Quinn (Vampires in America: The Vampire Wars Book 12)

by D. B. Reynolds

  Eve groaned as the stinging pain traveled like an electric shock, shooting down through her abdomen and groin until it plucked at her clit, until she’d have sworn she could feel the stroke of his tongue on the throbbing nub. Quinn licked away the small bit of blood from her breast, his tongue sliding over and back to twirl around her nipple, as he reached beneath her skirt and slid his hands into her panties to cup her bare ass. Eve shuddered with pleasure when he moved his teasing mouth to the other breast, tasting and biting in turn, taking his slow time while she grew more and more frantic with desire.

  Sliding a hand between their bodies, she gripped the hard bulge of his erection through the fabric of his jeans. It was Quinn’s turn to groan as she slid his zipper down and reached into the opening to wrap her fingers around his thickness. His penis was all hot velvety skin and steely hardness. She closed her eyes, loving the feel of him, wanting him deep inside her. She scooted closer to the edge of the desk and would have slid herself right onto his cock, but he went suddenly still, his arms tightening around her protectively a moment before a knock sounded on the office door.

  “We’ve got trouble, my lord.”

  Quinn cursed silently at his cousin’s voice. There was very little privacy in a house full of vampires. Garrick knew what Quinn was up to with Eve and wouldn’t haven’t interrupted him if it wasn’t serious.

  For one minute, he considered fucking her anyway. She was ready for him, her pussy hot and soaking wet where she’d been grinding it against his cock, her arousal like the sweetest perfume. It was nearly as enticing as the rush of her blood, its delicious scent so close beneath the satin beauty of her pale skin. Her breasts were full and lush, narrow trails of blood betraying the mark of his fangs, her nipples as hard and ripe as berries, and just as succulent. She was still rocking against him, whispering his name like a plea over and over again . . .

  Quinn shut his eyes and stepped back, pulling the two sides of her blouse over her beautiful breasts. “Rain check, sweetheart.”

  Eve blushed in hot embarrassment and began hurriedly putting herself back together, slapping away his hands when he ran the backs of his fingers over her breasts while pretending to help her fasten the bra. “Is it always this busy?” she asked quietly, her fingers shaking as she slipped the tiny buttons into their holes.

  “No,” he muttered. “Only when I’m trying to seize a country.”

  She chuckled, then looked up to meet his eyes and realized he was serious. “Oh. Right.”

  He reached for the lowest button on her blouse, his fingers ridiculously large for the narrow button holes.

  “I’ll do it,” she said brushing his hands away. “You take care of your own self.” She nodded at his raging hard-on.

  Fuck, Quinn thought viciously. Or not. That was the problem, wasn’t it? Stepping away from her seductive heat, he zipped his jeans and shook his hips, trying to get his unruly cock to loosen enough that it didn’t look like an animal trying to break free. Which was what it felt like right about now.

  He eyed Eve, while she tried to get everything covered, and decided he didn’t want anyone else to see her like that. She was his, in all her enticing, frustrating, irritating as hell, sexiness.

  “Stay here,” he ordered and walked over to the door, opening it enough that he could slip into the hall without making it look like he was hiding anything. His cousin knew better, but Garrick did no more than cock a cynical eyebrow.

  “What’s happened?” Quinn asked.

  “Got a call from that human gang leader at the port—Neville. He says there’s a bunch of Sorley’s people down there making trouble. He wants to know what you’re going to do about it.”

  “Shit. Sorley has a mole somewhere, probably in Neville’s gang. He knows about our deal and doesn’t like it, so he’s decided to fuck it up.” Quinn looked to the side, thinking. “All right. Who knows about this?”

  “No one. I took the call and came directly to you.”

  “Good. I want this kept quiet. A small group—you, me, and maybe three more. Only people we can trust absolutely, vampires from our original team. We leave in ten minutes.”

  “Yes, my lord.” Garrick strode away without another word, taking the stairs quickly, but without any evidence of urgency. Anyone seeing him would see nothing out of the ordinary.

