Shattered Restraint

by Cassandra Lawson

  “Yeah,” Zane said with a sheepish grin. “They figure if one of us is getting our ass chewed out, they could be next, so they hide until my father’s in a better mood.”

  Everyone waited for Max to start the discussion because he was the most alpha in the room. Simon might not have recognized that a year ago, but his mate was a shifter, so he was starting to understand more about their instincts.

  “Perhaps we should start with the female,” Max said, gesturing to Layla. “I don’t know you, and there are no other lynx clans in this area. Who are you, and where do you come from?”

  “She lives at the large vampire settlement,” Cam explained.

  “I asked the female, not you,” Max snapped. “I heard her speak, so I know she can express herself quite well.” Then he returned his attention to Layla.

  “You want me to repeat what he just said?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “I like her,” Quinn told Danny.

  “Yeah, I figured you would,” Danny said with a grin.

  “Damn stubborn females,” Max muttered.

  “Sorry,” Layla said with sincerity. “That was rude. My name is Layla, and I grew up believing I was human. I lived with humans. My father was killed when I was young, and he was definitely human. My mother disappeared when I was seven and she was twenty-seven. We’re assuming she had her first change and never came back. I never really asked your sons about it, but I wondered if she might have ended up here.”

  “She did not join us,” Max said in a kind voice. “Perhaps we can help you find your mother. There is always the possibility she ended up with the cougars, but I think I would have heard rumors of something like that happening.”

  Layla shook her head. “Don’t bother trying to find her. Honestly, she wasn’t much of a mother, and I’m not interested in finding her.”

  Max nodded and rubbed his chin. “This is very strange.”

  “I thought so too,” Cam agreed. “Her mom shouldn’t have been able to have children before her first change.”

  “What?” Layla asked, clearly shocked.

  “We didn’t mention that?” Zane asked. “Are you sure?”

  “No, you didn’t mention that,” Simon said impatiently.

  “Not even when we talked about your heat cycle?” Cam asked.

  Layla shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal. You’re probably more curious about why she was able to get pregnant than I am.”

  “I’m also curious about where she came from,” Max said. “You are the first half-shifter I’ve ever met who could shift. I can smell the lynx on you. What can you tell me about your mother?”

  “Not much,” Layla admitted. “This may be a mystery you never solve.”

  “Did I move the wind?” Quinn asked out of the blue.

  Danny wasn’t surprised by her off topic question, since she’d been struggling to pay attention to the conversation in the room. She was clearly distracted.

  “It would seem so,” Max said. “Quinn . . .” His voice trailed off, and he looked helplessly at his niece.

  “You don’t know what’s going to happen to me, do you?” she asked Max.

  “Not really,” he admitted, and Danny got the impression this was even harder for him because he rarely experienced a situation he couldn’t handle.

  “As I said before, I know a wood nymph,” Danny said. “She might be able to help Quinn. Raven knows a lot about the different types of beings living among us—even if she does try to deny their existence most of the time.”

  Max nodded. “A wood nymph might be able to help. The problem is that her father’s people are very isolated. Few have even met one of the mage. What do you think?” he asked Quinn. “I don’t like the idea of you having no one to turn to with questions when something like this happens.”

  She nodded. “I guess it’s a good idea. What happened out there was exhilarating,” she admitted, shocking them all. Danny clearly wasn’t the only one who’d believed Quinn was frightened by her new ability.

  Danny slipped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. “Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you surprise me?”

  Layla was staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

  “What’s bugging you, Tinker Bell?” Danny asked.

  “Didn’t I just tell you to stop calling me that?” Layla snapped with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

  “Nope,” he said with a grin. “You told me to stop calling you Pixie.”

  Simon chuckled. “You do realize that I’m going to have to let her kick your ass if you don’t stop messing with her, don’t you?”

  “Enough!” Max shouted. “How the hell did we get this far off topic?”

