Another pull of her sweet blood and Quinn retracted his fangs, licking over her wounds, and then kissed her thoroughly for long moments as he grew soft inside her. It was long moments before he pulled back and fell to her side, wrapping his arms around her and tugging her into him as she purred, literally purred deep in her throat. “Are you okay?” He opened his eyes to check on her.
She appeared to have a semi-shift going on, one of her hands had claws instead of fingers, and her eyes were pure Tiger as she nodded. “Yes, I’m glorious. I can feel you . . . inside. I can feel you. We’re truly mated, Quinn. Finally. My beast is happy. I’m happy. But that took a little out of me, trying not to fully shift, so I think I’ll nap now. Okay?”
He chuckled as she purred again, snuggling closer to him as he pulled a sheet over them. He’d never felt so happy in his entire damn life. “A nap sounds good.”
Thorne was dancing, drinking and having a wonderful time. The party was in full swing and everyone was merry, everything had kicked up a notch after Quinn’s proposal, the women present had suddenly become overly romantic and he had a lively blonde in his arms when his phone started to vibrate in his pocket. He ignored it. It was a party after all. But when it started up again, and again, and again, he excused himself and went out into the hallway, tugging it out, furious at the interruption but almost had a heart attack when he saw the number: Jana Noskova’s.
“What the fuck?” He picked up quickly. “Hello?”
“Why didn’t you answer my calls?” she barked out furiously. “I’ve been calling you for ages, Thorne, and Quinn, he’s not answering either. Where is he?”
“He’s . . .” Thorne paused, not sure how to answer such a delicate question. “Indisposed.”
“That’s not an answer,” Jana replied cold as ice. “You need to listen to me and listen very carefully. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Thorne’s heart sank, this wasn’t good. In fact, he suspected what she was about to say was bad. Very, very bad.
He was right.
“Ace!” he roared, slamming his way through guests right and left, not caring whether they were important or not. A Wolf grabbed him, shouting an obscenity for being manhandled but Thorne pushed him away, continuing and roared again., “Ace! Where the fuck are you?”
Ace appeared next to him a moment later. “What’s wrong? Why are you throwing Quinn’s guests around? He’s not going to be happy about that, Thorne.”
“Shut up and get your men, now. We need to go get Quinn and Amaya.”
“What? Are you fucking insane?” Ace shook his head. “They’re at a gazebo at the lake, and they’re, well, they’re bonding, Thorne. I’m not going to interrupt that! I happen to like living. He’ll tear our hearts out if we go anywhere near there.”
“You don’t fucking understand.” Thorne grabbed onto Ace, pulling him along behind him. “You get your men, now, you hear me? I’m not asking you. I’m ordering you to get your men and follow me right this fucking minute! If you don’t they’re both dead!”
Chapter 19
Quinn’s inner alarm went off, his eyes popping open, head turning this way and that to try and figure out what had set it off. He couldn’t see anything but that didn’t mean there wasn’t something there, but what?
Shaking his head, he sighed. He was being stupid, he was on his own estate, surrounded for miles by his own land, there was nothing to be worried about. Nerves. That was all it was. With everything that had happened over the last few days it was understandable. Especially for someone like him who was OCD in the extreme. Hell, he’d thrown his clothes down onto the ground earlier and left them lying there. Something that would normally have him shaking and anxious all on its own. Yes, that was probably it.
Gently moving Amaya, he rose, and picked up the discarded clothing before folding it neatly and placing it on a chair. There, all done. Taking a deep breath, he was about to rejoin Amaya when he felt another shiver run up his spine, a noise from behind him causing him to spin around, fangs out as he knew for certain there was a threat in the area. What it was he had no idea but he knew there was one.
“Amaya, baby, wake up,” he whispered, but she didn’t hear him. She was out cold. Damn. “Amaya, wake up.” He tried again, stepping over, reaching down and just as he was about to shake her another voice broke the silence sending a slither of fear for his Bloodmate up his spine.
