by Honor James
Shifting his gaze to Bulldog, he nodded. “Anywhere but here,” he said. “I’ve put out some feelers for a replacement. There’s a couple good blokes working over in Europe at the moment with contracts that are freeing up in the next while. I sent their details to you to review so you’d have an idea about them when you were ready to interview.”
Maya frowned and looked to the man and then to Talon. “Talon, I think there was something you needed to say?” she asked softly and moved from Talon’s side and walked to the Warlock. “Hello, I’m Maya. I can’t recall us actually meeting.” Holding out her hand to him, she waited. Something was off. What the freak was happening?
Quincy shook her hand quickly, he was never so glad he’d pulled on the pair of gloves for dismantling all his electronics. No way she’d get a read through the leather. “Quincy,” he said before stuffing two fingers into his back pockets and looking to Talon as he prayed for her to just go away.
“I have to apologize, Q,” Talon said, moving in closer. “Maya has given me a little more information and I realize I was wrong to question you and I apologize also for yelling at you. Your judgment has always been sound and to the betterment of the team.”
Shrugging, Skittles shifted on his feet. “Don’t even worry about it.” He stood there for a time. “Look, I have a lot of packing to finish, so if you two don’t mind…” He waited again, hoping that Talon at least would get the fucking hint and get her out of the room. Damn it, he still wanted her. Either Gaia was losing it or she’d screwed up. He shouldn’t still want to jump her bones!
“Can I have some alone time with him, please?” Maya asked softly. “I think that he and I need to have a chat.” Now she remembered. It wasn’t Allister who had her all hot and bothered. It had been this man. It had been this Warlock that had her hot and bothered. When Talon left the room, she closed the door with a small force of wind and looked at Quincy. “It was you,” she murmured. “The whole time, it was you. Why would anyone think that it was the Dragon when the whole time it’s been you?” She knew it for what it was. He was her bond-mate.
Staring at her in absolute shock, he was scrambling internally. What the fuck! Gaia! he bellowed out to the Earth in a near panic. She’d told him he was released, he was free, he had no more tie to the woman. What the everloving hell had she done! He knew he likely looked like a bloody guppy, with his mouth opening and closing and the stunned expression on his face, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t have a fucking clue what to do or say.
“I released you from your pain,” the voice said a moment before the woman appeared. “I set things right,” she said and smiled at Maya. “Hello, daughter.”
“Gaia.” Maya bowed her head respectfully to the Goddess. “It is an honor,” she whispered softly. Looking up then, she frowned. “I’m at a loss,” she whispered.
“You need a Warlock mate, darling. One that will be the best of the best, one that will take over the Royal Line and become the new King.” She looked to Quincy. “And that man is Quincy, because sometimes the best illusions are ones that never really were to be,” Gaia said as she smiled at Quincy. “I needed you to find that sometimes giving up your desires for one you love is truly the best path.” She knew that the man would be pissed at her, as he had the right to be, but she added, “I needed you to learn that lesson now before it was too late. She was always meant to be yours, not Allister’s.” She explained, “I just needed, wanted you to understand the gift that you were being given. She’s truly special and you will have to always be on your guard.” She shrugged. “But of anyone, you can do it. I have faith in you, Quincy. I always have. I needed you to feel the loss of your bond-mate so that you would understand it and never allow it to happen.”
“What?” Maya whispered in shock and looked to Quincy. “You were willing to give me away?”
Glaring at Gaia for that serious faux pas, he looked to Maya. “I was willing to ensure you were happy and had the best as you should. I also wasn’t willing to share,” he admitted quietly. “I know others can have dual or triple bond-mates but I can’t. My childhood shaped me that way.” Another glower toward the Goddess. “I don’t share well. I never have. Especially when I’ve had absolutely nothing to begin with. Everything you see here I’ve fought tooth and nail to earn. I never once had the easy ride, the luxury life, or knew what it was like to trust without question.”
