With Drake probing in her head, she quickly cleared her mind of her conversation with Daniel, focusing instead on the plan she had come up with to find the missing crystals. She could sense him moving closer as she headed for the kitchen and her head pounded as his own thoughts merged with hers, giving her a splitting headache.
Please don’t come any closer, she thought desperately.
“Too late.” This time, his voice wasn’t in her head and she whirled to find him standing just outside the open kitchen door. “What are you thinking?” he added immediately.
“I’m assuming that’s a rhetorical question?” Quinn tried to make light of the fact that he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“That’s not funny.”
“You’re right. It’s not. Are you going to try and talk me out of it?’ she asked, her fingers pressing against her temples.
“No. It’s a good plan; a solid one. It might even work.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment coming from a master strategist such as yourself.” He didn’t laugh and her headache was getting worse by the second.
“Look, you said it yourself, it’s a solid plan, so I can only assume that the only problem you have is that you can’t come with me.”
“You know I can’t bear the thought of being separated from you.”
“I know,” she could sense as much. Every nerve in his body protested against her leaving, regardless of how painful it was to be near one another. “But you can’t come.” She crossed the kitchen, pouring herself a drink of water straight from the faucet.
“Charlotte is dangerous,” Drake persisted. “She almost killed you once already.”
“And you were there to save me,” Quinn hadn’t meant to speak aloud. He had saved her. He had thrown himself in front of Charlotte’s stake to protect her. It was why he had needed her blood – to heal – and how the bond had formed. If it wasn’t for Charlotte, they wouldn’t be in this situation. “I hate her,” Quinn murmured.
“Good,” Drake approved. “You should hate her. It’ll keep you focused. Because if you hesitate, for even a second...”
‘I won’t,” Quinn cut him off abruptly. “The first chance I get I’m sending that bitch straight back to hell.” That finally elicited a small smile. “You know how badly I want you there,” she admitted, “but you also know why you can’t be. I need to be strong, and you... you make me...”
“Weak?” he asked, plucking the word from her mind.
“Yes.”
“You know, as much as this bond is a curse, I can’t deny that it feels good for you to be so honest with me. Finally.”
Quinn thought back to how she had denied her feelings for him before, in a desperate attempt to stay true to the Guardianship. There was no point in doing that now, not when he could read the truth from her thoughts.
“Do you always look on the bright side?” she teased, downing the water in a few gulps. Her head was throbbing painfully and it was becoming more difficult to separate their thoughts, to isolate one from the other. And the more their minds entwined, the more difficult it became to be this close to him. Glancing over her shoulder she saw the grimace on his face and realised he was hurting just as badly.
You know you can’t come with me.
I do, but I don’t have to like it.
“I do want to ask you one favour,” she spoke aloud this time. “I need you to take care of them – the others. You have to make sure that nothing happens to them. They mean everything to me. Leaving them is hard enough, but it’ll give me peace of mind knowing you’re keeping an eye on things.” The muscles in his cheeks jumped as he clenched his jaw, trying to control his emotion. He had suspected as much when she had spoken of leaving the wards. They were too important for her to abandon without a full security detail.
“Of course, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Thank you,” Quinn released a mouthful of air. She hadn’t even realised she was holding her breath. The pain in her head was growing worse.
“You need to go,” she insisted, but instead of complying, he took a step toward her. The pounding accelerated and Quinn winced. “Go,” she insisted, without looking at him.
“Quinn,” he took another step forward but she raised her hand, warding him off, and finally met his gaze. He recoiled at the agony reflected in her eyes, just as her thoughts merged into one blooming singularity. She loved him and the physical pain that she was experiencing was nothing compared to the torture of knowing she would never be able to touch him, to be touched by him. A flush spread across her cheeks as she registered he was hearing her most private thoughts and she lashed out at him.
“Go!” she yelled, a tear tracking its way down her cheek. “Now!”
