I looked out the front windows, watching as the daylight was beginning to bleed out of the sky. The blanket of darkness was being pulled over the world as night started to replace day. I checked my watch and saw that it was four thirty.
“Close enough,” I said, deciding to knock off half an hour early.
I hustled around the shop, cleaning up and putting things away. I just felt the need to get out of there and get home before full dark fell. Although nothing had happened since that one night with Quint, I still wasn't keen on taking chances. Especially, when I didn't have a large man armed with silver daggers to keep an eye on me.
Finished with my end of day chores, I hustled out of the shop and locked up tight. I turned and walked quickly down the street. I wasn't going to stop anywhere – I'd order in tonight if nothing else. All I knew was that I needed to be home. Indoors. Away from everybody.
It was irrational and illogical, but that didn't make the fear that was coursing through me any less real.
Dusk was painting over the brightness of the afternoon, heralding the coming of the night. I cut through the park – the same park we'd been attacked in – and hurried down the path. Looking around, I saw that there was nobody else out there but me. Ordinarily, that didn't bother me. My shortcut home wasn't a high traffic area. But for whatever reason, I felt different about it. The lack of people, combined with the gloom of the early evening combined to feel sinister. Ominous.
All I knew was that I didn't want to be there anymore.
I re-settled my backpack onto my shoulders and had just picked up my pace just as I heard a high pitched keening noise coming from the foliage that lined the path on either side of me. My blood ran cold and a feeling like an electric jolt shot up my spine as half a dozen people stepped onto the path before me. I saw – or at least thought I saw – a flash of red in their eyes as they looked at me.
A woman stepped forward, a predatory grin on her face. “Hello, Astrid,” she said. “We've been waiting for you.”
Chapter Fifteen
Quint
It had been two weeks of sheer agony and torture for me. To be so close to Astrid, to see her, to catch her scent on the breeze – but to not be able to talk to her or touch her. To not be able to be in her presence – it was killing me.
But, she'd asked for me to stay away from her, so I respected her wishes – for the most part.
I knew the Shongtal would take another shot at her. Especially after meeting with the Keeper, I was positive that it was only a matter of time. They would likely try to let things cool down, put some distance between the last attack and the present. Then when everybody's guard seemed to be down, that's when they would strike. That was how they operated.
I knew it wouldn't be long before they tried to snatch her up again. Which was why I was keeping an eye on her. I followed her every day. She didn't see me and I'd managed to keep myself well hidden so she wouldn't know I was there, but I was never that far away from her.
I watched her from a distance as she left her shop. She was walking quickly with her head down, but I could tell that she was alert. She was watching everything around her, which was good. She needed to be vigilant with the Shongtal hunting her.
Astrid cut through the park – the same park we'd been attacked in – and was moving quickly. It was as if with the coming of night, she wanted to be off the street. Not that I blamed her. The night belonged to the monsters.
She was halfway through the park when I heard a high pitched keening sound. It took a moment for it to register, but when it did, I felt my heart speed up and adrenaline start pouring through me. I knew that sound and knew that nothing good was going to follow it.
As I watched her, Turo's words echoed in my head. Kill Astrid to deny the Shongtal a chance to destroy two worlds. One life balanced against billions. My blades weighed heavily on me. In my heart, I knew I couldn't do what Turo thought I should. What he wanted me to do. But in my head, it was a different story. In my head, I saw the logic. I saw that I had but two choices – the smart one, and the selfish one.
Which was I going to choose?
The high pitched keening sounded again and sure enough, up ahead, I saw half a dozen Shongtal in their human husks step onto the path, blocking Astrid's way. She stopped and even from where I was standing, I could see her tense and stiffen. I knew I needed to get to her quickly. Not just to protect her from the Shongtal, but to protect her from herself.
She was of the Lightning Clan, meaning she could summon lightning on a whim. Although, that wasn't without its drawbacks as well. She wasn't able to control her powers. That first night in the park was a prime example of that. She'd built up that store of energy within her, but rather than releasing it normally, she'd just let it all burst out of her at once.
She didn't realize it, but she'd almost killed herself by releasing that much energy all at once. As it was, she'd gone off like a nuclear bomb. She'd pretty well evaporated those unfortunate enough to be close to her – thankfully, it was only the Shongtal and not me. I was ten yards away, engaged with one of the husks when she blew and the force of that blast had hit me so hard, it had knocked me to the ground. Hard.
I needed to tell her to avoid doing that again. For her own sake. The last thing I wanted to see was Astrid exploding.
When the Shongtal fighters started advancing on her, Astrid began to walk backwards, trying to maintain the distance between them. I entered the park and was sliding my daggers out of their sheaths when they finally noticed me.
“Warden,” the woman who appeared to be the leader called to me. “Our quarrel is not with you. Leave now.”
“Not a chance,” I called back.
Astrid turned her head, her face was terrified, but when her eyes locked onto mine, I saw absolute relief flooding them. I moved quickly to her side and looked at her, trying to let her see just how serious what I was about to say was.
“Astrid,” I said. “Do not build up the energy within you. Don't let it build. And if it does anyway, don't release it. Hold on to it and let it dissipate within you.”
