Of Blood and Passion

by Pamela Palmer

  Lily pulled her hands free to swipe the tears off her own cheeks. “And now he’s missing.” She swallowed. “I couldn’t believe it when I got here and they said you’d both been here just yesterday. Then someone came and told us the sorceress was dead. I’d just found out you were the sorceress. Oh, Quinn. That is so cool.”

  Quinn began to laugh because that had been Zack’s response when he’d first learned she had power, after she’d spent her entire life hiding her weirdness from him.

  “I don’t know how cool it is,” Quinn said, pulling Lily back into her arms. “I’m not sure I’m even still a sorceress. But I am so glad to see you.”

  Lily hugged her until she almost couldn’t breathe. “How did all this happen, Quinn?”

  “Long, long, story.”

  “Which she will tell you later, once she’s slept,” Neo announced. “Arturo’s orders.”

  Lily pulled back, understanding in her eyes. “Once we find Zack, and are safe, and have had time to grieve and process everything, we’ll talk. About everything.”

  With a sigh, Quinn nodded. “Agreed. Now, I really do need to sleep.”

  “Go,” Lily said. “I’m fine here.”

  Quinn smiled and turned to leave, but as she reached the doorway, she nearly ran into Amanda.

  “Quinn!”

  Once more she was enveloped in a breath-stealing hug. She laughed. “I’m okay. I’m okay!”

  “Thank God.”

  “Let her sleep, Amanda,” Neo said. “She can fill us in on what happened later.”

  “Of course.” Amanda grinned at her, squeezed her hand, then let her go.

  After four hours of solid sleep and a quick shower, Quinn made her way back upstairs to find Mukdalla, Amanda, and Lily at the kitchen table, an empty bottle of red wine sitting between them.

  Mukdalla, it was clear, had been crying. But when she saw Quinn, she motioned her to join them.

  Amanda pushed a full glass of wine her way. “This one’s yours. Drink. Doctor’s orders.”

  Quinn smiled, gave Lily a quick hug as she passed, then took the empty chair and picked up the glass.

  “I want to hear everything, Quinn.” Mukdalla’s puffy eyes were as strong as any Quinn had ever seen. “If it’s not too hard for you to tell, it won’t be too hard for me to hear. Traders process emotions differently than humans. We don’t love any less, at least not some of us. But, let’s just say, we’re better able to compartmentalize. And right now I need to know.”

  Quinn considered that, then nodded. Taking a sip, she began her tale, leaving nothing out. She told them about finding Jason’s blood, about the ambush. She glanced at Mukdalla before she continued, but that steely determination to know everything remained, so Quinn recounted every detail of Mukdalla’s beloved husband’s final battle.

  They were all crying by the time she got to the end of the story.

  Amanda lifted her glass. “To Rinaldo. To all the men we love, and to the courage to love them despite all risks.”

  “Hear, hear,” Mukdalla said quietly as she lifted her own glass and took a sip.

  Quinn merely played with the stem of hers as she stared into the rich red depths of the liquid. “How do you do it?” She looked at Amanda. “You could have escaped Vamp City, returned to the real world, to your practice. Instead you gave up everything, you gave up your life…for Sam.”

  Amanda’s smile was quiet and sure. “Sam is my life.”

  Quinn frowned and turned to Mukdalla, the words tumbling out. “Why did you let Rinaldo go with me?” If only she hadn’t. If only Rinaldo had stayed here.

  Mukdalla’s smile was sad. “I didn’t let him go, Quinn. I simply loved and supported the man he needed to be. His accompanying you, protecting you, was a gift of the heart that he needed to give.”

  “All any of us can do is what we think is right,” Amanda added. “Zack—”

  “Had no business leaving,” Quinn said heatedly. “He didn’t stand a chance.”

  “He did what he thought was right.” Amanda’s hand curved around Quinn’s forearm. “He’s young, Quinn. He’s in love and impulsive. He’d been told a hundred times that he needed to wait until he was strong enough before he tried to find Lily. Well, he’s now as strong or stronger than any human alive. He had to do this, don’t you see? He had to try to save her even if, as it turned out, she didn’t need saving.”

