Shattered Restraint

by Cassandra Lawson

  She shrugged. “There aren’t many people looking for a half-breed as a mate.”

  “You’re making me feel really bad for interrupting you and letting all this slip,” Jase said.

  “You should,” Zane told him. “The vampire must have serious blue balls after you cock blocked him. You should never cock block another male, even if he is going to fuck your cousin.”

  “There are these crazy times when you say the right thing,” Danny said to Zane. “In less than a minute, you say the wrong thing and ruin the moment, but there’s like thirty seconds where you aren’t a complete pain in the ass.”

  “Baffles the mind, don’t it?” Jase asked.

  “You’re all idiots,” Quinn said.

  This was their opportunity to get out of discussing the whole mate thing. They could slip into a light conversation where they all talked about what a pain in the ass Zane was. The problem with that plan was he wanted to talk about Quinn being his mate. He was beginning to wonder if the Moon virus had made him go just a little crazy.

  “Do you want me as your mate?” he asked Quinn and saw that both Jase and Quinn were shocked by his question. Zane, on the other hand, didn’t seem surprised.

  Quinn faked a laugh. “We barely know each other.”

  “Many mates barely know each other,” Zane said. “We go by instinct. Shifters just recognize their mate.”

  “Danny isn’t a shifter,” Quinn argued.

  “Might as well be with all the shifter blood he’s been given,” Jase said. “Seems like he’s acting like one of us in a lot of ways.”

  “What’s involved in making her my mate?” Danny asked.

  Quinn looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head.

  “You fuck her and mark her,” Zane said with a wicked grin. “That’s the fun part.”

  “You mean bite her, like Simon did with Layla?” Danny asked.

  “Yeah,” Jase said. “You don’t have to fuck her at the same time, but most prefer to do it that way. Where you mark her is a matter of personal preference. Most say instinct drives them to bite a certain spot. You have to make it scar. Sometimes, the female will also mark her mate, but it really depends on the pair.”

  Danny’s pants were getting tight again at the thought of marking Quinn. This should not be turning him on, but it was.

  “You still want to tell us he’s not your vampire?” Jase asked Quinn with a serious expression.

  Quinn threw her hands up in the air in frustration. “I’m going to see what Max wants,” she said before storming off.

  “Welcome to the family,” Zane said before slipping an arm around Danny’s waist.

  Jase chuckled. “Something tells me it’s not going to be that easy for him to convince Quinn to let him mark her.”

  Danny had a sinking suspicion he was right, and no matter how little sense it made, he wanted very much to mark her as his.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Connor wasn’t convinced telling Raven that Cam was at the front gate was a good idea, but Layla had been with him when he’d heard about Cam’s arrival, which meant Raven was going to hear about it anyway. So, now he was walking toward a very somber Cam with Raven by his side. They were flanked by their wolves, Fang and Luna, both wolves trying to offer comfort as best they could. Simon and Layla were trailing along behind them.

  Connor tossed a pair of pants at Cam, realizing that he was going to run out of pants if Cam didn’t start bringing some of them back. They waited as Cam slipped the pants on and rolled them up so they wouldn’t drag under his feet. Connor was a couple inches taller than Cam and a wider build, so they didn’t fit him well, but most people didn’t like seeing Cam walk around naked.

  “Is he alive?” Raven asked, sounding almost desperate.

  “He’s alive,” Cam said solemnly. “Some vampires worked behind the scenes to get him out of there.”

  “Then where is he?” Layla demanded. “Was he hurt getting out? Is he okay?”

  Cam hesitated too long.

  “How badly is he injured?” Connor asked, trying to keep his voice level so he wouldn’t add to Raven’s distress.

  “He’s not injured,” Cam assured them.

  “Then why the hell isn’t he here?” Simon finally asked. He’d just gotten back from Fangri La that morning and was a little on edge from his time with the council. “What aren’t you telling us?”

  “Danny just needs time,” Cam explained.