“What a delightful scene we have here. Well, it would be if you’d stuck to the fucking rules. But you didn’t, did you?”
Quinn turned to see a man straight from Hell. He had to be because he’d put him there. He’d killed him. He had. How was it possible he now stood before him? And he wasn’t alone, he had a group of men around him so he couldn’t be a fucking ghost. What was going on? Quinn opened his mouth to ask that very question but the apparition held up his hand, halting him.
“No, you don’t get to speak, not yet.” He moved toward him. “You’re a dirty murdering bastard. You think you can get away with what you did?”
This time Quinn didn’t wait for permission. Who the fuck was this guy? He’d killed him. He had. “What the hell is going on here? I killed you. I tore your fucking head from your shoulders so what the fuck?”
He laughed, a cold, harsh laugh that lasted all of two seconds before his eyes landed back on Quinn’s. “No, you idiot. You didn’t. You made the biggest mistake of your life.”
“Quinn? What’s happening?” Amaya’s sleepy voice asked from behind him and his heart sped up, his hand shooting out behind him.
“Stay back, baby.”
“No, don’t, come join us, after all you belonged to me first and this fucker here didn’t pay me, so I say you still belong to me.”
“What?” Quinn leaned forward, a sick feeling in his gut as an idea began to form in his brain. Oh shit, surely not?
“You killed my brother, some mistake, huh? Especially for a Russian. Families mean a lot to us, especially my baby brother who I turned so long ago. We’ve been together for such a long time and you ripped his fucking head off and you didn’t pay me for her. So, Mister Fucking Alexander, what do you think is going to happen here?”
Quinn’s heart sank so far, he wasn’t sure if it still existed inside him. He knew all right. Zorin Igoravich had come seeking revenge and that ended only one way. With him dead and possibly Amaya too, or worse, with the Russian taking her for his own. Fuck. He couldn’t allow that. Not Amaya.
“How much?” Quinn stalled, his hand behind his back, motioning for Amaya to move away. Praying she’d take heed.
“How much? For what? For her? For my loss of face? For my brother’s life?”
“All of it.” Quinn held out his hands. “You tell me and I’ll make it happen.”
“You cannot be serious,” Igoravich snarled. “You can’t pay me for what you’ve done.”
“I am and I can,” Quinn parlayed. “Five billion pounds.”
He saw the moment the figure hit, his eyes squinting as he saw the pounds transferring into other currencies and his body language relaxed if only slightly. So Quinn waited, letting it sink in. “What did you say?”
“I said, five billion pounds. I can do that, British currency, anywhere you want it sent.”
“You are lying,” Igoravich scoffed, looking at the men around him. “You can’t get that amount.”
“I’m not lying and I can, you let Amaya go, right now and I’ll pay you seven billion. She walks away, this minute, and I’ll pay you seven billion. You give me the details of the Cayman account. I can have the money wired there within the hour.”
“No!” Amaya leaped from the bed, the sheet wrapped around her. Thank fuck. If she’d appeared naked he’d have had a heart attack. “I’m not leaving you here.”
“Be quiet!” he snapped, not daring to look at her. If he did she’d see the lie in his eyes.
“How can I trust you?”
“I’m staying right here with you, aren’t I? When she’s gone all
you need to do is give me your phone and I’ll log onto my bank and start the transfer. For that sum of money, it will take some time to go through security checks, but that’s to be expected for such a large amount. I assume you’re familiar with these checks for sums over a billion pounds?”
He knew for a fact the man wouldn’t be, and that he was talking nonsense, but it was all stalling tactics. If he could get Amaya away safely, then she could get help. Hopefully in time.
“Of course I’m aware,” Igoravich snorted. “Go, before I change my mind.”
This time Quinn did look at her. “Go, Amaya, please.”
She saw the plea in his eyes and she knew what he wanted, needed, her to do. She leapt into his arms, kissed him quickly and then jumped down, turned and ran for all she was worth. Her legs pumped so fast she was gone from his view within moments. He tried to figure out how long it would take her to get back to the main house, probably a good fifteen or twenty minutes, then she’d have to locate Ace or Thorne, and they’d have to get men together and get back here. Och, he’d be fine. They’d get here in plenty of time. Sure they would.