  At the sound Lily made, Quinn turned to find the girl watching them with confusion and an aching hope in her eyes. “Zack and I are just friends. At least…that’s all I’ve ever been to him. He’s not in love with me.”

  Mukdalla patted the young woman’s arm. “Whatever the emotions behind his actions, he’s been desperate to find you since he first got here, Lily.”

  “Quinn,” Amanda said, drawing her attention once more. “Your brother is a man, now. He couldn’t sit on his hands forever, letting you risk your life over and over to save and protect him. It’s remarkable he waited as long as he did. To his credit, he waited until he had a good idea where to look for her. Love drove him to risk all for her. Just as you’ve risked all for him many, many times.”

  She was right. As hard as it was to hear, she knew Amanda was right.

  “Love means taking risks,” Mukdalla said. “It’s what life is all about.” She set down her wine glass and leaned forward, her eyes earnest as her gaze met Quinn’s. “Sometimes we risk for the ones we love. Sometimes it’s the loving them in the first place that’s the gamble.”

  “Zack’s my brother.”

  “It’s not Zack I’m talking about. Arturo loves you, Quinn. You must know that. And I think you’re hesitant to love him back. Yes, you’ll eventually lose him, either to his death or your own someday. It is the nature of life for all creatures. So we live and love as if every day is the only one we’ll ever have. And when you live that way, when you love that way, there is no room for regrets.”

  Quinn didn’t reply. She didn’t have a reply because she wasn’t at all certain Mukdalla was right about Arturo loving her. Except, what did he say in the caves when she demanded what he thought he was doing, giving his life for hers? Loving you. Just that.

  She’d heard him, but in that moment, his meaning hadn’t registered. And now…

  She shoved to her feet. It was more than she could deal with right now.

  “Where are you going?” Mukdalla asked.

  “I need to get to work and figure out what kind of magic I still possess. I’ll be in the storeroom. When Arturo returns, send him down, please. We’re going to need every advantage we can get tonight.”

  Chapter 40

  Sweat dampened her brow, frustration boiled in her gut as Quinn focused on the single can of beef stew sitting on the floor of the storeroom deep below Neo’s. Once more, she tried to call it to her with her mind. Once more, just like every other one of the hundred times she’d tried this in the past two hours, she managed to lift it into the air only to watch it hover six inches off the ground for half a dozen seconds, then drop with a clatter to the cement. It refused to come to her! And regardless of how angry she got, she couldn’t throw it against the wall. At least not with her mind alone. Her arm was another matter. Six cans now lay broken, their contents splattered across the bricks. If there was any good news, it was that she still had the physical strength she’d acquired with her power. She hadn’t lost everything. Just almost everything.

  She was about to pick up a seventh can and slam it against the wall when Arturo appeared in the doorway.

  Her heart gave a kick of joy at the sight of him, her body warming in the way it always did at the sight of him. And he was a vision to behold, with his lean, athletic body, and those dark eyes watching her with softness and hunger.

  “Is it safe to enter?” he asked, his mouth kicking up into the charmer’s smile she’d seen far too little of lately.

  Quinn gave a huff. “About the most damage I can do right now is chuck a can at you. Although, at two hundred miles an
hour, you’ll want to duck.”

  His smile broke into a grin, then quickly died as he seemed to sense her unhappiness. He walked to her. “The magic is gone?”

  “Not all of it, obviously. I apparently still have my death touch. But, when it comes to the rest…” She demonstrated by raising one of the cans six inches. “That’s it.” The can clattered to the floor. “I’ve managed to form a couple of small bubbles, but they pop almost as quickly as I create them.” Desolation engulfed her. “It’s gone, Turo.”

  He stepped close, cupping his cool palm against her cheek. “Several times you’ve managed to work magic through me.”

  “The soul cord.” She eyed him curiously, then turned and pointed to the can that had fallen to the floor a moment ago. “Let’s see if you can lift that.”

  “Tell me how.”