“H – how am I supposed to do that.”
“Sing a song,” I said. “Do something to distract yourself. Try to keep from getting excessively emotional. That's what triggers the energy build up. Stay as calm as you can.”
“Yeah, that's an easy assignment.”
“Try, Astrid,” I said. “You have to try or you could kill us both. Just stay calm and focused.”
She nodded, though I could see her body trembling. She was scared and would likely only grow more terrified. Which meant that I needed to end this fight quickly. And that meant breaking a couple of rules.
The six Shongtal were nearly upon us, so I turned, brandishing my long, curved daggers. I darted forward and swung my first blade, which the man deflected with his sword. He didn't see the second blade coming until it was too late. It bit deep into his chest and I sunk it hilt-deep. His eyes flared red and the husk fell limply to the ground.
I felt the next two coming up behind me before I ever saw them. I built up a small dose of my power within me and turned to face them, opening my mouth and launching a stream of fire that engulfed the both of them. They screamed and ran around, trying to beat the flames off themselves. I turned quickly and got my blade up just in time to deflect a blow from a sword that would have taken my head clean off my shoulders.
The man was big, strong, and he had leverage on me. I grunted with the effort of trying to keep his blade from cutting into my neck. He grinned, showing me a mouthful of rotten teeth. I opened my own mouth and spit a fireball straight into his face. He dropped his sword, the steel ringing out against the stone path as he clutched his face, screaming in agony.
Four down, two to go. The fifth man rushed me with a sword in each hand. He had a maniacal look in his eyes as he just started hacking and slashing with his blades. He'd obviously had no training and was just hoping to overwhelm me with the amount of times he swung at me. I
easily deflected his swings and waited for him to tire, to slow. Waiting for my opening.
It didn't take long. With his breathing labored, he got sloppy with his swing, opening up a huge gap in his defenses. I moved quickly to exploit it, driving the point of my blade into his throat. His eyes grew wide and a wet, gurgling sound escaped his lips. The husk's eyes flared red and I pushed the corpse backward, where it hit the ground with a meaty thump.
I turned to face the last one – the woman who acted as if she was bored with the whole thing. She just shook her head and smirked at me.
“You're not going to be able to protect her forever, Warden.”
“Watch me.”
The woman turned and loped off into the darkness, not willing to roll the dice on her own life in a straight up fight with me. I turned back to Astrid. She was trembling, with tears streaming down her face, but overall, she was holding herself together pretty well. Which was a good thing.
She threw herself into my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck and embracing me tightly. She sobbed into my shoulder, her body spasming with the release of all that fear and tension. I stroked her hair.
“It's okay,” I said. “You're okay, Astrid. I've got you. You're safe now.”
She clung to me tightly and I hugged her back just as fiercely. After a moment, she peered up at me through her tears. She looked positively terrified.
“Quint – I saw fire,” she whispered. “You spit fire.”
I pulled her close to me again, relishing the feel of her body pressed to mine. I was in a sticky situation. She'd seen my true nature. She'd seen what she was never supposed to see. And there was no real way to explain it away. I was going to have to tell her something. But what?
“It's okay, Astrid,” I said. “It's been a tough evening. We'll talk about everything later. I'll explain it all to you. I swear it.”
Her grip on me tightened and she rested her head against my shoulder, her body still trembling.
“You saved me,” she said softly. “Again. After I treated you so horribly.”
“Always,” I said. “I want to take you someplace safe. Will you come with me?”
She looked into my eyes, relief and gratitude etched upon her face.
“Yes,” she said. “I will.”
Chapter Sixteen
Astrid
Someplace safe meant Quint's apartment. Of course. After being attacked again though, I had no issue with going there. Not if he really thought he could keep me safe. We rode the elevator up in silence, I was still too stunned to speak. Then the doors opened and I looked at the night beyond his wall of windows – looked at the darkness pressing close and felt myself shiver. I knew what was out there and it scared the hell out of me.
“You've been watching me,” I said.
He nodded. “I wanted to give you the space you asked for,” he said. “But I also wanted to ensure that you were safe.”
“Thank you, Quint,” I said, gratitude flooding my body. “You save my life again.”
“We are beginning to make a habit out of that, aren't we?”
I laughed in spite of myself. “Yes, we are,” I said. “Listen, about the last time we were together –”
He raised a hand. “You don't need to say anything, Astrid. You've been thrown into this strange world you never knew existed. Of course, you're going to freak out a little bit. Who wouldn't? The important thing is that we keep you safe. That we keep the Shongtal away from you.”
I nodded. “But won't they keep coming for me?”
He sighed and avoided my eyes. “We're going to take this one day at a time,” he said. “You must be exhausted. Let me show you to one of the guest rooms.”
I was feeling pretty wrung out, but surprisingly, not exhausted. In fact, there was a warm energy coursing through my body and I was feeling a familiar heat burning between my thighs. Maybe, it was the adrenaline rush from the attack and seeing death knocking on my door. Perhaps, it was being close to Quint again after having been separated for the last couple of weeks. I didn't know and didn't care. It was irrelevant. There was a burning desire in me, a fiery need, and I was going to sate it.