  “Time for what?” Raven asked calmly.

  “To process everything that happened,” Cam said.

  Raven nodded. “We just want to know that he’s safe.”

  “He’s safe,” Cam assured her.

  “Can you at least tell us what settlement he’s at?” Connor asked. “I would have heard if he’d shown up at Treasure Island.”

  “My father offered him sanctuary with us,” Cam said.

  “Your father?” Simon gasped. “Would this be the same father who hates all non-shifters? He offered a human sanctuary?”

  “It’s a long story,” Cam said with a sigh.

  “And you aren’t going to tell us that story,” Simon muttered angrily.

  “Knock it off, Si,” Connor warned. “You know as well as I do that Cam’s on our side. He’s also Danny’s friend.”

  “His story makes no sense,” Simon argued.

  “Danny saved my cousin’s life,” Cam explained, and Connor could tell he was being intentionally vague with his answer. There was quite a bit Cam wasn’t telling them about Danny’s situation, but he believed the shifter when he said Danny was safe.

  “I don’t like this,” Layla said.

  “Neither do I,” Raven said. “It’s not like Danny to avoid the people who care about him.”

  “Actually, he’s been kind of doing that for the last couple of months,” Simon reminded them.

  “You’re right,” Raven finally said. “Does this have anything to do with the stuff that was bothering him before he was captured?”

  Cam snorted. “You could certainly say that. Listen, Danny wouldn’t want me to talk to you about what’s going on. When he’s ready, he’ll be back.”

  “You’d tell us if something was really wrong with him, right?” Layla asked Cam with a desperation much like Raven’s.

  Cam wrapped his arms around Layla and pulled her close, which seemed to annoy Simon much less than it usually did. “Don’t worry, little kit,” he said. “Danny’s going to be fine.” Pulling back, he looked at them all. “You need to keep your guard up. Roger is not going to be happy about losing Danny. He had big plans for him. Destroying you is all that matters to Roger at this point, and Claire seems to think his obsession has gotten worse.”

  Connor let out a frustrated breath. “That makes the latest delay in the council meeting even more annoying.”

  “Another delay?” Cam asked. “How much longer is that fucking council of yours going to keep Claire prisoner under Roger’s rule?”

  “You know she’s welcome to come here,” Connor reminded him.

  “But she won’t,” Cam said as he gripped his hair in one hand and tugged hard. “Damn stubborn female is dedicated to a cause that’s going to get her killed.”

  Before any of them could answer, Cam spoke again. “I need to go. I’ll leave your pants at the gate,” he said and walked off without another word.

  “How long do you think we should give Danny before we go after him?” Connor asked the question he was sure everyone was thinking.

  Raven just sighed. “I have no idea.”

  “It would be much easier to decide if Cam had told us what was going on,” Layla said. “I get why he didn’t, but I’m worried.”

  “Me too,” Raven said.

  Connor had his suspicions about what had happened to Danny, but he hoped like hell he was wrong. Fang nudged his hand, sensing his distress. “I really screwed up, my friend,” he told the wolf.

  “Stop beating yourself up over this, or I’ll ta
ke you over to the training center and kick your ass,” Simon said from his other side.

  “He’s right,” Layla added. “As much as I’d like to blame someone for Danny being captured, it’s not your fault.”

  “What she’s saying is, stop acting like a whiny little bitch or she’ll let me kick your ass,” Simon said.

  “Let’s do this,” Connor said and started off in the direction of the training center. A good fight was just what he needed.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The shifter homes were so close together, it would be nearly impossible to avoid anyone in the shifter community. Danny wondered if the lack of privacy ever got to them. Although, he supposed most could go out hunting if they needed time away from everyone else. Quinn seemed to be the only one trapped here. Even the open land surrounding the homes didn’t provide many places to hide. This was actually a good thing when Danny found himself hunting Quinn down. He’d given her a few hours to herself. Now, it was time to talk.