  Quinn watched him go, then opened the door behind him and slipped back into his office.

  “I have to go,” he said, walking to the wall behind his desk and pressing a hidden panel. A door popped open to reveal a collection of weapons—guns and knives mostly, but there were a few grenades, and even a small crossbow. He’d bought the latter on a whim and had never had a chance to use it. Even the guns were only for backup purposes. He wouldn’t have much credibility as a vampire lord if he had to rely on human weapons instead of his own power.

  “Whoa!” Eve’s reaction to the arsenal was one of undisguised admiration. “Nice. If you had all this, why’d you have to steal my rifle?”

  Quinn shot her a frustrated look over his shoulder as he selected a Colt 1911 and donned a leather shoulder holster to carry it. “I didn’t steal your rifle. I saved you from being hunted down by a bunch of furious vampires.”

  “Please. Like I’ve never evaded your kind before.” She strolled over and began picking up and putting down the weapons, one at a time. “So where’re we going tonight?”

  “We? You’re staying right here where you won’t get into trouble. I’m going to take care of some business.”

  “The kind of business that ends up with dead vampires? I’m in.”

  “The hell you are.”

  “News flash, my lord. I don’t need your permission. I’ll go wherever the fuck I want.”

  He grabbed her around the waist and slammed her up against his chest. “This isn’t a joke, Eve. I want you here, where I know you’re safe.”

  She placed a hand on his chest and gave him a sweet smile. “I haven’t been safe since my brother was murdered five years ago,” she explained. She shoved away hard, surprising him into letting her go. “I won’t stay here. You’re going to the docks—”

  “How do you know—”

  “Well, goodness, Quinn, I have ears, don’t I?”

  “You eavesdropped?”

  “Of course, I did.” Her eyes lit up when she saw the crossbow. “That’s a beauty. I’ll just borrow this against that rifle you stole.”

  Quinn grabbed her wrist, as if he’d stop her, then said, “You go with me, and you do what I say.”

  She snorted. “If I take my own car, I can do what I want.”

  “Eve,” he said, more exasperated than he’d ever been. Everything was a battle with her, even sex. Which admittedly was incredibly hot. But this. “Why are you being so difficult?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not the problem, lover. You are. You’re so all fired up to control everything and everyone that you’re ignoring how useful I could be in a fight.”

  “I’m not using you as fucking bait,” he snarled, thinking of her previous hunting techniques.

  “You sure as hell aren’t. But I make a damn good sneak. I can go places you can’t.”

  Quinn didn’t need anyone to sneak around for him. His power let him scan his enemies and take them out far more effectively. But it was obvious that Eve wasn’t going to remain behind. If she was with him, there was at least a chance he could keep her alive. Plus, at least then she wouldn’t fuck up his own plans.

  “You’re going with me. Take or leave it. And, Eve?” He met her gaze directly, letting his power rise until he could see its silver-blue glow reflected in her dark eyes. “I’m not like those other vampires you seduced into falling on your knife. If I wanted you to stay here, you’d damn well be doing it.”

  Her eyes were solemn when she looked back at him, h
er face set in defiance. But underneath all that determination, her heartbeat was jumping, and her scent was flavored with fear. Even so, her tone was full of snark when she said, “Message received, my lord. Now can we gear up and get out of here, before the bad guys all go home?”

  He studied her a moment longer, then glanced at her spike-heeled boots, shook his head, and said, “Do you have more practical shoes?”

  She gave him a smug look. “In my car.”

  THEY TOOK THE TWO Range Rovers. Quinn rode in the second vehicle with Adorjan driving, Garrick in the passenger seat up front, and Eve sitting next to him. The three other vampires—all people he’d brought from the U.S., since he couldn’t be sure who Sorley’s spy was, were in the first vehicle.