  “Just stand there. I want to see if I can do it through you.”

  His expression turned to one of bemusement. “Do you not have to be touching me?”

  “I don’t know.” Her gaze met his. “Let’s try it this way first.”

  Arturo nodded and turned to the can in question. A moment later, it lifted, as before, and suddenly began to float calmly to his hand. His delighted gaze flew to hers, making her laugh.

  “You did that?” he demanded.

  “Through you. We both did it. We’ve developed a soul cord, a powerful connection.”

  “We have, tesoro. I can speak in your head, and feel your emotions.”

  “I’m starting to feel your emotions, too.”

  His eyebrows lifted in surprise. Then excitement lit his eyes. “Try something else.”

  Quinn smiled. “All right.” Closing her own eyes, she concentrated on a bubble forming around the two of them. Then concentrated some more, but not even a fragment appeared. “This is going to be more complicated. I think we’re going to have to do this together.”

  He took her hands in his. Long, cool fingers wrapped around her own. “Tell me what to do.”

  Quinn met his gaze. “I need you to help me concentrate. Focus on creating a bubble around just the two of us.”

  “One I can enter and exit at will,” he added with a lift of the brow.

  Quinn snorted. “Your bubble, your specifications. Ready?”

  With a brief nod, he closed his eyes and Quinn did the same. Almost at once, she could feel something happening. “It’s working,” she said excitedly. And suddenly she was enclosed in a dark space. Together, they’d called it as easily as she had yesterday. Unfortunately, her perfect bubble was also perfectly dark.

  She released Arturo’s hands and attempted to call a light into her palm, but nothing happened.

  “Turo, let me see if I can form a light in your hand.”

  “That might not be a good idea, amore. Vampires and fire do not mix.”

  “It’s not a real fire…I don’t think. Actually, I have no idea. Okay, no flame.”

  She felt Arturo’s hands on her hips, pulling her closer. “We are very good together,” he said, his voice husky and very, very pleased.

  Quinn chuckled. “Apparently so. Now let’s…”

  Arturo bumped into her. “Quinn?”

  “What’s the matter?”

  But she felt the brush of the rubbery surface against her shoulder and understood. Oh…shit. “The bubble’s collapsing.” Just as it had that first time, when she’d accidentally trapped Savin. Reaching out, her hand sank into the wall but refused to penetrate. “You forgot to specify that I can lead us out. I hope you can.”

  But a moment later, Arturo’s words confirmed her fears. “I cannot. Quinn…” He pulled her close against him.

  “I know, I know.” That other time she’d nearly suffocated before she’d figured out how to break free. And she still had no idea how she’d done it.

  The bubble pressed at her back and the top of her head. She knew it was collapsing, but after all the two of them had been through these past hours, she refused to believe they’d die like this.

  “Quinn!”

  “Let me think.”

  “I’m trying to make it bigger,” Arturo growled. “Tell me what to do. You will not be able to breathe!”

  “Okay, stop and clear your mind.”

  “Cara…”

  “I know! We have to work together.” She’d learned a lot about how to manipulate bubbles since that first one. She just had to figure out how to do it through Arturo this time.

  “Turo, listen to me. Clear your mind and listen to my voice.”

  His hands pressed at her back. “I am listening,” he said tersely.

  “Imagine the bubble is made of dust. Nothing substantial. On the count of three we’re going to imagine it dissipating. Both of us together. One, two…three.”

  She imagined the bubble bursting into nothingness. And suddenly they were free, once more standing in the storeroom, an oil lamp flickering in the corner.

  Quinn stepped back, needing some distance, some air. She stared at Arturo, wide-eyed. “No more bubbles.”

  He reached for her hand, pulling her into his arms, and kissed her thoroughly, as if he’d been terrified he might lose her. That he still was. And it was a fear she shared, that tonight’s battle might well end in disaster for one or both of them. She found herself wrapping her arms around his neck, clinging to him. She never wanted to let him go.