  The shifters he passed kept their eyes averted. Since only shifters had ever been allowed in the community, Danny understood their reaction. They’d always lived in a world where it was considered dangerous to trust outsiders. That was something Danny understood all too well since he’d grown up in a similar situation. Even now, trusting strangers was dangerous.

  Danny looked down, scratching the back of his head as he tried to figure out where the hell Quinn could be hiding. She could be in the wooded area surrounding the houses, but looking for her there might not be as easy. He had no idea how far the lynx land extended, which meant he could spend hours searching for her. Too bad he didn’t have a shifter to help him track her. Zane and Jase were his only options right now, and he was guessing they’d either tease him or refuse to help.

  “Why aren’t you with Quinn?” Max’s gruff voice called out.

  Danny looked up at the shifter with a raised eyebrow. “Was she supposed to be watching me? Or was it the other way around?”

  “Don’t be a pain in the ass,” Max said with no real heat. “I’ve seen the way you look at my niece. You want her.”

  Danny had to admit that this might end up being one of the weirdest conversations he’d ever had. “I just met Quinn.”

  “And you want her,” Max said with a wave of his hand. “So, go find her and mark her.”

  Mouth hanging open, Danny just stared at Max. It took him several seconds to find the ability to speak again after Max’s strange order. “You want me to bite your niece’s throat, just above her collar bone, leaving a permanent scar, even though we know very little about each other.”

  Max grinned. “You’ve already picked a spot to mark her,” he said, clearly pleased with that information. “Find her, and do it now.”

  Danny cursed himself for revealing the fantasy he’d had stuck in his head since Zane and Jase had explained how mating worked. “Are you insane?”

  Rather than taking offense, Max just laughed. “I keep forgetting how different your kind is. We find the one we’re meant to mark, and we mark them. That is when we’re lucky enough to find the right one. Most of us never find that instant connection with their mate, so we just act like fools when a female is in heat and then go home alone when it’s over. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no need to have that instant connection in a mated pair, but it’s much less intense without it.”

  Danny suspected there was a story in this, but he didn’t know Max well enough to pry. “I’m not a shifter,” he reminded Max. “Those instincts don’t apply to me.”

  “Are you trying to get me to believe the lie? Or, was that for your own benefit?”

  Looking around, Danny noticed everyone seemed to have vanished while he talked to Max. “You sure have a way of getting people to leave you alone when you want to,” Danny said.

  Max nodded. “It comes in handy at times. Of course, everyone here knows how much you and Quinn want each other, so they aren’t really that interested in listening to this conversation.”

  “They all think I’m in love with Quinn?” he asked.

  Max’s laugh was loud and booming like everything else he did. It took a few minutes to get himself under control again. “Who said anything about love? Sure, love could come later for you two. Right now, I’m just talking about the instincts that tell you when you’ve found your perfect mate.”

  In some ways, it seemed like Max was speaking another language, except for the fact that he did feel an almost overwhelming need to claim Quinn as his own. The entire situation was insane, but that wasn’t enough to convince him to back off. From what he’d heard, it had been this intense between Simon and Layla, but they’d known each other much longer. They’d been in love, even if Simon hadn’t been ready to admit it. Danny liked Quinn, and wanted her body like crazy, but that wasn’t enough to tie himself to a woman. A voice in the back of his head called him a liar.

  “I can see you want to argue, but you know I’m right,” Max said. “So, why aren’t you with her?”

  “I think she’s avoiding me,” Danny admitted.

  “That’s right. Your sense of smell isn’t nearly as good as a shifter’s. Do you want to find her?” Max asked.

  “I’ve been trying to track her down.”

  Max grinned at him. “She’s about half a mile that way. Still on our property, but I’d prefer she not be alone until she’s marked.”

  “Do you think the cougars will try to come after her on your land?” Danny asked, unable to hide the edge of panic that creeped into his voice.

  Max shrugged. “It would be foolish, but I never expected Cord to try to claim her after I turned down his request.”