  “Do you have a plan?” Garrick asked, his manner slightly stiff. He hadn’t been happy with Eve’s inclusion. Quinn couldn’t blame him, but he wasn’t going to let his cousin tell him which woman he fucked, or even if he armed her to the teeth and brought her into battle. Eve was right. She wasn’t some fainting maiden. She’d been in enough fights that she could be useful, and she could also take care of herself, to a certain extent. What she couldn’t do for herself, he’d damn well do for her.

  “My plan,” he answered Garrick, “is that we walk in, size up the situation, and then kill the bad guys.”

  Next to him, Eve covered her mouth to conceal her snort of laughter. She wasn’t stupid. She knew Garrick didn’t like her, and he wouldn’t appreciate her laughter.

  “Great,” Garrick said insincerely. “Do you mind if I call Neville and see if he has any useful info before we go charging in?” His question was almost as snarky as Eve’s had been, and Quinn wondered, not for the first time, if there was something about him that attracted snarky people. He grinned, thankful his cousin wasn’t paying enough attention to notice.

  “Go ahead,” he said. “Call.”

  Garrick finished his call to Neville as they rolled through the main port gate with no problem, despite their lack of credentials. “Persuading” gate guards and police officers, among others, was a basic talent that many vampires possessed, especially those charged with driving vampire lords around.

  “What’s the word?” Quinn asked, eyeing the towering containers. They all looked the same to him, but Adorjan seemed to know where he was going. It would be incredibly easy to set up an ambush in here. Maybe not for him, but certainly for human targets, like Eve’s brother, or the members of Neville’s gang who’d been trapped that night.

  “Neville has a dozen or so men on the dock, but some of them are down. He’s not sure how many.”

  “He’s not there?”

  “No.”

  Quinn shook his head in disgust. Say what you would about vampires, but they damn well led from the front, not the cozy safety of their cottage. “Does he have any detailed intel on Sorley’s vamps?”

  “Nothing new, except for the number. Five or six, he says.”

  That sounded about right to Quinn. He’d have sent the same number, if he’d decided to kill a few humans and throw a wrench into the gang’s smuggling operations. They should have been more than enough, except that Sorley hadn’t counted on Quinn.

  Adorjan abruptly swerved around a short stack of containers and skidded to a halt. The second SUV drew to a stop next to them, being careful to leave room for the vehicle doors to open. Quinn threw an arm across Eve’s legs, stopping her from opening her door. “Keep your earpiece on,” he said, referring to the Bluetooth bud he’d given her that matched the ones his team wore. “And remember what I told you. You do what I say, or I’ll take you down myself.”

  She gave him a narrow look. “Yes sir, my lord, sir.”

  He gave her a smacking kiss on the lips. “You’re finally learning.” He watched her climb out of the SUV and disappear between two stacks of containers, then he opened his own door and slid out.

  By the time he joined his vampires on the dock, any trace of amusement was gone, leaving only deadly purpose. He glanced around, using all of his senses to evaluate the location. The port was a noisy place, even this late at night. The deep-throated whine of heavy cranes and the clang of metal containers never seemed to let up, and the air was cold as hell and wet with more than the usual ocean mist. Quinn thought about Eve’s bare legs and how icy the metal containers would be, and he wished he’d told her to do more than change her shoes. At which point, he reminded himself that she was a grown woman who was fully capable of choosing her own wardrobe, and that he had better things to think about.

  “Five vampires and . . .” He cocked his head. Humans could be difficult to pick up, especially if they were injured. “Neville’s dozen are still alive, but some are hurt badly enough that they’re probably out of commission.” He glanced at his vampires. “Shall we, gentlemen?”

  They started forward with deceptive casualness, strolling around the intervening shipping containers as if they were touring the docks and just happened to come upon the confrontation between Sorley’s vamps and the human gang members.

  “Keep walking, boyo, this is out of your league,” one of the vamps sneered, when Quinn’s first vampire rounded the last stack of two containers. He caught sight of Quinn, and the sneer disappeared, replaced by rage. “What the fuck? Does Sorley know you’re here?”

