Quinn Glover took me to a part of the mansion I hadn’t seen yet. Quietly and quickly, we slipped into the kitchen unseen, and made our way to a small closet-like room behind the pantry. He unlocked a door that took us down a steep flight of stairs into the drafty, icy cold basement, although the word, ‘dungeon,' might have been a more apt description for it. The room was stark and completely empty. The overhead lights buzzed and popped loudly, and ther was an unpleasant musty, earthy stench in the air. The whole place reminded me of death for some reason. It wasn't a basement or a dungeon. It was a grave. Glover showed me to a heavy metal door bolted into a solid concrete wall on the far side of the basement. It reminded me of a prison door. “It’s solid silver,” he said. I looked at the servant. “Why?” “We are highly allergic to silver. It can kill us. It’s the only thing that can contain Mister Bailey's wolf.” “Right,” I muttered and stared at the door, “and the walls?” “Con
Troy I fought with the monster that lived inside me. I hated him, hated what he remembered, the things he made me feel, and I couldn’t stand being awake when he was. It was easier just to fade away to sleep as I sometimes did when my wolf surfaced. All I wanted to do was to protect Quinn from the monster. As soon as she was out of there, I’d let him go so I could sleep again. It had been years since he woke up but I hadn’t forgotten the things he had done, the evil he was capable of doing, all the pain and suffering he had caused. The moment Quinn walked into the basement, I woke up and I started wrestling with the dark thing inside me, doing battle with myself so I could get her out of there safely. I finally managed to do it properly when he got ready to strike her. “Get out,” I hissed through clenched teeth. “He will kill you.” Quinn’s eyes jerked open and she gave me a look so filled with sadness and understanding that my heart tore to pieces. I never wanted her to know. No o
Troy I pried Quinn’s lips apart with my tongue and dove deeper, searching out that moment when her breathing changed from light and even to deep and needy. I wanted to consume her. Own her. Possess every part of her. Her fresh, intoxicating scent filled my nostrils and the minty taste of her lips coated my tongue. Blood raged through my veins, settling in my cock with a dull, painful throbbing. Quinn’s arms snaked around my neck and she stepped in closer to me, pushing her soft and oh-so-inviting body tightly against mine. My body screamed at me to take her. The bond hollered in my head that it was time. But some deeper part of me wanted to stop. I listened to that voice. It was the voice of reason. I had very little control, and what little I did have was slowly slipping away. If she were anyone else, I’d be less concerned, but she wasn’t just any woman. She wasn’t just here to warm my bed so I could temporarily silence the demons that haunted me. I gently pushed her away and
Troy I left Quinn next to the pool and went back inside. Doctor Jacobs wanted to come by with her blood test results, and I had a hundred others things I needed to get done before the full moon and our visit to my father. Sighing, I went into my office and started to go through the mountain of paperwork accumulating on my desk. Who knew a life of crime and debauchery came with so much admin? I picked up my pen and started to sign the contracts for my legal businesses, then went through my sports book and accounts. Simeon would double-check my work, but I had gotten so good at it that he rarely needed to correct me. It was nearly time for lunch when Doctor Jacobs knocked on my door. “Come in,” I said and started to gather the scattered folders on my desk. “Hey, hey,” Doctor Jacobs said and walked up to my desk. Something was up with him, despite his attempts to keep his tone of voice lighthearted. I could see the tension simmering right under the surface. “Doc,” I replied and got
QuinnI sat in my favourite spot while I waited for Troy. In my open window, precariously balanced on the thin sill.I was suspended been life and death. To my left was the deadly drop down to the gardens below, and to my right the safety of my room. It was a stupid little game of chicken that I started to play when I was a teenager. I always wanted to see how far I could lean over, in the direction of death’s gaping maw, before fear forced me back to the safety of my room.One of these days, I’d push my luck too far. I’d lose my slippery grip on the window frame and fall to my death. I never let go though. I always left that part up to fate. Troy knocked and entered without waiting for an invitation. One look at him told me that his mood had darkened considerably in the hours since I saw him. “You ready to go?” he asked.I nodded and hopped off the windowsill. My shoes waited for me next to the door. I took one last look at myself in the mirror. I decided to wear a simple black dres
Troy I ordered a fresh round of drinks and I sat back while I watched Quinn try, and fail, to talk to Caroline. Whatever Donovan did to Caroline, clearly had an impact and she went out of her way to avoid Quinn. After half an hour of chasing her through the club, my dejected mate returned to the table. “Now she suddenly won’t talk to me.” Quinn huffed and picked up her wine. “There was a time I begged her to leave me alone, and she never would.” “Donovan probably ordered her to stay away from you.” “It wasn’t her fault. I provoked her. My actions were uncalled for.” “I know, I heard, and it was totally called for. You need to tell me why you want to help her so bad.” “I wish I knew.” “Are you going to let this go?” Quinn shook her head at me. “It’s like…I have this nagging voice in my head, telling me that we need to get her out of here.” Shit. Understanding dawned like lighting hitting me. Everything clicking in place like puzzle pieces. “Your talents are emerging along with
Quinn “Quinn,” Mario said. “Please get in the car.” “Not until Troy is here,” I snarled at him. "I swear we won't leave until he's here." I was restless, irritated, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something really bad was about to happen. I had to fight with everything inside me not to run from the club. This place was death. I ignored all of it. All my new instincts and the voice that kept echoing in my skull. I didn't want any of it, I didn't want to be burdened with knowledge of the future. Even though I knew better, I convinced myself that it was just the vision I had in the club that unsettled me. It would be the most likely explanation, but the voice in my head was on a refrain, screaming, begging me to, 'get out, get away.' My unease had nothing to do with the disturbing and frighteningly vivid little mind movie that played itself out in the dining room. It was still coming, was still going to happen. Oh God, I hoped Donovan got the kids out in time. I wanted to
Quinn I stayed in the hospital until the morning of the full moon. Serenity kept coming back, every night at the same time, to continue our healing sessions. Every time, I wished for death. The last one was the worst, and I told Troy that I wouldn't do it again. I'd rather die. To my utmost relief and surprise, Serenity agreed. The city was in an uproar, and most people chose to stay home while the police searched for the bomber of Club Ninety-Nine. On the morning of the full moon, they came by to question Troy and me. He tried to prepare me for the interview, but I was a twitchy, nervous wreck by the time to detective shoed up. Troy did most of the talking. He was just vague enough not to give the existence of werewolves away, but still answered as honestly as he could. “My fiancée’s grandfather has a grudge against her family. Look him up. Xander Shelby. I’m sure you’ll be…enlightened by what you find,” Troy told the detective. “Do you expect me to believe Miss Maree’s own grand