Glaring, his entire body suddenly thrumming with tension, Quinn growled, “How can you help? They’re dead and I’m a prisoner of gargoyles.”
Taolma eased into a sitting position. He reached out and took Quinn’s hand, tightening his hold when he tried to pull away. For an injured man, he had a hell of a grip.
“According to Jeremiah’s tale, you believe your family was killed by vampires,” Taolma stated. “Normally, vampires are policed by their leaders, just like Chieftain Maelgwn cares for his gargoyles. In their case, vampires have covens. The leader is a master, and they have seconds and enforcers, just like here.”
Pausing in his earnest speech, Taolma brought Quinn’s hand to his face and lightly kissed his knuckles. “I can speak to Chieftain Maelgwn,” he claimed softly. “The gargoyle leader believes in justice, and not just for his own people. What happened to your family was wrong, and justice should be served.”
Hearing Taolma’s vehement tone and words that so closely mirrored his own wishes, Quinn swallowed hard. Could he trust a paranormal to help him hunt another paranormal? Could anything actually come of it?
“What, uh, what chances of success are there?” Quinn couldn’t help but wonder. “Do vampires really police each other?”
Taolma offered a kind smile. “Look, most paranormals don’t want attention drawn to them,” he explained. “If there are vampires out there killing humans, they are considered rogue. There are vampires who act like police. They’re called enforcers. Their job is to stop those vampires, which helps keep their race safe and hidden.” His expression earnest, Taolma continued, “But they can’t stop someone if they don’t know there’s a problem. Tell them the problem. Let them help you find closure.”
While Quinn loved the idea, sort of, he couldn’t help still feeling the rage and pain from stumbling upon his dead family’s bodies. “I don’t want closure,” he hissed. “I want revenge. I want their lives snuffed out like they did to my family!”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Taolma told him, his dark eyes calm as if that sounded as rational as could be. “Let me help you... with my connection being a paranormal, we’ll find these vampires. As my mate, you can demand restitution, including demanding their lives.” His expression serious, he held Quinn’s gaze as he added, “And if you want to be the one to pull the trigger, then we’ll find a way to make that happen, too.”
Chapter Five
Taolma practically held his breath. He had no idea if he could actually fulfill all those promises, but he knew his family and friends would do everything in their power to help him try. If the only way for him to claim his mate was to help him close out his past, he’d do it.
“You can’t really promise those things,” Quinn whispered astutely. Still, he didn’t look angry. His brown eyes gleamed with unshed tears as he took a shuddering breath. “But I do want them stopped, if possible.” He shook his head, his smile sad. “How come I didn’t meet you last year? Right when they were murdered?” Scowling, he stared down at where Taolma held his hand. “The police called it a robbery gone wrong. They discounted the bite marks as wounds caused by the tines from a two-pronged grill fork. How stupid is that?”
“That is... shoddy police work,” Taolma muttered, praying agreement was what the man needed. Being a young stud had never worked to his detriment before. He didn’t want to admit it, but he felt more than a little unsettled—probably a mix of nerves and arousal. “If you’re willing to at least tell me what state this happened in, I could get started... you know,” he offered uneasily. “Ask Chieftain Maelgwn to talk to Master Adalric, who might be able to tell us if there is a coven near the area you lived?”
For several seconds that felt like eternity, Quinn just stared at him. His scent betrayed that he still didn’t believe him. Or, perhaps, he wanted to deceive him in some way. Taolma was having a hard time determining.
As much as I hate it, I’m going to have to be careful with trusting my mate.
That sucked!
“Montana.” Quinn actually whispered the word. “About forty-five miles south of Missoula in a town called Hamilton.”
Taolma nodded slowly. “Okay,” he murmured, holding Quinn’s dark-eyed gaze. He could read the wariness in their depths. “And when did this take place?” he asked softly. Squeezing the firm thigh under his palm, he urged, “Please. I need some details to use to start our search.”
