by Kell Amber
Energy crackled across Quentin’s palms. “You will sign this, because that’s what I plan to do.”
“I won’t put you in danger.” Jaks clenched his jaw.
“It’s not up to you. Just because you tagged me like a puppy, doesn’t mean you can keep me at home,” Quentin argued, trying to ignore how Jaks’s flashing eyes glowed in the room’s dim lights.
Jaks slid his fingers through Quentin’s hair, sending waves of need sizzling down his spine. Quentin gasped but clung to his resolve by the tips of his fingers.
“You belong to me now, sweet wizard.” Jaks pressed a soft kiss to Quentin’s cheek.
“I belong to no one. The longer we waste time here, the farther Glenn is getting. It’s already been a few days who knows who hungry he’s gotten” Quentin already had guilt stabbing through him for abandoning Glenn outside the hospital. He remained still and let Jaks press a few more kisses down his neck, because jerking away might trigger the vampire’s hunting instincts. At least that was what the bounty hunter training material had warned him about.
“Better we come to an agreement, then. I can’t let you go into danger, and you seem to be resistant to my needs.”
“I came to get your permission to take bounties. I don’t need it to find my friend. I can go with or without you.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No strings?” Quentin examined Jaks’s frustrated expression and tried to keep the glee off his face.
“Not this time, but you still can’t hunt without my permission.”
“Then come.” Quentin offered his hand. He would pick up the bounty hunter fight again after they found Glenn. Jaks stared at Quentin’s hand but didn’t immediately accept it. “What? Are you too good to hold my hand?”
“Why do I need to do that?”
“Can you teleport?” Quentin had never heard of a vampire who could teleport, but he didn’t know Jaks’s abilities.
“No.” Jaks entwined his fingers with Quentin’s. “I just didn’t want our first time holding hands to be so practical.”
Quentin shook his head at the romantic vampire. “You’re being ridiculous.”
Jaks lifted Quentin’s hand to kiss the back of it. “I won’t have you in danger if I can help it. I like that you are so loyal to your friend, but I draw the line at allowing you to jump into situations where you can get hurt.”
Quentin held back his outrage over Jaks “letting” him do anything. He would have to find a way to get around him. Time to brush off his sneakiness. First they needed to get Glenn.
Jaks kept hold of Quentin’s hand as they walked outside of the manor and past the teleportation blocking spells.
“Yes.” Quentin closed his eyes to focus on wrapping them in his teleportation field. He didn’t worry about the wolves. They would follow, at least until they were free. It was the most father-son time he’d ever had.
A surge of energy swept them out of the vampire territory and to the edge of the forest.
“You are far more powerful than I expected. We will make a wonderful couple.” Jaks grinned.
“We’ll see.” Quentin wasn’t ready to get matching tuxes. He sent some probing energy toward the hospital. His mother was sleeping.
“What was that for?”
“What?” Quentin turned toward the forest. The whip of air around him heralded the wolves joining them.
“The hospital. Who’s there?”
“My mother. Let’s go.” Quentin started walking toward the dark woods.
“Why is she there?”
“Cancer, which is why I need this job. Don’t interfere.”
“I can provide for you.” Jaks voice was low, seductive, and Quentin was certain it usually let the man have his way with anything.
He refused to back down. He had bills… and pride. “After this, I expect you to sign my form.” He didn’t let a hint of doubt color his tone.
“We will discuss it.”
Quentin would have growled, but the wolves were already making noises about entering the wood.
A soft click. Jaks had opened his phone. “Hello, Braed. I need you to bring most of the clan here. We are at the edge of the forest by the hospital. No, I’m not interested in your plans for the evening. Get here immediately.” He turned to Quentin. “Can you teleport them here?”
“No. I need a fix on their auras. If I don’t know them or haven’t met them, I can’t pull them toward me.”
“You’ll have to bring cars. My Quentin can only teleport me.” Jaks purred those last few words into the phone, turning Quentin’s name into a caress.
