that my father was not a good man at all, and yes it took me that long to realize that he wasn’t a good man. I watched, I listened, and I learned the horrible truth.” She touched a scar at her neck and bit her lower lip. “The first time I tried to get those kids help, he ordered one of his men to give me a lesson on manners. He cut me from my chest to just behind my ear and then rubbed salt in the wound. I wasn’t allowed to be treated for it and the wound became infected. They brought in a doctor who gave me antibiotics and walked away. The doctor knew very good and well what my father was doing and he walked away.”
She shivered, not in cold but in memories. “I snuck out the next night. I was shot twice, once in the fatty part of my upper thigh and once on my ass, but I kept running because I knew if I didn’t I wouldn’t live another day. Thankfully there was a cop who was patrolling the area and he wasn’t on my father’s payroll. He took me to the hospital and, after realizing the seriousness of the situation, called in some of his friends from the FBI. From there things got, well, worse,” she admitted. Piran being around her made the memories seem not as bad, made it seem as if things weren’t as hard on her and she could handle things just a bit better.
“After the trial, I was placed with a family. The dad was ex Special Forces, and the mom was FBI. They couldn’t have kids, so having me in their home was a blessing to them. I had counseling three times a week, but they gave me as normal of a childhood as possible while they could. But there was always that lingering doubt and that itch that someone was there watching and waiting for me. It was hard for me to make friends, because I saw enemies everywhere. And the family I was placed with, they moved me around often because of security reasons and then I hit college.” She shuddered as she recalled that first day. “I was actually assigned a watcher my freshman year. She was ten years my senior. I never found out why she came unhinged, but when the parents that took me in came for parents’ day she lost her shit. She killed both of them and then herself right there in our dorm room while on Skype with the head of the FBI. I have no idea why she didn’t kill me. She kept me alive, left me tied to the bunk beds that we had.” She took a deep breath, then let it out before she continued. Tears stung her eyes.
“I know I shouldn’t let one bad agent make me not trust any of them. A number of good men and women died to protect me so that I could put that monster and his crew in jail. There are also a few really bad men and women out there who are still looking for me for him. He hired out killers several times and each time I had to move anew because there was a leak in WITSEC.” She was crying but ignored it. “And then my handler got the black market identity for me and moved me here. There hasn’t been a peep for the four years I’ve been here until now. I don’t know what changed, but he’s broken out now and he’s made sure that everyone knows he’s looking for me.” She felt Piran shaking as she was shaking, and she could tell it was in rage, not fear, if the look on his face was anything to go by.
In a gentle but quick move Piran pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Slowly he rocked her, rubbing her back while she wept. She couldn’t believe it. She’d only met the guy minutes before and here she was bawling all over him. He didn’t seem to mind, either, just kept her close and murmured soothing sounds while she let go of everything she’d been holding on to.
She finally pulled back so she could look up at him and touched her fingers to his cheek. “Are you a dream? You are too good to be real. Am I dead?” She traced the outline of his full and soft lips. “If I am, does that mean you are my soulmate for the rest of our time in death or whatever it would be called?” No man ever acted like this. This tenderness, this ease he gave her, and the soothing caresses were almost too much for her. How could he be real? She had to have fallen and hit her head, because no man was this perfect, right? The way that he’d taken her story and still wanted to touch her made her want to lean into him more. She wanted to have him around her often and that was very odd for her. Since putting her dad away she’d wanted to be alone, until him.
“You are one hundred percent alive. Trust me, I’m no angel. Ask pretty much anyone around these parts.” He pressed a kiss to her fingertips before he drew her hand away to brush a kiss over her lips. “Why don’t you go splash some water on your cheeks and I’ll go raid your fridge for drinks? Maybe after that we can watch a movie. I’ll even let you pick as long as you promise not to pick something that has my nuts shriveling up enough that I need to hand in my man card.”
She snorted in laughter. “I seriously don’t ever see that happening.” She did pull back from him, though, and scooted off of his lap. “We should still be able to get a pizza, if you’re hungry? The phone is on the wall in the kitchen and there is a flier for the local pizza place. They have weird-sounding pizzas, but they are good. But if you’ve lived here all your life you know that. My favorite is the jag’s surprise.” It had meats, cheeses, and was utterly delicious. “I’ll be back in ten,” she told him and disappeared up the stairs.
Chapter Four
For about two minutes after she’d vanished from sight, he couldn’t move. Then the breath he’d apparently been holding exploded from P
iran’s body. “And they say shit isn’t fated,” he muttered. Not that she’d hear him. Quinn was entirely human. He didn’t mind that detail. It would mean being slightly more careful with her, but he could manage it. He inhaled deeply and took a moment to look around her home. It was sparse but it felt homey. The furniture was oversized and well worn, but it also looked well kept. He noted she had several wood pieces, not the quality of his work but still not terrible quality in the least. They were sturdy pieces and he could appreciate that. As he looked around the room, he noticed that while she had a couple of paintings up, there were absolutely no personal images up at all. The walls were stark white without color, and that didn’t seem to fit the woman that he was coming to realize was his. She seemed more vibrant than that.
Finally shaking himself from his stupor, Piran wandered toward where he figured the kitchen was. He struck gold and even found the menu she’d told him would be there. After putting in the order for two pizzas and some sides, he took the opportunity to take a peek around. When he heard her moving toward the stairs, he went back to the living room to wait for her. She was beautiful. He had to admit that now that he could think straight. She was in trouble and she was stunning. She had hazel eyes, but they had a thin line of blue around the outside that intrigued him and made him wonder if there was some sort of magic somewhere in her background. Add to it she was short, which he absolutely loved about her, and she was perfect in his eyes. She was curvy, with wide hips and breasts that made his mouth water. He wondered what her hair would look like when it was grown out, but actually he loved the way it brushed just at her jawline.