“How did it go?” he asked. “Did meeting Layla help you?”
Quinn laughed. “Well, I kind of got distracted. This human walked up to me and told me I was the hottest woman he’d ever seen and asked if I’d let him kiss me.”
Danny flinched. “Sorry, I remember some of that conversation, and I wish I could forget it. I was a total ass that night.”
Quinn laughed. “Yes, you were, but in an entirely adorable way.”
“That makes it sound even worse,” Danny complained. “No guy wants to be adorable. We want to be sexy.”
“You really are adorable when you’re fishing for compliments,” Quinn teased. “Anyway, I ended up hanging out with you and then helping you get home. Falling asleep at your place hadn’t been part of the plan, and I knew I was going to be in serious trouble for disappearing overnight.”
“So, I prevented you from meeting Layla that day?” he asked, and when she nodded, he gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that.”
She shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal. I’m glad I met you, and it kind of helped me to hear about the stuff you were going through.”
Danny let out a humorless bark of laughter. “So, you enjoyed listening to me complain about my life for hours? Not many women are into that sort of thing.”
“You didn’t complain the whole time,” she assured him. “You were really adorable most of the time.”
“Can you please stop using that word?” he asked.
“Fine, you were very masculine,” she said with a teasing grin. “How’s that one?”
“I’m just going to pretend you aren’t teasing me,” he said. “Back to what’s bothering you.”
“It seems my father isn’t human,” Quinn said.
“Is that a surprise?” Danny asked, studying her. “When I asked if your father was human, your answer led me to believe you thought he might not be.”
“You’re right,” she admitted. “I think I always suspected there was something more.”
“What is your father?” he asked. “I mean, if you want to tell me.”
“A mage,” she said.
Danny’s brow furrowed in concentration.
“Not any more familiar with that term than I am, are you?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Just the stuff I saw in movies or on some games I’ve played. They can do magic.”
“Actually, I’m not sure about everything. Max says I might take on the abilities of others, but there are a bunch of different types of mage. He says my talents will be revealed as I get older.”
“That would be a cool talent,” Danny said thoughtfully. “Do you think you can do that?”
“I’m not sure I believe anyone can do that,” she said. “Max thinks I can, and he’s assuming that’s why I’m picking up shifter abilities, but I am half shifter, so it seems like I would have some, right?”
“I would assume so, but I’m not exactly an expert,” he said. “How do you feel about all of this?”
“Numb,” she admitted. “Max thinks this is the reason Cord was trying to claim me as his mate, and I guess he’s right since Cord called me a mage.”
“How would he even know that?” Danny asked.
“I have no idea, but he does,” she said. “Ugh! This is so frustrating. I hate that other people know more about what I am than I do.”
“Change is never easy,” Danny said. “You’ll get through this. You’re tough, and I’ll help in any way I can.”
“How are you handling your change?” she asked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
“Kind of ironic what happened to me, huh?” Danny asked without meeting her eyes.
“In a twisted sort of way,” she admitted.
“We’re supposed to be talking about you,” he reminded her.
“And we have. Now, it’s your turn to share,” she said. “This can’t be easy for you.”
Danny wasn’t happy about the change of subject, but he figured he was going to have to talk about this eventually. “I hate myself some for what I am now,” he admitted.
“That makes sense,” she said.
“No, it doesn’t make sense,” Danny insisted, pulling away from her. “I have friends who are vampires. These are people who would lay down their lives for me. How the hell can I still think there’s something wrong with being a vampire?”
“You saw your father murdered by vampires when you were four,” Quinn said.
He hadn’t realized he’d shared that with her in his drunken state. While many knew his father had been killed by vampires, only Raven knew he’d watched the whole thing. “That was almost twenty-five years ago,” he argued. “It’s time to move past it.”
“You also grew up in a place where vampires were considered the enemy,” she added. “While you didn’t mention it, I’m sure you’ve known other people who were killed by vampires.”
Danny fought the panic that threatened to surface. “I wanted to kill them all,” he admitted, feeling the weight of his own guilt. “I live with vampires now because of Raven, the wood nymph who practically raised me. She lived at the human settlement I grew up at until last year.”
“That’s strange,” Quinn said. “I’ve met wood nymphs before and didn’t get the impression they’d do well living with humans.”
“Her mother was killed by vampires shortly after the vampire rebellions started. Since her father had never left the human world, she went to live with him,” Danny explained, knowing it would sound even more bizarre that Raven’s father hadn’t joined the nymphs. Raven’s mate was the leader of the born vampire settlement, so he’d been unable to leave when he and Raven bonded. Still, he was bonded with Raven’s spirit animal, the wolf, and he spent his share of time with the nymphs. Raven’s father had chosen to stay in the human world and rarely saw Raven or her mother. “Anyway, what I was going to say is that she was taken by the born vampires when we were stealing supplies. She offered herself up so we could go free.”
“You told me something about that,” she said thoughtfully.
“Did I mention that I was a complete dick to her when she came back to the island settlement where I’d grown up?”