  No one answered, which was smart since Danny was sure Max didn’t want an answer. Still, he was a little surprised Zane didn’t have anything to say.

  “I should take Quinn back to my settlement after the rescue of the cougars,” Danny said.

  “You should take her now,” Max insisted. “As I’m sure my sons have already told you, you are not going with them.”

  “Something tells me I’m not going to like what you want to do,” Simon mumbled.

  “Roger captured some shifters,” Cam explained. “They’re cougars, but we’re going to rescue them anyway.”

  “Danny thinks he should go with us to sneak into that sadistic vampire’s settlement,” Zane explained.

  “Are you fucking stupid?” Simon demanded, stalking toward Danny.

  Danny released Quinn and moved in front of her. His body was alive with anticipation for the possible fight, something he was sure was impacted by the amount of shifter blood he’d had. Normal vampires didn’t enjoy fighting this much. The more ravenous turned vampires were only aggressive because they were crazed and searching for blood, not because they took any joy from fighting. The born vampires liked to spar for the most part, but they didn’t take the same pleasure the shifters did. Danny was somewhere in between.

  “No fighting in my home!” Max boomed, and Danny relaxed his stance.

  “Try to remember that a lot has changed,” Danny said, flashing a hint of fang.

  Simon just stared at him for a long moment before speaking. They’d all been avoiding the subject up to this point, probably for fear they’d upset him. Danny figured this was the best way to let his friends know it was okay to use the ‘V’ word.

  “You’re a new vampire,” Simon said. “Even though you’ve had good training, you haven’t reached your full speed or strength yet.”

  “Really?” Quinn all but gasped. “I saw him take down a group of cougar shifters. I’ve also seen him fight with my three cousins and hold his own. Are you seriously telling me he’s going to get stronger and faster?”

  “He can pack quite a punch,” Zane agreed with a grin. “Most challenging fight I’ve had in years.”

  “He’s had mostly shifter blood since he was infected with the virus,” Cam explained. “Well, that and a lot of Quinn’s blood. It seems to have made him act more like a shifter, which is obviously a good thing. It also seems to have made him stronger and faster than any vampire I’ve seen.”

  Simon raised an eyebrow and studied Danny. “Fine, I’ll concede that you can take care of yourself. That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for you to walk back into Roger’s settlement. This is about more than just your safety.”

  “You don’t need to argue with me about this,” Danny said with one hand up. “I get it. If I go and someone sees me, they’ll have an excuse to claim we attacked them.”

  “No matter how good you are, you could also get caught, and they had some nasty plans for you,” Cam reminded him. “You really need more practice fighting with your new speed and strength.”

  “I still want to stay here until I know you’ve made it safely out of Roger’s settlement,” Danny admitted.

  “I’ll worry too,” Quinn agreed.

  “After they return, I’ll send one of my sons to update you,”
Max said. “I think it would be best to get Quinn to your nymph sooner rather than later. This is her first display of mage power. I have no idea if that means her abilities will come quickly now, or if this was just a fluke. Perhaps the wood nymph can even find a mage to train Quinn.”

  “Fine,” Danny said somewhat reluctantly.

  Ready or not, he was going home.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Quinn packed her belongings with a sense of finality. Something told her that, once she walked out of this community, she wouldn’t return to live here again. She wasn’t even sure Max would welcome her back to visit. Max would certainly see her again, but he kept the clan closed off from the vampire and human world—a world she was about to enter. At the same time, she was excited to meet a wood nymph and possibly find out more about herself. Having Danny by her side also comforted her.

  “Did you bring a jeep?” Danny asked Simon. “If not, we should bring a guard detail to help keep Quinn safe.”

  “Is she in some kind of danger?” Layla asked.

  “I’m not really in danger,” Quinn said. “The leader of the cougars tried to abduct me, but we’ve made peace with him.”

  “He warned me to mark you for your own protection,” Danny shot back with narrowed eyes.