  Danny nodded. “I guess I should stay as close to Quinn as possible.”

  “That was exactly what I had in mind,” Max said. “Go find her!” he ordered before storming off.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Hearing Danny approach, Quinn was tempted to take off rather than talk about the whole embarrassing mate situation, but she figured it was stupid to run. They were both trapped in a small community, and they’d have to talk eventually. There was also the fact that she was fighting herself every time she ran from him.

  Lying in the clearing where Danny had so thoroughly pleasured her earlier, Quinn’s insides clenched almost painfully when he burst through the trees. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of shorts. There was a wild quality about Danny that she’d sensed just beneath the surface when she’d first met him. No longer suppressed, that wild quality drew Quinn to him in a way that almost frightened her.

  “I’m glad to see you too,” he drawled as he dropped to his knees beside her on the grass.

  “Ass,” she muttered, but she couldn’t deny that she was glad he was there.

  “Wanna talk about why you’re avoiding me?” he asked.

  “Who said I was avoiding you? I’ve been right here,” she said.

  “Avoiding me,” he added.

  “Fine, I was hoping for some time alone,” she admitted. “I was actually avoiding everyone, so it’s nothing personal.”

  “Except, I’m the only one who can’t find you by your scent,” he accused.

  “To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about whether you could track me by scent or not,” she said.

  “Were you thinking about running when I got here?” he asked, staring down at her with an unreadable expression.

  “Only for a minute,” she said. “Would you have followed me?”

  Danny chuckled and settled down on his side, reaching out one hand to stroke her cheek. “Hell yeah! I would have chased you down, and I’m getting kind of excited thinking about it.”

  Quinn’s lips twitched in her first smile since walking out of Max’s home. “Should I run?”

  “Next time,” Danny said softly before leaning in to kiss her.

  He moved slowly, giving her plenty of time to stop him, but she didn’t want him to stop. Quinn wanted him to move faster. She wanted to finish what they’d started ear
lier, so she grabbed his hair on both sides to pull him closer.

  Danny groaned at her aggressiveness and bit her bottom lip gently. His tongue stroked along the crease of her lips, teasing her. Giving his hair another tug, Quinn rolled to her side to bring her chest against his. One of Danny’s hands reached down to grip her ass and pull her against his body. That’s when he finally kissed her, angling his mouth so he could stroke her tongue with his. Her nipples hardened under her shirt, making her resent the fabric keeping her from Danny’s bare chest.

  It wasn’t long before she found herself wiggling against him in a desperate attempt to get his erection positioned so it would release some of the ache between her legs. Without breaking the kiss, Danny rolled her beneath him and placed one of his thighs between her legs. Her desire to have him inside of her was insane, and she couldn’t resist the urge to rub against his thigh. His mouth became more demanding, and Quinn was near orgasm from just rubbing against his thigh.

  “Honestly, I did track you down to talk,” Danny said as he pulled back to stare at her. “At the rate we’re going, there won’t be much talking.”

  “Don’t stop,” she pleaded because she was going to lose her mind if she didn’t feel him inside of her soon.

  Danny cursed softly and crushed her mouth with his. One of his hands slipped under her shirt to play with her nipples—something she’d never enjoyed much with other males. The pad of Danny’s thumb brushed one of her nipples, making it tingle. Then he pinched it, and Quinn found herself desperately wanting him to increase the pressure. Her nails clawed at the bare skin on his shoulders, and he moaned.

  “Fuck me! You are so damn hot,” he said before moving down her body and nearly tearing her shirt off in his haste to get to her breasts. When they were free, his mouth covered the nipple he’d been toying with, and his tongue stroked it until she was panting and tugging at his hair. He grazed her over-sensitized nipple with his fangs, and she struggled not to beg him to bite her. Needing more contact, Quinn tried to lift her hips, but his weight held her in place. The shifter in her loved his dominance—loved the way he completely controlled her body.