Quinn shook her head.
“Yeah, I accused her of being a puppet for the vampires and brought her to the asshole humans who tortured her,” Danny admitted, and Quinn suspected his anger was at both himself and those who’d hurt his friend.
“How about you give yourself a break?” she asked. “Yes, you screwed up, and yes, you’ve got some prejudices to work through, but at least you see the problem. That’s a start. I live with shifters who think they’re better than everyone else. Most of them can’t wait until I turn twenty-seven so they can be done with me. Maybe what you’ve become is a good thing.”
“Me being a vampire is a good thing?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s forcing you to deal with some of these issues you have. Otherwise, they would have just continued to eat away at you.”
Danny studied the woman by his side, admiring the way she was so open with him. Gathering her in his arms, he breathed in her scent. “Smart and beautiful,” he murmured. “I’m sure you being a mage isn’t the only reason Cord wants you.”
“Max is pushing me to take a mate so Cord can’t claim me,” she practically whispered.
Every instinct in Danny rebelled against that idea. He may not know Quinn well, but he’d likely try to kill any shifter who tried to claim his Quinn.
His Quinn?
Brow furrowed, Danny tried to figure out how he could be thinking of her as his after such a short time knowing her. “You are not going to be forced to take some shifter as your mate.”
Quinn pulled away, studying him for a moment before speaking. Not only did she seem surprised by his reaction, she also seemed to have something she wanted to say.
“What are you thinking?” he finally asked.
“I was thinking that it’s really sweet that you’re worri
ed about me being forced to take a mate. If it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty sure my uncle wouldn’t force me to do it. Actually, I’m pretty sure he couldn’t force any of the shifters to accept me as their mate because of my half-breed status. I suppose that might change if they knew about the mage thing. It certainly made Cord want me,” she grumbled.
“If they don’t want you, then it’s their loss,” he assured her. There was an uncomfortable pause while he tried to find a way to ask her about other men without sounding too intrusive. Finally, he decided to just ask. “Is there someone you want as your mate?”
“I’m not interested in any of the shifters that way,” she said and then shook her head. “Let’s talk about something else. Max wants me to decide on a mate because he’s worried Cord will take me. I’m sure Cord will figure out what a bad idea that is soon anyway.”
There was something he was missing in all of this, but before he could ponder it too much, Quinn blurted out, “Do you want to have sex with me?”
Quinn felt like a total idiot for asking Danny that way. In all honesty, she hadn’t intended to ask him that question, but she’d been afraid he was going to start asking more about the mate thing. Plus, she wanted to feel Danny inside of her. She had since the moment she’d met him, and her kind weren’t known for denying themselves physical pleasure. While she’d never been as sexual as the other shifters, she was far from innocent.
“I’ve made you uncomfortable,” she said, a blush rising to her cheeks.
When she tried to pull away, Danny placed a hand on each of her shoulders and kissed her. There was nothing hesitant about the way he claimed her mouth, and Quinn had no doubt he was on board for the sex. He pulled back slightly and stared at her. “I want you so much I ache,” he breathed against her lips with a hand on each of her cheeks, gently holding her head in place.
“I want you too,” she admitted. “That sounded stupid after I just asked you to have sex with me, didn’t it?”
“No,” he murmured as he kissed along her jaw line, nipping her occasionally. “It sounded sexy as hell. Hearing you want me is so fucking hot, I’m having a hard time remembering all the reasons I need to be gentle with you.”
“I’m part shifter,” she reminded him, having trouble hiding her amusement.
Danny’s sexy green eyes darkened with desire. “I still don’t want to hurt you.”
“I want you to hurt me a little,” she admitted.
Danny’s control snapped. He growled and kissed her deeply. His tongue dove into her mouth, mimicking the act of sex. The scrape of his fangs against her lip caused a sting that sent desire shooting through her body.
Emboldened by Danny’s obvious arousal, Quinn stroked him through the front of his pants.
“I need to find a comfortable place to lay you down and fuck you,” Danny said.
“My home is this way,” Quinn said, pointing back toward the settlement, in the general vicinity of her home.
“I think I’d prefer a little more privacy than your home will provide us,” he said as he looked around at the bushes and trees surrounding them. “Shifters hear too well.”
“There’s a clearing about a quarter mile that way,” she said, gesturing to her left. “It’s still in our territory, so it’s well guarded.”
Danny nodded and bent forward to toss her over his shoulder. Quinn let out a little squeal of protest, but his hand massaging her ass turned that squeal into a moan of delight.
“Soon,” he murmured as he raced through the trees. Quinn had to close her eyes because she was a little worried he’d run them into a tree. While his vampire speed was new to him, he seemed surprisingly comfortable with it. In less than a minute, they were in the clearing, and Danny set her on her feet.
“I could have walked,” she said, her voice shaky with arousal.
“I’m sure you could have,” he said with a grin. “But I enjoyed carrying you off like that.”
“Have you always been this aggressive with females?” she asked, sliding her hands under his shirt to explore the hard planes of his torso. His sharp intake of breath told her how much he was enjoying her efforts.