Teleport. Fuck, why hadn’t he thought of that before? Quentin focused on Glenn: he remembered the sound of his voice, the brightness of his hair, and the scent of the peppermints he’d sucked on to curb his craving for a cigarette.
Glenn.
A powerful magical backlash slammed into him. He flew off his feet and landed hard on the ground. The earth hurt him as it impacted his ass. “Ouch.”
“Quentin!” Jaks ran over to help him to his feet.
“I’m fine.” He rubbed the back of his head. A piercing pain radiated from the contact of a small rock against his skull. Double ouch.
“What happened? You must stop whatever you’re doing immediately before you’re hurt,” Jaks demanded.
“I didn’t do that on purpose. I was seeking Glenn. Something fought back.”
“He will have a different mental signature now that he’s changed. You can’t call him with the same memories.” Jaks brushed the dirt off Quentin’s back.
Quentin ignored the roaming hands as he thought about how to reach his friend. “You’re right!” Calculations ran through his head as he mentally tweaked his spell. Maybe if he studied the brainwave patterns of different species—
“Quentin?”
“What?” He turned his attention back to the vampire staring at him.
“I called your name four times. I was worried you were in a spell.” Jaks scowled, then tucked a stray hank of hair behind Quentin’s ear.
“No, I was just thinking. I tend to zone out sometimes.”
“Ah, a thinker. I’ll have to get used to that. It’s been a long time since I’ve been attracted to someone because of their mind. It’s rather stimulating.” Jaks stroked Quentin’s cheek in a distracting manner.
Quentin stepped out of reach, ignoring the vampire’s disappointed expression. “I’m glad you’re happy. We need to go into the forest.” He didn’t know how to handle the overbearing vampire who was trying to charm him—and partially succeeding.
“We’ll wait for backup. I can feel the evil hiding in there, can’t you?” Jaks tilted his head toward the darkness.
Quentin wished he could say no, but the oppressive silence of the forest ahead had a malicious feel, like a poisonous snake waiting to uncurl. Instead he gave a reluctant nod before leaning against a tree. The wolves circled him, each pointing away from Quentin to protect him on all sides.
“We could go visit your mother while we’re waiting,” Jaks offered.
“She’s sleeping.”
“You can’t know that,” Jaks protested.
Quentin nodded. “Yes, I can. I can sense her because we’re blood related.”
“I wonder if you’ll be able to sense me when I drink your blood.”
Quentin wanted to object, but the scientific part of him kind of wondered about that too.
A soft whisper of fabric announced a new arrival.
“What are we doing here?” A tall blond man wearing a long black jacket approached them. His aura screamed vampire.
“Hello, Braed. We are helping Quentin.”
Braed’s narrowed gaze swept over Quentin and his wolves. “Why does he need help?”
“Because we’re going into the forest to get his friend.” Jaks settled a hand on Quentin’s shoulder in a show of ownership.
Quentin contemplated throwing Jaks across the forest.
“Your Untouchabl
e is a powerful mage who controls bone wolves. He didn’t need help capturing our last master. He didn’t even use his wolves. Why does he need help now?”
“Because dark magic lives in that forest and I don’t want him going alone,” Jaks said.
“Why should we risk ourselves for one wizard?” Braed set his hands on his hips.
While the other two spoke, Quentin thought of another way to contact his friend. “You shouldn’t. Stay here. I’ve wasted enough time.” He kneeled on the ground and pressed his palms to the earth. “Glenn,” he whispered.
Wind whipped around him. An eerie green glow drifted from the forest floor. He tilted his head and met Lars’s eyes. “Let’s hunt.”
Lars tilted back his head and howled, and the other bone wolves picked up the call. Quentin got to his feet and entered the woods without looking back. The vampires could come or not. He didn’t have time to tiptoe around—he had a friend to rescue.
“Quentin, wait.”
Quentin ignored Jaks. The forest shifted and murmured around him. He could hear the life moving beneath his feet. A low hum of insects buzzed. Hyperaware of his surroundings, he sent out feelers to locate Glenn. A soft echo returned to him.
“Glenn,” he whispered again.
