Shattered Restraint

by Cassandra Lawson

  “I need one close to the wood nymph—one of her people from the island,” Roger said.

  “Won’t that break the rules we’re supposed to be following from the vampire council?” Jeff asked.

  “Only if they find out,” Roger said. “We’ll have the human under our control before the council can act.”

  Jeff let out a raspy chuckle with a slight wheeze to it. Perhaps, ten years was an overly optimistic estimate.

  “Let’s hope you’re right,” Jeff said. “I’m enjoying the extra supplies we’re getting. It’s nice to be able to feed my family.”

  “Just do what you’re told,” Roger snapped, not wanting to discuss Jeff’s family.

  Jeff nodded and left the room without another word. Despite the human’s loyalty, Roger would kill the bastard if the team he selected came back empty-handed.

  Chapter Two

  Danny’s head felt like it was about to explode. No, that wasn’t exactly true—his head hurt so much, he wished it would explode. His first attempt to move proved to be a huge mistake, and the only reason he didn’t moan was that he thought it might make the pounding in his head worse. Focus. That’s what he needed to do.

  His mind was fuzzy regarding the details of the previous night. Despite the overwhelming pain, he tried concentrating on the events that had led to his miserable state. He’d been in a funk, which had been kind of a regular occurrence over the last several months. For a short time, he’d thought it had to do with the death of his friend, Ian, but even after Ian had turned up alive and well, Danny still wasn’t himself. Sure, he kept it hidden from most people, but those close to him knew there was a problem, and they were getting annoyingly insistent in their efforts to find out what was wrong. That was why he’d been avoiding his friends for the last couple of weeks. Keeping his feelings under wraps was important, and his friends threatened to shatter his carefree facade. Of course, avoiding them only made them worry more.

  He would have shaken his head to stop the inner-musings if he weren’t sure it would be a very painful experience. Instead, he shifted his thoughts to the hazy memories of the previous night. Danny remembered some of the humans who’d grown up at the born vampire settlement telling him they’d gotten a shipment of vodka, something Danny had heard of but never tried. Having grown up on an island settlement where they hated vampires, he’d only had access to imported items they’d stolen from the vampires, and they’d only been willing to risk stealing necessities. Sure, some of the other inhabitants had made distilled beverages, but they’d tasted too bad to tempt him.

  Now, living among the vampires, Danny was getting to try a lot of new things—some good, some bad. Alcoholic beverages would definitely be put on his list of bad things. When the other humans had assured him it would help him forget his troubles for a few hours, he’d blown off dinner with his friend, Layla, and consumed far too much of the nasty concoction.

  The first drink should have been his warning. The stuff tasted terrible and burned his throat going down. Still, he’d been an idiot and kept at it until he’d started to feel somewhat numb. His mind drifted to the super hot woman he’d met, and he nearly groaned because he also remembered acting like an ass in front of her. She’d probably run in the opposite direction the next time she saw him.

  “How are you feeling?”

  The husky female voice was enough to make him instantly hard, despite the pain in his head. The realization that there was a strange woman in his bed was enough to keep his mind from falling into sync with his cock. Cracking open his eyes, he turned his head to look at the woman beside him. With her wavy brown hair hanging down to just past her shoulders, she looked somewhat wild. Her amber eyes were familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he’d seen eyes that color at the settlement before. Even with the covers hiding most of her body, he could tell she had a sleek, athletic build. He instantly recognized her as the hot woman from the night before and wondered how she’d ended up naked in his bed. There was no way he’d charmed her into sleeping with him. He remembered enough to know vodka made him act like an idiot.

  “I feel like hell,” he croaked. His throat felt like he hadn’t had a drink in days.

  She laughed, and that sexy voice moved along his skin. “In the future, you shouldn’t drink vodka,” she said.

  “You’re right about that,” he agreed. “That was my first time, and it will definitely be my last.” Then he looked at the time. “Damn! I’m running late.”

  “Was that just a line to get the woman you can’t remember out of your bed?” she asked with a playful smile.