  “I don’t report to Sorley,” Quinn said mildly. He eyed the three fallen humans, one of whom would die if he didn’t get help soon. Quinn hoped Neville had a good doctor on his payroll. “Adorjan, call Neville. Tell him to come get his people out of here.”

  One of the standing humans stared at him suspiciously. “Who are you?”

  Quinn didn’t answer, only waited while Adorjan made a brief call. He gave Quinn a discreet nod and slipped his phone into his pocket, just as the human’s mobile began to vibrate in silent mode, making a buzzing noise that was easily detectible to a vampire. Quinn nodded at the man to answer. The human did so, his suspicious stare never leaving Quinn, who personally thought the man should be a tad more grateful. Quinn had probably just saved his life.

  He gave the human a full-toothed grin, fangs gleaming, and the man finally seemed to understand. This shit was about to get bloody. If the humans stayed, the only thing they could do was die.

  He watched silently as Neville’s people gathered up their wounded and surrendered the field, then he turned to Sorley’s vampires, giving them a look with just as much fang, but a lot less grin. “It’s just us now.”

  “Yeah,” their seeming leader scoffed. “There’s just one problem. We belong here. You don’t.”

  Quinn regarded him quizzically. “No, actually, I’m the one who belongs. Sorley sent me out here the other night to deal with a problem. I dealt with it. That makes all of this mine.”

  “That’s not how it works, asshole. I don’t know who the fuck you are, but—”

  “Quinn,” he said. “Quinn Kavanagh, but there’s no need to be formal. And you are . . .”

  “I’m the last face you’re ever going to see—”

  “Oh, please, we’re resorting to movie clichés now? Are we vampires or bit actors?”

  “What the fuck you talking to him for?” one of the other vamps snarled at their leader. “Come on, Barrie. Let’s smoke these fuckers and get on with it.”

  Quinn’s gaze swung back to Barrie with a lazy grin. The impatient vamp might not understand, but Barrie did. Quinn was still camouflaging most of his power, but Barrie must have known about Quinn’s mission to meet with Neville for Sorley, as well as the outcome. It followed, then, that he knew he’d been sent here tonight to fuck up Quinn’s plans for a private alliance with Neville. He’d probably even expected a confrontation with some of Quinn’s people. But he clearly hadn’t expected Quinn himself to show up.

  “You know who I am,” Quinn said quietly, trying to push Barrie’s decision al
ong. “You know what will happen here.”

  Unfortunately, Quinn knew what was going to happen, too. Barrie wouldn’t back down. He couldn’t back down without losing face, and it appeared he was one of those vamps who’d rather go down bloody, than walk away from the fight.

  “I don’t give a fuck who you are,” Barrie growled now, so very predictably. “This is Sorley’s territory, and his word is law. Not yours.”

  Quinn shook his head and tsked. “Not for much longer, Barrie.” He released his power with a rush, exhilaration sweeping over him with near-orgasmic pleasure. God damn that felt good. “I’ll take Barrie,” he told his people calmly.

  EVE SLIPPED AWAY between the metal containers, grabbing the first ladder she came to and climbing upward. The metal was cold and wet, sometimes rusted, rough against the bare skin of her legs. It scraped her thigh as she took the final high step to the top, and she reminded herself to wear leggings next time she decided to join in on one of Quinn’s adventures in vampire land. She knew the only reason he’d brought her was to keep her from going off on her own. Lord knew he didn’t need her to help him fight. She had seen what he could do, one on one. Even more, she’d seen what he could do without so much as lifting a fist. He’d sent her up here as a lookout of sorts, watching for enemies trying to sneak up from behind. She doubted he needed that, either, but she kept an eye out anyway, wanting to believe she was helping.

  The sound of voices drew her farther away from the vehicles. Walking as softly as she could, she snuck across the tall containers, jumping over a three-foot gap at one point, coming to a freezing halt when she landed for fear the vampire audience below had heard. But it seemed the interminable racket from the port covered up whatever noise she’d made. And besides, the vampires down there seemed much more interested in each other than anything she was doing.