He followed the floating trail, careful to watch where he stepped, wary of traps.
“Quentin!” Jaks shouted.
“You don’t seem to have much of a control over your boy,” Braed drawled behind him.
Quentin let electricity crackle brightly across his fingers.
“If he shocks you to death, I’m not going to bring you back,” Jaks commented to the other vampire.
“Understood.” Braed’s voice sounded subdued.
Quentin didn’t need the chatty vamps to scare off his friend. “Shh, I’m trying to listen.”
Whoever said vampires were graceful hadn’t experienced a group of them tromping through a forest. Quentin waved his hand and cast a spell, dampening the noise.
“I’m liking him,” Braed whispered.
Quentin smiled to himself but blocked the vampires from his thoughts. He didn’t know how many were there, but at least they weren’t being noisy now. The wolves trotted ahead of him, forming a protective honor chain.
A low moan up ahead sent chills down his spine. “Glenn?”
Someone grabbed his arm from behind. Quentin raised his hand to zap until he saw it was Jaks. He shook off Jaks’s hold. “Don’t grab me. You could get hurt.”
“How is it you’re wearing the chain but I’m the one following directions?” Jaks asked.
“Just lucky, I guess.” Quentin smirked.
A loud shriek had Quentin running toward the sound. The wolves raced ahead to meet any threat.
“Damn it, Quentin,” Jaks cursed behind him.
With his magic muffling their footsteps, Quentin didn’t know if the vampires followed or not or how many of them there might be. He didn’t care. He had to get to his friend. Up ahead, he saw someone lying on the ground.
“Glenn!” He ran over and dropped down beside him.
Glenn’s eyes were open but bloodshot and unseeing.
“Glenn, come on, buddy. I’m going to get you out of here. Do you need blood?”
“Oh fuck that!” Jaks grabbed Quentin and threw him over his shoulder. “Bring the vamp.”
“What are you doing?” Quentin yelled and kicked, only to have Jaks wrap an arm around his legs and pin them against his chest.
“You are not giving that kid your blood. Every fucking drop is mine.” Jaks slapped Quentin on the ass.
“I will set you on fire!” Quentin threatened.
“No, you won’t. You’re too nice of a guy for that.” Jaks rubbed Quentin’s butt through his jeans.
Quentin couldn’t even teleport away because he didn’t want to leave Glenn. Jaks had him well and truly caught.
A voice echoed through the forest, slithering through Quentin like slick oil. “Where are you going with my new pet?”
Jaks stopped to set Quentin down. “I think we’ve found your friend’s maker,” he whispered.
Quentin stepped in front of him. He didn’t know what kind of abilities vampires had, but he didn’t want his to get injured. His sudden possessiveness over a vampire didn’t go unnoticed. He would have to figure out what to do about that later.
“Aw, the vampire’s pet is all protective,” the mocking voice said from the shadows.
Jaks grabbed the back of Quentin’s neck and pulled him behind him. “I’m here to protect you,” he hissed.
“Uh-huh.” Quentin walked over to where Braed was holding Glenn. “Set him down. I’ll watch him.”
Braed looked over to Jaks, who must’ve agreed because Braed laid Glenn on the ground. Quentin sensed the other vampires joining them, but they stayed out of sight.
The wolves surrounded Quentin. He tried to see into the darker part of the forest, but the trees blocked the moon. Lacking enhanced vampire vision, Quentin couldn’t see too far into the trees. He almost created some light of his own, but he didn’t want to blind the vampires or distract them.
“You smell good,” Glenn whispered.
“Step away from the newly made vamp,” Braed ordered.
Glenn’s eyes took on a glowing sheen.
Oh fuck. Quentin realized he was the only food source for miles. “He needs blood,” Quentin told Braed.
“Not yours. Drinking magically charged blood when newly made could have serious consequences.”
“Like what?”
“He might not be able to digest it properly, or he could burn up inside. The first drink is the most crucial for vampires,” Braed explained.