  “I remember you,” he said before flashing a self-depreciating smile. “But I have no idea how we ended up here. Sorry, that sounded awful.” He draped an arm over his eyes and realized he’d definitely never see this woman again if he kept acting like an ass.

  “We didn’t have sex,” she said. “I can tell you’re worried you’ll need to tell me you forgot the details of that.”

  “I wouldn’t want to forget something like that,” he admitted, gingerly rolling to his side to study her. “Honestly, I’m not trying to run away from you, but I’m on patrol today. Although, I have no idea how I’m going to survive it with this headache. Guess I deserve the pain, though.”

  She reached to the side of the bed and handed him a glass of water and two pills. “Your friends said these would help.”

  “Thanks,” Danny said as he sat up, swallowed the pills, and drained the glass of water before carefully climbing out of bed so his head wouldn’t fall off.

  “You’re welcome, Dane,” she said.

  Danny turned way too fast and nearly threw up. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he felt her hands on his shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” he said with a strained smile. “You caught me off guard when you called me Dane.”

  “That is your name, right?” she asked, looking confused. “At least, that’s what you told me your name was last night.”

  There was this hazy memory of her laughing at him when he said something foolish to get her attention.

  “What’s your name?” she’d asked.

  “Dane,” he’d answered.

  Why he’d told her his name was Dane, he didn’t know.

  “No one’s called me that in well over twenty years—not since my dad died,” he admitted.

  “Sorry,” she said. “Last night, you told me to call you Dane. I even thought I’d misunderstood you when someone else called you Danny, but you insisted you were Dane, the killer.”

  “My mom always said Dane was a killer’s name,” he told her quietly.

  “You do look more like a Danny,” she said thoughtfully.

  “I’d really like to see you again,” he blurted out.

  Her hands moved from his shoulders, and he already knew the answer, so he stood again.

  “I want that too,” she stated softly. “I just can’t. It’s not you, but things would never work between us. I shouldn’t be here at all.”

  Danny nodded and was happy to note that the pain wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. The pills, whatever they were, were already working. “You don’t need to make up any excuses for not seeing me again. I get it. I made a terrible impression last night.”

  “If only it was that simple,” she said, and something in her eyes made him believe she was telling the truth. There was this part of him that wanted to push for more details, but it wasn’t the right time. No matter how much he wanted to get to know the woman in his bed, he wasn’t in a position to start anything.

  “I’d offer to fix you breakfast, but I really am running late,” he apologized. “I’m also a horrible cook.”

  “It’s no problem,” she said with a smile. “I need to run anyway. I shouldn’t have stayed here so long, but I was worried about you last night.”

  That touched Danny in a strange way. “Thank you. Hell, I can’t even remember your name,” he admitted. “I’m such an asshole.”

  “Quinn,” she sa
id with a sweet smile.

  “Hopefully, we’ll meet again soon, Quinn,” he said, determined to make that happen. The settlement wasn’t that big, and Quinn was an unusual name for a woman. Someone would know how to find her.

  Her smile faded. “Perhaps in another lifetime, Danny.” On those strange words, she climbed out of bed and gathered up her clothes. “I’ll dress down the hall so you can use the bathroom to get ready.”

  Danny watched her walk out the door, disappointed in the knowledge that she’d most likely be gone before he finished his shower. The woman was a complete stranger, so there was no reason for him to be this fascinated. Later, he could focus on finding out who Quinn was and how he could get her back into his bed under better circumstances. For now, he needed to focus on getting ready for patrol.

  Thoughts of Quinn in his bed brought a genuine smile to his face. Oh yes, he was definitely going to see her again.

  Chapter Three

  The scowl Connor shot his direction came as no surprise to Danny when he rushed into the meeting room fifteen minutes late. Con was the leader of the vampire settlement and hated people showing up late. Physically, Connor didn’t look imposing. Standing a couple of inches under six feet tall, he was shorter than Danny. His light brown hair was short, and he had a tendency to run his fingers through it when he was annoyed, meaning his hair was usually a little messy. Con had a broad chest, and with the Kevlar vest he was wearing on patrol today, he looked disproportionately bulky. It was Connor’s presence that made him imposing. He had an air of authority about him, and from what Danny had heard, that had been the case since Connor was very young.