  He gathered her even closer, reading her emotions, knowing them. Her senses swam in the feel of his strong body against hers, in his rich scent of almonds, and in his unique taste, one that always made her think of dark liqueur and darker nights, lush and crystal clear. His strong hands roamed her back, and lower, one pressing her against the thickness of his arousal. Those clever hands found the hem of her shirt and quickly removed it, then unfastened her bra and dispensed with that, too. And then his mouth was on her breast and she was gasping, her fingers digging into his hair at the exquisite feel. She wanted this, needed this. She needed him.

  “Turo,” she breathed when he tugged on her nipple, laving it with his tongue.

  Even as his mouth remained locked on her flesh, his gaze rose to hers, his pupils white with hunger. She felt the prick of fangs against her flesh.

  Her fingers ran through his hair, tracing the strong lines of his skull. “I want to know what it feels like if you bite me there.”

  Shall I show you?

  “Yes.”

  I would like nothing more.

  He pulled back. As his gaze found hers, she saw that his fangs had almost entirely elongated.

  “I’ll take only a little blood,” he assured her, but she wasn’t the least bit worried. His bite wouldn’t hurt. He would, quite literally, die before he hurt her. Odd to think that, to know it.

  With his gaze locked on hers, he pulled back his lips and sunk his fangs into her breast, one on either side of her nipple.

  At first, the sensation felt a little strange, a little ticklish. Then he closed his mouth around her breast and took a small pull of her blood. Quinn gasped, then moaned as heat roared into a living flame deep within her core. She began to pulse low inside.

  Did you enjoy that?

  “Do it again.”

  The eyes he turned up to her were nothing short of wicked as he took a second pull of blood from her breast. She cried out this time, the pleasure so intense she could barely breathe.

  “I need you,” she gasped. Whenever he pulled on her neck, she invariably came. But this was different. Though the feel was every bit as intense, it instead set up a powerful hunger between her legs, a need to be filled that was almost more than she could bear. Her hips began to rock, her legs moving restlessly. “Turo…now.” She grabbed him by the upper arms and pulled him to his feet.

  For a startled moment, he stared at her, then began to laugh. “I keep forgetting your strength, amore mio. I will give you exactly what you want but you will have to wait a moment.” He disappeared in a vampire flash, blurring back and forth. Moments later, he was again at her s
ide, sweeping her into his arms. Then he carried her back to another section of the storeroom, one she’d never been in, where there was a stack of more than a dozen blankets and quilts, open wide, one on top of the other.

  “Did you just do this?”

  “Of course. I would not make love to you on the bare cement floor.”

  Quinn grinned. “We’ll probably sink so deep into it that we’ll need help getting out.”

  To her surprise, Arturo didn’t return her smile, but watched her, his eyes achingly serious. Lifting his hand, he stroked her hair. “I would give you a palace if I could, bella. A palace in the sun with floor to ceiling windows and a view as far as the eye can see. I’d give you pristine white beaches and I would lay with you in the surf in broad daylight. So many places I would take you if I could. But I am a vampire. And we are about to go to battle for our worlds, if not our lives. A bed of blankets in the storeroom will have to do.”

  Quinn stroked his cheek, unaccountably moved by his words. “I’ve seen enough of palaces to last a lifetime. This is perfect.”

  His lips turned up and he kissed her, long and passionately, tightening the need inside her even more. She grabbed for his belt and began to undress him as he removed the last of her clothes.

  Finally, he swept her up and laid her in the center of the stack of blankets, then followed her down, sliding deep inside of her on a thick, powerful, perfect stroke.

  Quinn cried out, rising to meet him with a hard thrust of her hips. Hunger roared through her and their lovemaking turned hot and frantic, a desperate attempt to claim every scrap of beauty and pleasure they could before the world came crashing down upon their heads.

  Arturo lifted just enough to watch her as he drove into her, his eyes once more dark-centered, though just as hungry as before. In those dark depths she saw such tenderness, such adoration, that her eyes began to film and she had to blink back the moisture. Somewhere inside of her, she felt his emotion, a piercing sadness, and she was suddenly filled with the certainty that he was saying goodbye.