Lars shoved between Glenn and Quentin. The wolves had become very protective. Maybe they thought Quentin was the only one who could save them and they wanted to keep their best hope safe.
The same voice spoke from the darkness. “Give me back my pet.”
Thinking fast, Quentin yanked off his shoes and then his socks. He sank his toes into the soft forest floor. Immediately the earth responded to his magic.
“Now isn’t time to be playing in the dirt,” Braed said, his lips tilting up as he watched Quentin.
A low growl rolled through the forest, and two grizzly bears plodded toward them from between the trees. Thick leather studded collars circled their necks, and their eyes glowed with an unholy light.
“Bear demons, shit,” Braed muttered.
“I’ll deal with these if you watch over Glenn,” Quentin said. Magic rolled off him in waves.
“We’ll take care of them,” Jaks told Braed.
Quentin moved a few feet away from Glenn. The wolves and Jaks followed him. In his periphery he watched the other vampires spread around behind them, fanning out to protect their flanks.
The air took on a sulfurous stench and a low fog rolled before them. Magic crackled the air with arcs of light. Whatever waited on the other side wasn’t fully a vampire.
Quentin wiggled his feet into the mud and connected with the earth, then the forest. The tree roots vibrated beneath the power of his energy.
“What’s that?” Braed asked.
“It’s Quentin.” Glenn must have woken, because Quentin recognized his voice.
The bears paused in their march toward them.
Quentin blocked out everything except the bears before him. He sank his consciousness into the earth and registered the positions of the twelve vampires around him, his friend lying on the ground, and the bears approaching. Farther off, deeper into the woods, something else lurked just out of Quentin’s influence.
“Be careful,” Jaks warned.
“Don’t worry. I’m a careful kind of guy.” Quentin opened his arms and released his energy in an explosion of power.
The bears roared. Quentin sank into their minds and snapped the link between the bears and the creature that held them. The beasts whimpered, then turned and ran away.
“Wow, that’s amazing,” Braed
said.
Quentin jerked as the magic slammed back into him. His skin hummed from the energy backlash. He shook his hands out, letting sparks snap off the tips of his fingers. A wind rushed past them, bringing with it a foul smell. “I think we should go. Now’s the time to retreat.” With the loss of the bear demons, they would not have a better chance to escape.
“What, no epic showdown?” Braed asked.
“We have to get Glenn food. That’s more important,” Jaks said.
Glenn ran at Quentin. Lars jumped up and slammed Glenn to the ground. Glenn moaned and tried to grab at the wolf, but was unable to move the heavy beast.
“And before he tries to eat me,” Quentin agreed.
“Only one person gets to eat you, my sweet.” Jaks wrapped a hand around Quentin’s arm. “Let’s go home.”
Quentin nodded. His mind was already on everything he needed to get done tomorrow. It would be best to get Glenn situated with the vampire clan before heading to his own place. With a quick thought of the vampire mansion, Quentin teleported them to the vampire’s front yard.
“How do we feed Glenn?” he asked. “Do you guys have bagged blood or donors?” He didn’t know how it worked, but Glenn needed blood.
“The servants will take care of him. It is best if you don’t know the details. I’m more concerned with you. We need to seal our bond to make it official.”
“You didn’t sign my paper.” Quentin had to keep the final goal in focus. He couldn’t afford to let a beautiful vampire with a killer smile distract him. Quentin refused to give up his independence. He barely knew Jaks, and he wouldn’t allow the vampire to take over his life.
“Ah, time to start negotiations.”
Jaks’s smug tone had Quentin clenching his fists. “There will be no negotiation. I need to earn money. You need to sign my form. End of discussion.” Quentin wouldn’t back down.
“I can give you money.”
The frustrated expression on Jaks’s face almost made Quentin smile. He could tell the vampire wasn’t used to anyone opposing him. “Why do you want me anyway? You could have anyone,” Quentin asked. Legions of men and women must be standing in line to partner with the handsome vampire.
“If that is true, then I should get you. You are the one I choose.” Jaks cupped Quentin’s face between his hands. “You are my destiny.”