“If it’s the last thing I ever do, I will find a way to break it,” he growled, sounding more animal than human. “This is not over.”
Quinn swiped angrily at her cheek, wiping away the proof of her pain, but, by the time she looked up again, he had vanished.
An hour later, Quinn watched as the convoy of vehicles lumbered down the drive, leaving only a few smaller vehicles and the glossy red Lamborghini parked outside the garage which Lenora would use later to join them. The horse-boxes rocked violently as the unicorns thrashed around inside them, but they would settle soon, or so Kellan claimed. Liam stood on Quinn’s left, Monique on her right. Liam had done no more than offer a perfunctory goodbye to his fellows, but Quinn had witnessed Monique bidding a tearful farewell to Jonas and her heart ached for the young couple. She wouldn’t have taken Monique along at all if she hadn’t needed her. Her plan was nothing without the dragon, and Monique was the only person capable of controlling him. Still, if anything happened to her, Quinn would never be able to live with herself. She’ll be safe, Quinn thought, trying to convince herself. Her plan ensured that Monique would not physically be anywhere near Charlotte, but that didn’t make her feel any better about taking her along.
When her father and Avery drove past, Quinn sensed Drake’s presence in their car, but she caught only a glimpse of his profile through the passenger window before they had swept past, following the others down the drive.
I’ll see you soon, Quinn promised, but Drake either didn’t hear her or didn’t want to answer.
Staring at the back of Avery and Braddon’s heads, Drake waited until they had travelled a few miles before reaching out with his mind. He was relieved to find he could still hear Quinn’s thoughts and wondered idly how far the bond would reach. His biggest concern was whether he would still be able to keep track of her when she made it to Charlotte’s. He suspected he would, prayed that he would, but he would only be sure when she got further away. At least with the physical distance between them increasing, the pain had subsided. He wasn’t sure whether Quinn was happy or annoyed that he was riding with Braddon and Avery, but she had asked him to keep her people safe and her father and sister were the closest he could get to her. He also suspected that Daniel was loathe to let him travel with any of the wards or humans in their group, no doubt harbouring fears that Drake might not be able to resist the temptation of their blood. It was ironic that, while he couldn’t deny that the blood of the wards smelled sweeter than anything he had ever experienced, he was able to suppress his desire to feed quite easily. Almost too easily.
“Daniel still doesn’t trust me to be alone with them,” he remarked wryly, voicing his thoughts as Braddon steered them around a bend. Watching from the back seat he saw Avery frown at the same moment that Braddon’s mouth twitched, trying to suppress a smile. He may have won Quinn’s father over, but it was clear that the same did not apply to her twin. Drake had also noticed the strained relationship between Quinn and Avery. He had caught snippets of their argument through Quinn’s thoughts and he wondered how long it would be before Avery told everyone the truth about the bond.
“Daniel is merely being cautious,” Braddon replied, not bothering to deny the very obvious travel arrangements. “You shouldn’t take offence.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Although you’re quite safe letting me near the gypsies.”
“Why is that?”
“Have you smelled them?”
Braddon laughed out loud at that. “They’re not so bad since Lenora introduced them to the good life.”
“True. Maybe if I was starving...” Drake joked. Avery threw him a filthy look over her shoulder for making light of his true nature, but Braddon simply shook his head, smile still firmly in place.
In the SUV ahead of them the mood was far more sombre. The gypsies, blissfully unaware that they were the subjects of Drake’s current banter were being driven by Piper. They sat quietly, staring morosely ahead. Jonas was in the front passenger seat which provided more room for his injured arms, while Balthazar, Cara and Rowena sat in the back. Cosima was in the trunk space, where an extra two seats folded out neatly making room for more passengers.
“Are you sure you’re okay back there?” Rowena asked kindly and Cosima nodded. She had become even more introverted since the attack, barely speaking, and she had developed a nervous tic, a spasm in her shoulder that became more pronounced whenever she felt uncomfortable.