“And I could never share either,” Maya murmured. “I’ve seen others do it but I never could. I only have ever wanted one. One man that would understand me,” she whispered. “I could never, ever be in a love triangle because it would be too much. I have never understood how they could work. Yes, I know that they do but not for me.”
“I know, child,” Gaia said with a smile. “I’ve always known who could and could not survive a multiple bond-mating. Believe it or not, I truly do have my children’s well-being in mind when I pair them with others.” She looked to Quincy. “Everything that you have now is yours, yes, but you deserve and will gain so much more.” She sighed and added, “If you both can survive the fire. Now if you will excuse me.”
The look that Maya gave Quincy was clear. She had no idea what to say to the man that was willing to give her up. “You fought for things, but you wouldn’t for me?” she whispered softly, hurt evident in her voice. “Wouldn’t talk to me so that we could figure out what part I would want in your life?”
“I’ve fought merely for the right to draw my next breath,” he told her honestly. “I fought to have you, just you and I forever, but she wouldn’t be swayed. As much as I wanted you I couldn’t stand the thought of sharing you and did what I thought was best.” Gods, now he’d have to figure out what to tell Allister. Fuck him and his big mouth for that parting shot. “You always have a choice. I can only tell you the truth, Maya. That’s all I have. If you’d rather not have me, then go now and don’t look back,” he told her, staring at her straight on. “But if you stay, know that it’s forever.” Gods, he’d never survive if she left. It would kill him right then and there.
“I won’t settle for a moment less. You need to understand that. If I were to stay, its forever,” she told him and took a step in closer to him. “And I don’t share,” she put out there. “At all, I refuse to,” she said with a demanding tone, another step closer. “So you tell me. Do I stay or should I go?”
Licking his lips slowly, he watched her, searching her face for some clue, some hint. “Stay,” he breathed out in the barest of sounds. He wanted to reach out and pull her close to him but she still had to make the final decision. He’d put in his two cents. Now it was all up to her. Tense, he waited and watched her.
“And it’s forever?” she whispered softly and moved yet another step and stopped herself. She had been the one moving closer to him. She had been the one who had been reaching for him. Well, it was time for him to reach for her. “You know it’s not going to be easy, right?” she asked quietly. “I have a brother who wants to collar me so that he has full access to the power inside of me.” She knew that Quincy would know what a collar was and just how horrible it was. “And I have a serious addiction to gummy worms. Like I-should-have-stock-in-the-company addiction, so if you want me, if you want me to stay, then come get me.”
“Always forever,” he breathed out, stepping into her so close that every breath had her breasts rubbing his chest. Cupping her cheek lightly, he stroked his thumb over her skin. “I have shares in Skittles.” Leaning his head in, he stopped a hairsbreadth from her lips. “I’ve never had anything easy, Maya. I’m a fighter and always will be.” Quincy’s words were spoken quietly a moment before he pressed his lips to hers.
Maya wouldn’t let him be anything less. Wrapping her arms around him tightly, she kissed him back, the fireworks sparking behind her eyes and making her finally, for the first time, feel whole. When their mouths parted, she looked at him and smiled. “Wow,” was all she could say. He could certainly pack a punch with his kisses. “And I will always be h
ere at your side, forever, Quincy,” she whispered to him and then smiled. “I think you should recall your resignation because we both know it’s really not what you wanted to do, was it? And then I think that you and I should find somewhere that we can be alone because I really, really need you, my bond-mate.”
“I’ll let them sweat a little I think, but I’ll let Talon know later. There are much more important things to be done.” Kissing her again lightly, he moaned softly. Much more important things. Drawing back, he stared at her. “I think we should go now, before someone comes looking for me.” Someone he’d have to beat to death.