When Quint showed me into the guest room, I turned and planted a long, deep kiss onto him.
He pulled back, looking at me in surprise and I saw the question in his eyes.
“Yes, I really want this,” I whispered.
Quint pushed me up against the wall with such force, I feared we might bust through to the other side. He kissed me, long and hard. I felt his erection through his pants, felt him pressing against me. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my legs around his waist and have him take me right there, against the wall.
I burned with need and desire and just wanted – needed – him inside of me.
I fumbled with his pants, failing to unbutton them as Quint kissed down the length of my neck, sending chills down my spine. His hands slid down my back, squeezing my ass as he continued to plant soft kisses along my neck.
When I failed, yet again, to get his pants down, he grabbed both of my hands in just one of his, pinning them against the wall above my head. He smiled at me – the smile of a man who was enjoying being in control.
He easily slipped my skirt down with one hand, smirking as it fell to the floor at my feet.
“You have it easier than I do,” I teased.
Quint didn't argue with me about that. In fact, he didn't say another word. Instead, he dropped down to his knees in front of me and pressed that delicious mouth of his against my most intimate parts. His tongue roamed and explored every bit of flesh between my thighs, sending shockwaves of pleasure crashing through me. My body tightened as he slid his tongue inside of me, cupping my ass and pulling me closer to him.
“Oh God,” I muttered breathlessly, as he pressed his tongue between my lips, circling it around and licking to his heart's content. “You almost seem to be enjoying this as much as I am.”
“I am,” he said, looking up at me for a split second before lowering his head and getting back to work.
With my head against the wall, I watched as Quint seemed to savor every second of going down on me –his tongue was magical. The way he used his fingers and his tongue, had me moaning his name in no time flat. My hands were in his hair, pressing him into me as I reached the precipice. As if sensing I was there, he plunged his tongue deep inside of me, pushing me over the edge. I cried out as I came hard. Quint held me up as he continued licking, making the powerful waves of my orgasm last even longer than normal. My eyes rolled back in my head as I called his name – I was in heaven.
Quint smiled and seemed to be content to keep doing what he was doing for as long as I wanted. But I wanted more of him. Pulling him up to standing, I kissed him and tasted myself on his lips. This time, he helped me remove his pants as we backed up toward the edge of the bed.
He dropped the pants and fell backward, taking me with him. I straddled him, pressing myself against him as he moved toward me, sealing our bodies in one, delightful thrust.
“Oh Quint...” I groaned, rocking back and forth on top of him.
He strained a bit as he sat up and he kissed me as we made love, savoring every movement as our bodies moved and flowed to their own rhythm. I put my hands on his chest, relishing the feel of the hard angles and planes of his sculpted body. I marveled at how warm his skin was – as if it burned with an inner fire.
Quint slipped my shirt off over my head and took my breasts into his hands, seeming to marvel at them as he gently massaged my nipples through my bra, a look of absolute hunger in his eyes.
“Yes, yes, yes,” I said, biting my lip as I ground against him harder, taking him even deeper inside of me than ever before – which drew a gasp from me. “You just feel so good.”
“You feel amazing, Astrid,” he said, his jaw clenched tight as he slid his hands down my body, gripping my hips, helping me move on top of him.
I felt a warmth take over my body, as my head fell forward, my
hair cascading down over his chest, and every muscle in my body tightened up. He thrust upward, plunging himself even deeper into me. The rush of sensation was overwhelming and I bit down hard on his chest, to stop myself from screaming as the pleasure took hold of me, making me thrash wildly on top of him.
Quint held onto me, keeping me in place, as I came, hard – again. As my body shuddered and I writhed on top of him, his cock sheathed deep inside of me. As my body was buffeted by wave after wave of pleasure, I could tell my own orgasm was bringing on Quint's as well. He gritted his teeth, but his breathing was getting heavier, his thrusts more determined and desperate.
“Yes, Quint, yes,” I said, grinding into him.
Clenching myself down around the length and girth of him, I looked into his eyes as he let out an animalistic groan, and I knew in that moment, that I'd pushed him over that edge of bliss.
There was nothing so beautiful as the look in your lover's eyes as they climax with you, and my eyes fixed on his face as he buried himself deep inside of me one last time. I felt him throbbing and pulsing, filling me up with his hot, wet seed.
Eventually, our waves of orgasm subsided and our breathing – as well as our heart rates – returned to normal. My body still tingled though, with the memory of having had him so deep inside of me. Of the magical things he'd done with his tongue and fingers.
“That was amazing,” he said as I collapsed on top of him.
“Yes, yes it was.”
I couldn't deny it – it was easily the best sex I'd ever had.
Quint pushed the hair back from my face and kissed me, holding my face in his hands, stroking my cheeks in the gentlest way possible.
“You are special, Astrid,” he said. “You know that, right?”
I grinned at him ruefully. “Those creatures – the Shongtal – certainly seem to think so.”
He chuckled grimly. “It's more than that. There's just something about you,” he said. “I wish I could make you see and believe that.”
Mated to a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 3) Page 120