He had nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.
And he sure as hell didn’t, because as Igoravich reached in to pull his phone out there was a flurry of movement behind him and his men and the unmistakable roar of a tiger. What the fuck?
“What’s that?” Zorin snarled looking at Quinn with a ferocious look that told him he was out for blood.
“That sounds like the cavalry to me.” Quinn smirked as all hell broke loose, his thighs bunched as he soared forward and attacked the man who was a mirror image of the one he’d killed in Hong Kong.
The fight was longer and bloodier than the previous one had been, but the outcome just the same. Quinn the victor with an Igoravich lying dead at his feet before turning to a pile of ash and floating away with a gust of wind. His brave Amaya had helped, her Tiger biting and clawing whenever and wherever it could, even though he’d yelled at her to stay back. It seemed she was determined to stick by his side no matter the danger.
Thorne, Ace and his men made short work of the rest of Zorin’s men, some giving up without a punch being thrown at all, and they were trussed up and waiting to be handed over to The Directive. Jana had been pleased about that, not so pleased that Zorin Igoravich had, once again, slipped her net.
Thorne explained it had taken Jana and the team some time to realize that it hadn’t been Zorin that Quinn had killed in Hong Kong, and that he was, in fact, on his way to exact revenge. When she’d found out and tried to contact him, he’d not answered because he’d left his phone in his other suit in his haste to change for the party. And Thorne had been busy having fun. It had been touch and go, but luckily, things had turned out in their favor.
So here they were, sitting on the back patio, drinks in hand with the party still in full swing inside with nobody there any the wiser of what had happened.
“I’m starving. Thorne, could you go get me a burger?” Amaya asked as she snuggled against Quinn, a glass of whisky in her hand.
“You’re hungry? After what you’ve just went through?”
“Sure am, in fact could you make that two . . . no three, please.” She smiled at him as he rose. “And cake, bring me cake too.”
“Cake and burgers?” Quinn quirked a brow.
“Sure, what’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, nothing at all. After tonight you can have whatever you want, darling, anything at all.”
“Good to know.” Amaya turned and kissed his cheek. “I’ll have chocolate covered strawberries for breakfast tomorrow then.”
Quinn’s head fell back, laughter bubbling up and out, Ace joining and so did Amaya. That was how Thorne found them when he returned with her food. All three sitting laughing their heads off.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, handing her plate over.
“Nothing.” Quinn settled down. “Nothing at all. I’m just the happiest man alive, my friend.”
Epilogue
Amaya gasped, squirming on the bed, her hands clutching the sheets as pleasure shot through her. “Don’t stop!”
Quinn’s tongue was working its magic on her clit, fingers inside her and his other hand was doing such wondrous things to her breast . . . damn the man knew how to work her body. Then again, he’d had plenty of practice over the past ten years! He worked her faster, his fingers hooking inside her and she almost exploded right then. A shriek tore out of her, his tongue lashing around her sensitive bundle of nerves that were now ready to tip her over the edge into that wild and wonderful place only her love could take her and then he did it . . . his teeth nipping her bud and she shattered beneath him. Stars burst behind her eyelids, her body quivered and her heart stuttered in her chest as she rode the wave of pleasure that engulfed her, but she knew it was only the beginning.
Quinn moved quickly, his fangs springing free to sink into the very top of her thigh, right at the junction next to her opening where his fingers still thrust. Releasing some of his special venom it hit her a second later . . . her body convulsing with the shock as another orgasm shook her body, taking her higher and higher until she was completely lost in a haze of ecstasy that was beyond anything that words could describe. Over and over she tumbled, her body on fire with bliss as he lapped at her blood until her body was nothing but a hot mess beneath him.
Pulling free from her, he licked across the tiny pinpricks, and crawled up to lie beside her. “Happy Anniversary, beautiful.”