“I think that sounds very good. We need to go. Now.” Before she stripped him naked and did some very, very wicked things to him here in his office. “Unless your office is soundproof we better go.” Good lord, she wanted him, needed him. “It’s not but I will make sure I get that oversight fixed,” he assured her quietly. Dropping his hands to her bottom, he pulled her in closer to him. “We need to go now before I say to hell with it and take you now.” Kissing her again hard and fast, he stepped back and grabbed his backpack. “Let’s go.” He held out a hand to her.
Slipping her hand into his, she frowned. “I need to get my knapsack as well.” It was funny. They had weird tastes in the same things. “It has my gummies. I go nowhere without them,” she teased him with a grin. “So do you mind if we stop by that room so that I can grab it and then I will go wherever you want to take me.”
Nodding, he led her through the halls to the room she’d been staying in and to the little storage room next door. Popping the door open, he grabbed her bag and handed it to her. Once she had it on, he laced his fingers back in hers and headed for the nearest exit. He’d rather hoof it around to the lot where his bike was than go through the building and potentially get stopped. He didn’t have the patience right then.
She raced along at his side. She couldn’t stop the smile that was spread across her face, nor did she want to. This was what she wanted, what she had always wanted. “Where are we going, out of curiosity?” She pulled up closer to him and then added, “And you are way taller than me so you are eating up ground way faster than me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a slacker when it comes to exercise but seriously, you’re killing me here,” she teased.
“Sorry,” he muttered, easing his pace a little so she didn’t have to run. “We’re heading to my place,” he said quietly. “I hope that’s all right. It’s close, private, and very, very quiet. It’s also fully soundproofed,” he murmured as they walked along, his eyes moving all over to ensure no one dared to stop them. “I play the occasional game late into the night and have found that soundproofing means the neighbors bitch less at the volume.”
“I’m good with your place as long as no other woman has been there.” She knew how rude that sounded but dammit he was her bond-mate, only hers. “Because you are my one and only,” she told him. “I know that I’ve talked a big game but it’s just been talk. Quincy, you are going to be my only one.” Her only lover, for now and forever, and it was just as she wanted it.
“Just the cleaning lady that occasionally comes in to beat back the dust bunnies,” he told her honestly. “I’m a geek with unpredictable magic on the best of days.” Damned emotions seriously screwed him up. “No female even wanted to associate with me for the longest time, let alone get near me for a sexual encounter. Plus I just bought this place about two years ago. I’ve been remodeling it for the soundproofing mainly and between the job and that, I’ve barely had time to sleep, let alone contemplate finding a woman to put up with me for a couple hours.”
“So you and I are both virgins. This is going to be a great deal of fun,” she teased with a smile. “I think that together the two of us will figure it out though,” she assured him with a grin. “I don’t really have a home, per se. I move from one hotel suite to another. I’ve been in illusions since I left home. Bella Donna.” She smiled with a grin. “She’s so not me, but that’s all right because by donning that costume I’m able to do what I love and not have to worry about people following me and such. And now I can shed that persona because there is only one man that I want to share magic with.” She saw him look at her and smile. “Yep, it’s you, buddy. Good or bad, you got me for the rest of forever.”
He didn’t bother correcting her slight misconception about his ‘virginity.’ Some things she just didn’t need to know. Reaching his bike, he strapped his bag on the back and dug out the helmet for her to wear. “We’ll have to get you one that fits if you’re going to ride with me often,” he said as he fit the helmet to her as best he could. Winking, he got on the bike and started it before giving her a hand to climb up behind him.
“I think that I would love to ride with you often, so yeah, we should get me one,” she told him and climbed up on the back of the bike. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she shimmied in closer to him and smiled. “Take us home, Quincy,” she chortled happily. “So that we can figure out how we are going to work together,” she teased and felt free. Finally she felt free.
Rubbing her hands that were wrapped around his middle, he revved the engine up and slowly backed the bike out of the slot. Slipping on his shades, he gave it some power and headed for the exit. Getting on the street, he finally relaxed a little and sped them up. Racing for his place, he kept his speed down. He wasn’t going to risk her, not now that he finally had her as his.