  “I thought she was your mate?” Layla asked before remembering what Quinn had said earlier. “That’s right! You haven’t agreed yet. You probably should make him work for it a little longer. I gave in with Simon too soon, and his ego was already too big.”

  Quinn hadn’t paid much attention to Simon before, probably because she’d been too focused on meeting Layla and then on her ability to control the wind. Now, she looked at him, and her breath caught in her throat. With golden hair, blue eyes, and a face that looked like a sculptor had created it, he was nothing short of stunning.

  “Stop staring,” Danny said, tugging at her hand.

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” Quinn said, looking over at Danny. “You don’t go for males, and I’ll bet you’ve found yourself staring at him.”

  Danny chuckled. “Fine, stare away. He is pretty.”

  “I’m standing right here,” Simon protested.

  “You’re used to it,” Layla said. “See what I mean about it being a mistake to not make him work harder for it? He knows he’s gorgeous already.”

  “Layla was in love with Simon for months before he got a clue,” Danny explained. “Poor guy had no idea the little pixie was lusting after him.”

  “I knew,” Simon admitted. “I was just an idiot back then.”

  “Do you have a jeep, or do I need to get Max to send someone with us?” Danny asked again. “I should also warn you that Quinn can’t move as fast as the other shifters.”

  “We have a jeep,” Layla said. “I wasn’t sure if we were going to have to tie you up and drag you back. I also had no idea you weren’t human anymore. What the hell happened?”

  Danny looked away. “I’ll explain later,” he said, and Quinn understood it was because he still wasn’t completely comfortable being a vampire. It was time for him to go back to his home and face his friends, but it was going to make his change that much more real to him. She also knew it meant facing some of his demons. Quinn gave his hand a squeeze, offering what comfort she could.

  The mood on the walk to the jeep was somber. Layla kept looking at Danny like she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure where to start. Danny was anxious about facing his friends.

  Quinn wasn’t quite sure how she felt. That is, until she got to the jeep and found it impossible to hide her enthusiasm. While she’d looked at them some when she’d visited the vampire settlement, she’d never ridden in one. “How does it work?” she asked Danny.

  “It’s kind of complicated,” he explained. “I can find information about it on the computer when we get back to my place.”

  “He has no idea how the jeep works,” Layla said. “That’s why he’s having you look on the computer.”

  “I sort of know,” Danny said before admitting, “Okay, I really have no clue how it works, but I can find out.”

  “I can’t wait to use the computer when we get there,” Quinn said excitedly, as Danny opened the door for her to climb into the backseat. “When I stayed at your house, I saw yours, but it was turned off.”

  “Then how’d you know it was my computer?” Danny asked, sliding into the seat beside her.

  “Zane told me all about them,” she explained.

  “How come shifters don’t have more technology?” Layla asked.

  “Some do,” Quinn replied. “Each clan is different regarding their involvement with the outside world. From what I’ve been told, we live a more traditional life than many shifters. Although, the cougars also don’t have much in the way of technology. I guess that’s why we’re all in this area.”

  “Why avoid contact with other species?” Simon asked.

  “The shifters have been hiding what they are for a very long time. From what I was told, in Canada, there were some humans who knew about our kind, but most were ignorant of our existence. It protects us from curious people trying to experiment on us or hunt us. There’s also the risk that we’ll frighten humans so much they’ll think we need to be destroyed.” Quinn frowned when she realized she was talking as if she were a shifter. “I guess I shouldn’t really be saying us or we since I’m not really one of the shifters. In many ways, I’m as much of an outsider as the humans are.”

  Danny reached over and squeezed her thigh. “I don’t think your uncle or cousins consider you as an outsider.”

  “You’re right,” Quinn said. “I’m just having a moment of self-pity.”

  “I guess I can’t be the only one feeling sorry for myself all the time, huh?” Danny asked.

  “We’ll both take turns wallowing in our own self-pity,” she assured him.

  There was a moment of silence where Quinn suspected Danny’s friends were trying to decide how to bring up what had happened to him.