“Hmm hmm,” was all she could muster, her body still quivering from the aftershocks of the multiple orgasms he’d drawn out of her.
“That’s all I get after ten years and giving you the best morning sex all week?” Quinn leaned up on his forearm, grinning down at her.
Amaya managed to open her eyes and nod. “Your fault for tiring me out.”
“I see.” He trailed a finger down her neck, continuing to her left breast until he stopped at her nipple where he gently caressed it. “If I give you five minutes to recuperate what do you say to round two in the shower?”
“What’s the plans for today again? I’m afraid my brain is mush.”
“The plans are that I’m taking my gorgeous and sexy wife away to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Just the two of us. Alone. Nobody else. So we can have some alone time.”
“I thought that’s what you said last night.” Amaya was alert now. “But . . .”
“No buts, everything’s taken care of.” Quinn tapped her nipple. “The kids are going on a trip of their own.”
“What?” Amaya’s heart started to beat faster. That wasn’t something she’d expected.
“Yes, and you can calm down, baby. I can hear you getting all excited . . . or upset. Whatever, I can hear that heart speeding up, but there’s no need. They’ll be looked after and taken care of and have fun.”
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this, Quinn. They’ve never been away from us before, well, not all of them and not for more than a night.”
“Well, now they will be and it’s not as if they’re babies. Amaya, the twins are almost eight years old, they’re two strong boys who are not afraid of anything, they’ll be fine, and their sister is nine for goodness sakes. She’s like a mother hen to them, and she’ll be okay too, especially since they’ll have Thorne, Ace, and Aggie as well as four more men as a security detail. They’ll have a great time, I promise you.”
“Where? Just where are my children going?” Amaya asked, still not certain she was comfortable with the plans he’d set in motion without asking her.
“Now that’s the beauty of all this, darling.” Quinn quirked an eyebrow at her. “I asked them where they’d like to go and so they decided . . . they’re going to Florida to do all those parks that you keep refusing to do. You know, the ones with the rides that you say you’d have a heart attack watching them ride? Now they can go and have fun and you won’t have to worry watching it.”
“What?
No! I’ll still worry, Quinn. I just won’t be there,” Amaya squealed, sitting up and crossing her arms.
“No, you won’t, because I plan on keeping you busy with other things. Remember, we’re going away too. Now, we’ve got a schedule to keep, and I’ve got round two to cash in on, are you recovered enough yet?”
“Wait, you’ve not told me where you’re taking me yet.”
Quinn gave her a smile, reaching to pull her to the edge of the bed. “You’re going home, darling. I’ve listened to you talk to the kids about how much you loved your father’s homeland, even though you never got to see it. So, I’m taking you on a tour of, now where was it again?”
He stopped, a twinkle in his eye as he waited, knowing she’d say it, but it took her a moment to say anything. He’d taken her breath away with the thoughtfulness of his gift. He was right. She’d dreamed of seeing her father’s home. He’d spoken of it often when she was a small child, but she’d never gotten the chance to see it for herself . . . and now she would. She’d travelled a lot over the years, hopping from place to place, continent to continent, but for some reason she’d steered clear of the place her father had been born. Her father was where she got her dark hair and eyes from, as well as the darker tone of skin which always looked as if she had a bit of a tan. She definitely looked more like him than her mother who’d been blonde and blue eyed.
She’d had the opportunity to go there, more than once, but something had always stopped her. Until now. Now it felt right. Now was the time to step foot on the land that had borne the man she’d loved with all her heart and she’d walk down the streets he’d spoke of with such love . . . Alexandria. No doubt it was changed, different to when he was young, but she’d still seek out the places he spoke of. The catacombs of Kom El Shoqkafa, a labyrinth that he laughed about getting lost in, and the Royal Library where he’d sneak in and spend hours before he had to be back home for his evening meal. So many memories came flooding back as she stared at Quinn . . . her mouth opening to whisper. “Alexandria?”
A Vampire’s Thirst: Quinn Page 13