Chapter Seven
When they pulled up outside of Quincy’s home, it wasn’t what she expected. It wasn’t that she was expecting a pigsty or anything like that, but when she saw the quaint little house sitting off on its own nestled in the wooded lot that it lay on, she smiled. “This is not where I had expected you to live,” she admitted to him and got off with his help. “Thank you,” she said as she rubbed at the insides of her thighs. “Never knew how much the vibration affected a person.” Not in a bad way either. “I definitely think we will have to ride together far more often than not,” Maya told him with a smile. “In fact I do believe I will insist upon it.”
Taking the helmet from her, he smiled faintly and collected his backpack. “Come on,” he told her, putting a hand at her back. Guiding her toward the little house, he unlocked the door and disarmed the extremely high-tech and complicated system. It kept all his stuff perfectly safe, always would.
Stepping in, he shrugged out of his duster and caught her look at the weapons strapped to his body. “I’ll go and put everything away if you want to wander around,” he said, putting the helmet up on a shelf. He might be a Warlock but he’d also learned that sometimes it was just better to shoot the bad guys rather than risk burning his abilities out. Abilities that could potentially save lives. “There’s juice, milk, water, and probably some beer and wine in the fridge from the last pizza party we had here.” It had been a while so Gods only knew if the alcohol was still all right or not.
Shutting the closet, Quincy moved closer to her. “The place is a little larger than it looks from the outside.” Major understatement of the year. Backing onto a wooded lot definitely had its advantages for hiding a bigger house. Kept people from figuring out just what he had there. Leaning in, he brushed a kiss to her cheek. “Don’t get lost,” he spoke with a small smile before he headed up the hall toward the master suite way, way in the back.
When Quincy left Maya began to look around the place, getting her bearings as he had instructed. It was surprisingly well kept for a man that lived alone. Brushing her hand over the couch, she thought about life, and the life that it seemed was working its way toward her. She wished that she knew what was going on in Quincy’s mind. Sad but true. She wished that she knew what was going on in his mind because he seemed to really not want her to be there.
Dropping onto the couch, she pulled her feet up and under herself after kicking off her shoes and leaned her head to the back of the couch, a soft sigh escaping her mouth as she did so. She thought to the very, very short time that she had spent with Quincy and real
ized that each time he had pulled from her. He might have said that he wanted the mating, but what if he really didn’t? What if it was all an illusion? After all, who would want her? She had a monster for a brother, a man that even she couldn’t stand, she could do things that no Magic User should be able to do, and she had gotten him in hot water with his boss. So why would he want her? She was nothing but trouble and she knew it. Add to it the fact that she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Michael would come gunning for her with every single thing that he had. She was more trouble than she was worth.
Moving and pressing her eyes against her knees, she fought the urge to cry. She had found something that everyone of the magical races craved, a bond-mate blessed by the Goddess, and yet she couldn’t fight the instincts that told her she wasn’t good enough for such a match. Yeah, she was so the one for him. Not. She was damaged goods and knew it.
Walking back out after disarming and changing into loose pants and a printed T, he frowned at seeing her pose. Padding closer on bare feet, he moved around the sofa and, after a moment’s hesitation, sat down next to her lightly. Reaching out a hand, Quincy stroked her hair lightly. “Maya,” he whispered quietly. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked gently. She sat like she was broken, like she had no reason to go on and that…Well, it shook him.
Maya looked at him and sighed. “Are you sure that you want this?” she asked quietly. “I’m going to be so much more trouble than I’m worth. You do realize that, right? I need you to be absolutely sure because it would utterly and completely destroy me if you decided that you no longer wanted me. I can’t blame you if you don’t want me. I really can’t because I understand. I get it. I’m not worth the effort and trouble. The only thing that I ask is that you make a choice and not hate me one day because of it?”