Jonas, having taken a full cup of Rowena’s herbal tea before departing, had already fallen asleep and the sound of his soft snores punctuated the silence. Cara bit her lip nervously, casting sideways glances at Rowena every few minutes. Her tears had finally dried up, but her heart ached with Zebulon’s loss and the guilt that it had been her fault. She was also bitterly aware that her actions had led Charlotte to the Guardians’ hiding place and, as a result, the Slayer had died. Her friends might have been killed too, all because she hadn’t had the courage to deny Charlotte.
Eventually, Cara couldn’t take it anymore.
“I’m sorry,” she burst out, so suddenly that Piper’s hand jerked on the steering-wheel and the car swerved dangerously to the left. Piper quickly counter-steered, bringing them back into their lane, but she gave Cara an astonished look over her shoulder. “I didn’t want to lead them to you,” Cara explained, blushing furiously. “But I didn’t have a choice.”
“There is always a choice,” Balthazar rebuked from the front passenger seat. Unlike Rowena, he had not forgiven Cara, even though she had paid for her crime with her husband’s life.
“Balthazar,” Rowena reproached.
“It’s true!”
“You abandoned us, Balthazar!” Cara defended, her fiery nature overcoming her remorse.
“As far as I can recall, you left of your own accord.”
“Only because you weren’t honest with us! You knew where the City was and yet you kept it a secret. You lied to all of us and you let that fool, Melchior, lead our people away. If you hadn’t, none of this would have happened.”
“It would have happened regardless,” Piper interrupted quietly from the driver’s seat. “Besides, we threatened Jonas. Balthazar didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” Cara mocked, echoing Balthazar’s own words.
“Enough!” Rowena snapped. “There is no point in laying blame; it’s not going to change anything. We can hypothesise as much as we want but it won’t bring Zebulon back. Cara,” she turned deliberately to the other woman, taking her hand, “you did what you had to do. Nobody is going to hold that against you - nobody,” she emphasised, glancing sternly at Balthazar.
Cara nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. “Maybe we should just go,” she muttered, wiping her cheeks with the back of her sleeve. “We could leave and start a new life, far away from here. We could even try to find the others. In time, we could try to forget.”
Rowena smiled sadly, pushing Cara’s hair out of her eyes. “You are welcome to go, but I can’t. We have been searching our whole lives for these creatures. We protected them before there was ever any real threat to them. I cannot abandon them now when they are at their most vulnerable.” She didn’t add that she doubted their people were alive. Charlotte didn’t strike Rowena as someone who kept her word. She was quite confident that Charlotte had murdered the gypsies the second Cara was out of sight, regardless of what she may have told her. Still, it would do no good to enlighten Cara. She needed to believe that her sacrifice had saved the others. It was all she had to cling to.
Balthazar’s heart swelled with pride at Rowena’s words. This was his woman, his wife, who spoke with such courage and conviction. She would never turn away from their oath, even if it cost her her life. He reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. He didn’t want to fight with Rowena. Their time together was so precious.
“We should stay,” Cosima agreed, surprising them all.
“Let’s just get through this journey,” Rowena letting go of Balthazar’s hand with a small smile of apology before pulling Cara’s head on to her shoulder. “Try and get some sleep, Cara. We can talk more when we’re safe.”
Chapter 10
“So,” Monique clapped her hands together the moment the last car was out of sight, trying to muster up enthusiasm in the wake of Jonas’s departure. “Is everyone ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Liam muttered, shouldering his backpack before stalking across the lawn towards the Orochian.
“It’s going to be fun, you’ll enjoy it,’ Monique exclaimed gleefully, jogging to catch up.
Liam looked slightly nauseated at the thought of climbing up onto the beast’s back, but he said nothing.
“It’s the fastest way for us to get there,” Quinn reminded him. “Charlotte will still be in this general area and we need to get to her house long before she does.”