“Yes,” he admitted. “I need to taste you.”
Without waiting for her response, Danny dropped to his knees in front of her, tugging at her pants. “Lift your leg,” he ordered as he slipped her pants down her legs. While helping her stay balanced, he slipped the pants off of her, and then moved his hands up to her ass to pull her forward.
Danny’s tongue teased her so gently that she nearly screamed with frustration. Gentle was the last thing she wanted, something she suspected he knew. She got the impression Danny was tormenting her. Never one to play coy, she dug her nails into his shoulders, wishing he’d take his shirt off.
With a chuckle, Danny looked up at her. “Impatient little thing, aren’t you? Lucky for you, I like that quality in a woman. Put your leg over my shoulder,” he ordered, placing one hand on her lower back to support her and help her stay balanced on one foot.
His tongue returned to her before she could respond. This time, he held nothing back. His tongue alternated between flicking her swollen clit and teasing her aching entrance. Occasionally, his fangs would graze her tender flesh. She had no idea how many times he drove her to the edge of ecstasy before pulling back and denying her release.
“Are you trying to torture me?” she demanded breathlessly.
His only response was a light nip to her thigh.
Quinn fisted his hair, trying to pull his head up because she didn’t think she could take anymore teasing, but he growled against her core, causing it to vibrate. The sensation was nearly enough to make her knees buckle.
“Please,” she panted out.
“I like the sound of that,” Danny murmured as he slid a finger inside of her.
Quinn instinctively rocked against his finger.
“Oh, that feels so good,” she moaned.
Danny watched her as his finger moved inside of her. No longer having any control over her own body, Quinn’s hips rocked against Danny’s hand as much as she could manage on one leg, trying desperately to get more contact with her aching clit.
“Should I let you come?” he asked before leaning forward to suckle her clit.
Quinn’s answer was a needy mewling sound that came from the back of her throat. She was beyond the ability to speak. All she could manage was to rock her hips against Danny’s hand and mouth to get more pressure. She was pretty sure she might scream if he pulled back again. This time, Danny didn’t stop. His mouth became ravenous on her clit as his finger curled to find just the right spot inside of her.
When her release finally came, Quinn screamed his name. It took her a moment to get her sex-drunk mind to work properly. When she did, she noticed Danny had laid her down on the soft grass and was trying to get her pants back up and fastened.
She stared at him like he was crazy. This was when he should be ripping her clothes off, not putting them back on. Then she heard voices.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Danny figured he deserved a fucking medal for being able to put Quinn’s pants back on her when what he really wanted to do was tear them off and fuck her until they were both so sated neither of them could move.
“Damn,” Quinn grumbled, meaning she’d finally noticed her cousins’ approach. She looked like she was having just as much trouble convincing herself they had to stop as he was.
Danny had never been an exhibitionist, but he wasn’t all that worried about Jase and Zane finding him inside of Quinn. Well, he hadn’t been until he’d realized it might embarrass her. So, he’d ignored his dick, which now felt like it might explode, and dressed Quinn. He might just have to kill her cousins.
“There you are,” Jase said with a broad grin as he walked into the clearing.
Surprisingly, Zane wasn’t teasing them. Instead, Zane gave Quinn an apologetic smile. “Sorry about barging in like this.”
Okay, so Danny might
not kill Zane.
“What do you want?” Quinn asked, glaring at her cousins.
“Our father was worried when you disappeared,” Jase said, but Danny wasn’t buying it.
“Don’t lie to me, Jase,” Quinn warned.
“He did tell us to find you,” Zane said. “Of course, we could have waited until you were done fooling around with your vampire.”
“He’s not my vampire,” Quinn argued.
Her argument annoyed Danny for some reason, and he slipped a possessive arm around her waist to pull her closer.
“Riiight,” Jase drawled. “Listen, you were really loud, and I’m sure everyone heard what was going on. With Max already encouraging you to take Danny as your mate, people are going to assume he’s yours.”
“He acts like he’s yours,” Zane piped in.
“Wait!” Danny interrupted. “Max wants me to be your mate?” he asked Quinn.
She bit her lower lip and nodded, refusing to look at him.
“So, he didn’t simply tell you to find a mate,” Danny said, because he couldn’t believe what she was saying. “He told you to take me as a mate. We just met, yet he told you to take me as your mate?”
“Not exactly,” Quinn said. “Max told me to find a mate and then told me you’d be a good choice.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Danny asked, more out of curiosity than anything else. He wouldn’t say he was bothered by the idea. While the thought of Quinn being pressured to take a mate bothered him, the thought of being her potential mate didn’t. He was well aware of how strange his reaction was, but he’d worry about that later.
“I was a little embarrassed by the whole thing,” she explained. “Sorry. I was going to tell you, but I’m not entirely sure if I would have told you now or another day.”
Danny laughed. He honestly couldn’t help himself. “Don’t apologize. I’m just a little surprised that I’m on Max’s list of potential mates for you.”
Shattered Restraint Page 12