  If there was a God, Connor would wait until later to discuss Danny’s tardiness. While Danny’s head wasn’t throbbing like it had been when he’d woken up that day, he was still feeling a little nauseated. Drinking alcoholic beverages was definitely going on his list of things to avoid. He’d almost rather drink blood, and his disdain for that was one of many reasons he’d never want to be a vampire. Nope, he’d rather live a human lifespan than live longer as a vampire.

  Luckily, Connor was too busy arguing with Shelby to chew his ass out at the moment.

  “I get that you hate having your precious schedule interrupted,” Shelby spat out. “It’s not like I planned this just to create problems for you.” Shelby was a hot, badass vampire with mocha skin, green eyes, and reddish hair. She was one of the few people who never backed down from Connor.

  “We screwed up,” Carla, Shelby’s mate, said. Where Shelby was all tall warrior princess, Carla was soft and feminine with brown hair and pretty grey eyes. It was an interesting contrast.

  “Fine,” Shelby said in exasperation. “We fucked up and forgot to let you know when Faith’s appointment was. That doesn’t change the fact that she needs to see the doctor today.”

  Faith was a teen who’d lived at the same island settlement as Danny. She’d recently shown up at Danny’s house looking for help because she was pregnant. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but the father was a vampire, and her parents hated vampires. Needless to say, they hadn’t been supportive of Faith’s pregnancy and things had gotten worse when she’d grown a pair of fangs. Shelby and Carla had basically adopted the girl.

  “I’ll get someone to take Faith to her appointment,” Connor insisted.

  “The girl’s a nervous wreck, and she’s not comfortable around most people. Either one of us needs to take her or Danny does, and we’re all on patrol today.”

  That was when Connor turned his full attention to Danny—something Danny had really hoped to avoid. Connor tended to see way too much. He’d made several comments about Danny’s mood in the last few months, and now, he clearly noticed Danny wasn’t his normal self, which meant they’d be talking about this later.

  “Danny can take her,” Connor said. “I’d been planning to tag along with Ian today, but he doesn’t need me, so I’ll go out in Danny’s place.”

  “Why can’t you take Shelby or Carla’s place on patrol?” Danny foolishly asked. The smart thing to do would be to keep his mouth shut so Connor wouldn’t have any more reason to discuss his late arrival or his appearance. Perhaps the vodka had killed some of his brain cells.

  Connor approached him, looking more than a little pissed off. Part of it had to do with Shelby and Carla forgetting Faith’s appointment, but he was also clearly pissed about Danny looking like hell. Likely, Connor was annoyed because Raven was worried about Danny. Since Raven, Connor’s wood nymph mate, had practically raised him, Danny figured she had a right to be worried.

  “Consider yourself lucky I’m sending you to the doctor with Faith,” Connor said calmly. “You were getting pulled from patrol today anyway, and if I didn’t need you to take care of this, I’d find someone else to take your spot so I could stay behind to beat some sense into you.”

  Danny started to open his mouth, but Connor cut him off. “Not one fucking word or I’ll change my mind. When you get back, we are having a long talk. I have no idea what the fuck your problem is, but it ends today. No more worrying Raven. Are we clear?”

  Danny couldn’t help it; he grinned at Connor. “Ah, you do care.” He always found it easiest to hide behind his smart ass attitude.

  “Shut the fuck up and get to work,” Connor said, but Danny saw his lips twitch. There was a moment of hesitation before Connor spoke again. “I’m a little concerned about you traveling on your own with Faith. Jared, the baby’s father, is going with you, but he doesn’t have much fighting experience.”

  “How much experience does he have?” Danny asked. “This is just curiosity. I’m not asking because I think there will be a problem. Things have been quiet since the council visit.”