“Got it,” Liam shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
“What if someone sees us?” Monique asked, as she settled herself on the Orochian’s neck.
“They won’t,” Quinn assured her. “We’re flying high. Take us up as far as he can manage. It’s not going to be a very pleasant flight,” she added apologetically, but Liam simply gritted his teeth. Quinn suspected he might feel too ill to speak. She gave him a leg up, indicating that he should sit behind Monique which would give him an extra sense of security, and then she let him help her up. She found herself in the centre of the dragon’s back. There wasn’t much to hold on to, but at least when the Orochian spread his vast wings, her view of the ground was partially obstructed. Shifting closer to Liam, she put her arms around his waist, knowing it was going to get pretty cold as they climbed.
Monique issued a shrill whistle and the Orochian clambered to his feet, spreading his ugly black wings. Quinn wasn’t sure what to expect but she had suspected he would need a running start, given the extra weight he was carrying. To her surprise, the dragon pushed off the ground like a torpedo, shooting straight up at least twenty feet in the air before he beat his wings and started climbing. She heard Liam groan, her own stomach doing flick-flacks with vertigo, but she held on, knowing the bucking bronco motion would cease when they reached altitude.
Quinn had been right about the cold. A few minutes after they started their ascent, the wind picked up and the air turned icy. She pressed even closer against Liam’s back and the usually distant Guardian didn’t complain. It was too cold to worry about personal space. Now that they were moving forward instead of straight up, the ride was smoother, a gentle rocking motion that was far more comfortable than their initial ascent. By the curl of his spine and the glimpse of his tight lips, Quinn could tell that Liam was still decidedly queasy, but the motion didn’t bother her. It was peaceful up here, where all she could hear was the wind rushing past her ears.
Quinn?
She gave a start, and Liam yelled in irritation, thinking for a second that she had lost her grip. He turned his head, his dark hair whipping around his face as he gave her a stern look. Quinn smiled apologetically before thinking back to Drake.
This is not really a good time.
How far away are you?
Pretty far, she thought back, conscious of the miles streaking passed below them.
I
can still hear your thoughts. Even communicating this way, Quinn could sense the satisfaction in his words. Do you think you’ll be there soon? Drake knew the details of her plan.
Yes.
Well, be careful.
I will.
There were a few seconds of silence, although Quinn could still sense him, keeping the mind-link open.
It’s nice to talk to you without it hurting, he admitted finally.
Makes for a nice change, she agreed. How is Avery?
Treating me like I may just be the sole carrier of a deadly virus.
Oh good. She must be feeling better.
Ha ha! Very funny.
“Hard left coming up!” Monique yelled over the wind, and Quinn pulled herself back to the present, shutting off the bond. A second later, the Orochian suddenly veered to the left, its body angled almost ninety degrees to the ground. Quinn felt Liam’s shoulder tense with fear.
“Don’t look down!” she cautioned.
‘Wasn’t planning on it!” he yelled back, and she couldn’t help but laugh when she saw that his eyes were squeezed tightly shut.
The rest of the journey passed in much the same way. They were quiet, save for Monique shouting the odd warning. The monotony of the rocking motion might have lulled Quinn to sleep if it wasn’t for the bitter cold which seeped through her clothing and bit at her bones. Every now and then they hit an air pocket and the Orochian was buffeted upward, sending her stomach dropping into the pit of her belly. It felt like an eternity had passed when they finally reached the area of Charlotte’s home, but in truth, they had arrived even sooner than Quinn had expected.
As desperate as she was to get back onto solid ground, Quinn refused to let Monique bring the dragon lower until night had fallen so that there was no chance of any humans seeing them. Instead, they flew lazy circles in the sky, watching the sun sink lower on the horizon until she deemed it safe to land. The wait must have been agony for Liam, who had turned a hideous shade of green, but, to his credit, he didn’t complain.
Guardians of Summerfeld: Full Series: Books 1-4 Page 85