  “Is that why you didn’t come back?” Layla asked. “Do you hate yourself in some way because of what happened?”

  Danny swallowed hard, and Quinn saw him struggle with the memories before he replied.

  “It’s complicated,” Danny said quietly. “When I left Roger’s settlement, I was supposed to head to Treasure Island. That was the responsible thing to do, but I ran in another direction. At the time, I had no idea where I was going. I only stopped because Quinn was in trouble. I’m doing my best to deal with all of this.” The last was said so quietly that no one in the jeep would have heard him had they been human.

  Simon was driving, but Quinn caught him looking at Danny in the rear-view mirror. “Don’t push yourself,” he said. “Sometimes we need more time before we’re ready to talk. Hell, it’s been more than eighty years since Roger first tormented me, and I’m just now starting to deal with it.”

  “Turns out I have more to deal with than just my time with Roger. I saw vampires kill my father,” Danny explained. “When I was four, he hid me, and I watched vampires tear out his throat.”

  Simon hissed. “And now you’re a turned vampire,” he muttered.

  “Yeah,” Danny said with a sardonic smile that revealed a hint of fang.

  “If you need to talk, I’m here,” Simon said. “So is Layla. Hell, you can talk to any of us. Even Ian, but he’ll probably insist that’s not the case.”

  Danny laughed, and Quinn saw some of the tension leave his face. This wasn’t the end of his worries by a long shot, but it was another step in the right direction. “Did you message them?” he asked.

  “No,” Simon said. “We need to call Connor.”

  “We didn’t tell him we were going to bring you back,” Layla admitted.

  “Where does he think you went?” Danny asked, knowing Connor would want to know where his people were heading now that Roger had made another move.

  “I told him we were going to talk to the shifters,” Simon explained. “That way
I wasn’t lying to him.”

  Danny was quiet.

  “We should let him know you’re with us,” Layla said. “Raven deserves to know, and it might be easier if she knows what to expect before we get there.”

  “You’re right,” Danny said.

  Layla was the one who made the call. Quinn was fascinated with the little device she used. Of course, she’d seen them before, but not often.

  “Con, it’s Layla. . . No, there’s nothing wrong. We’re both fine. I just called to tell you that we’re bringing Danny back. . . Yeah, he’s fine. Well, sort of fine.”

  Layla looked back at Danny, and he nodded.

  “They infected him with the new Moon virus,” Layla said softly. This time, there was a longer pause before Layla spoke again. “He’s alive, so that’s a start. We’ll be back there in about ten minutes.”

  Layla ended the call. “Connor will tell Raven and the other leadership so they know what to expect.”

  Danny nodded. “Good. I’m not sure I’m up to telling this story over and over again.” Then looking at Quinn, Danny asked, “How are you liking your first ride in a jeep?” While she recognized his blatant attempt to change the subject, she didn’t mind.

  Quinn hadn’t seen many jeeps in her lifetime because she’d avoided the roads where the jeeps traveled. “We’re going really fast,” she said as they zipped past the trees lining the road.

  “I’ve been trying to keep the speed down to avoid scaring you,” Simon explained.

  “I’m not scared,” Quinn assured him, and it was true. She was having a great time.

  “Quinn’s been exposed to more than Kyleigh was,” Danny said, and then he turned to Quinn. “Ian’s mate had never been in a moving vehicle before she was transported to the born vampire settlement the first time.”

  “You must mean the Death Fae,” Quinn said excitedly. “Zane told me about her.”

  “She doesn’t like being called that,” Layla warned. “Besides, she was released from that obligation, so the term wouldn’t apply to her anyway.”

  “Yes, Zane told me that too.” Quinn might regret her lack of tact if she wasn’t so excited about meeting someone who used to be a Death Fae. They were the ones who released souls before violent deaths and helped confused souls cross. Many feared them, but she’d always felt bad for them. What they did couldn’t be easy. “What’s she like?”