  The main vampire council had been at their settlement to demand the release of a turned vampire by the name of Claire. They’d also made it clear they weren’t going to tolerate any further hostilities in this territory until a special session could be held to discuss the problems. Those problems involved a lunatic trying to kill all the born vampires in the area, but the council didn’t seem too concerned. Since that meeting, the lunatic in question had been keeping a low profile. While Danny knew that wouldn’t last, he was enjoying the reprieve.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Connor said.

  “And you want to tell me I shouldn’t get too comfortable with this break from the violence,” Danny said.

  Connor nodded.

  “Yeah, I get that,” Danny agreed. “Roger probably has something nasty planned. Don’t worry. I’ll keep my guard up.”

  “Damn, I wish I could send more people with you,” Connor said in frustration.

  “I also get that you’re still trying to clean up the mess from the attacks on the human settlements. It’s just a short drive, and we haven’t had any problems along that road since before the council visit,” Danny assured him.

  “Things are getting better, but they’re still pretty fucked up,” Connor said in a tired voice.

  Roger had gathered up humans from several settlements to force into his army of turned vampires. They were likely all undead, mindless tools by now—a thought that made Danny’s alcohol induced nausea even worse. Now, they were trying to help the humans who hadn’t been taken by reinforcing some settlements and merging others. In some cases, entire settlements had been destroyed, and they needed to help rebuild them.

  If it were up to Connor, he’d probably move them all to the born vampire settlement where it was safer, but many humans didn’t like the idea of living with the vampires. The humans who lived away from the vampire settlements tended to be distrustful of all vampires. Some openly hated them, even if they weren’t trying to kill them. The distrust and hatred meant Connor needed to send enough people to those settlements to make sure the born vampires could defend themselves if the humans there changed their minds and decided to kill the vampires.

  Danny often wondered why Connor even bothered. When he’d asked, Connor had given him a line a
bout being responsible for everyone in this territory, but he likely also didn’t want those humans being used as weapons in Roger’s army.

  “You know we aren’t likely to run into any problems this close to our settlement,” Danny said.

  “I know,” Connor reluctantly agreed. “Be careful anyway. Raven will have my balls if I let anything happen to you.”

  “No need to worry about me,” Danny said with a grin.

  “You don’t have to lie to me,” Connor said seriously.

  “Every word out of my mouth has been the truth,” Danny snapped.

  “That whole happy act is a lie,” Connor countered. “I don’t know what’s bothering you, but we are going to talk about it when you get back.”

  Danny bit back his angry retort and nodded. The last thing he wanted was to talk to Connor about his feelings. Hell, he didn’t even understand them himself and had no interest in having them dissected by Connor. Surely he could find a way to get out of his talk with Connor before he got back.

  Chapter Four

  “Thanks for driving me to my appointment,” Faith said quietly. Her eyes were glued to her hands, which were fisted in her lap. “I know you probably didn’t want to be stuck babysitting me.”

  Jared was fidgeting in his seat. “It’s great that you’re doing this for Faith,” he added.

  “He probably didn’t volunteer,” Faith said.

  “I didn’t volunteer,” Danny admitted. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have volunteered if Connor had asked for someone to take you.” He decided it would be best to keep the rest of that thought to himself. While he would have volunteered if Connor had asked, that would have been after waiting to see if anyone else would offer to do it first. Thankfully, neither of the teens seemed to want to talk much because Danny was still feeling the effects of the previous night, and he also felt a little guilty about how much he did not want to be here.

  It wasn’t that Danny didn’t like Faith. Honestly, he didn’t know her well enough to have an opinion. He just felt awkward around her. Faith hadn’t chosen to become a vampire, and her change was a rare occurrence. The Moon virus couldn’t be passed through saliva with born vampires, and she’d never taken blood. In rare instances, the Moon virus could be passed along during sex with a born vampire if their partner was already pregnant. Faith seemed okay with the change, but the idea of her being turned without her consent bothered Danny.