“What are you going to be searching for?”
Upon hearing the roughness in Quinn’s voice, Taolma realized just how difficult this was for him to speak about. He prayed to whatever gods cared to listen that he’d be able to pull this off.
“Well, I’ll start by asking Second Tobias to contact the Vampire Council,” Taolma began slowly, trying to gauge the other man’s reactions. “We need to know if there is a coven close to that area.”
Quinn scowled, his jaw tightening. “You want to contact vampires?” he snarled, yanking his hand away. “Like that’d be a big help. They’d probably just deny the whole damn thing!”
“No, they won’t,” Taolma countered firmly. Black spots flashed across his vision and the throb in his side forced him to settle onto his back. Letting out a deep breath, he whispered, “Sorry. Bad position.” He opened his eyes and forced a wan smile, oddly pleased to see Quinn’s anger had turned to concern. It warmed him from the inside out and somehow knowing that, even unwittingly, his mate worried for him. “We’ll get a copy of the police report from the death of your family. We’ll show that to the vampires, proving that one or more rogues murdered your wife and son.”
“And that would make them help?”
At Quinn’s incredulous tone, Taolma nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure it would,” he replied, allowing his eyelids to slide shut. “Shit, I’m sorry, Quinn. I better go. I’m about to pass out on you.”
“Yeah, okay. You should get some rest. Hell, you got shot.” Quinn rubbed a hand over his face, then reached for Taolma. After a slight hesitation, he rested the back of his hand on his forehead, as if checking his temperature, and whispered, “You don’t look so good, actually.” His cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Just saying. I’m not sure you should move. Maybe I should ask for another room.”
Taolma took a chance. He lifted his own hand and gently gripped Quinn’s fingers. Pulling them away from his forehead, he brought them to his lips and kissed his knuckles lightly.
“Stay,” Taolma urged. “It’s about nine-thirty at night,” he revealed. “If I told you the gargoyles did their best not to kill anyone, even keeping injuries low, would you be able to relax here next to me?” He curved his lips into a small smile and tugged on the fingers he held. “Maelgwn is working with Jeremiah to, well, reeducate the hunters, explaining how we’re not monsters out to get them.”
Quinn’s eyes narrowed as his brows furrowed. “Uh, okay. I’ll have to have you explain that to me later, but you’re slurring your words,” he told him, pulling his hand away. “You need to rest.”
Huh. I hadn’t even realized.
Still, Taolma nodded. “Sorry I took over your bed,” he lied, because as he watched Quinn settle his back against the headboard, shoving a pillow behind it, clearly getting comfortable, Taolma wasn’t sorry at all. He dozed off almost immediately, the sound of a baseball game acting as white noise.
Taolma woke to the sound of low voices. The heat against his left side told him that Quinn had lay down beside him at some point. From the conversation, he guessed Caladon and Golren were deciding whether or not to wake him.
Quinn must be sleeping, too, then. Nice!
It pleased Taolma that his human mate had grown comfortable enough in his presence that he’d fallen asleep.
Cracking open his eyelids, Taolma peered around the room. He spotted Caladon leaning against the left side of the doorframe, while Golren stood right behind him. “What if Quinn attacked him?” Caladon was murmuring. “Leroy said he was pretty worked up when he first came in.”
> “Quinn is clearly asleep,” Golren rumbled. “If Taolma wanted to leave, he could. It’s not like he’s tied to the bed.”
“I’m awake,” Taolma muttered, gaining both men’s attention. Grinning at his father and pops, he whispered, “And, no, I’m not tied to the bed, but would definitely entertain the activity if under the right circumstances.”
“Very funny, Son,” Caladon rumbled, although his lips did curve up into a smile. He moved into the room, closing the distance. His brows furrowed as he swept his gaze over Taolma’s torso. “How do you feel? You were still unconscious when I had to leave and give my report to Tobias. Then when I got back, Perseus said you were up and moving and you’d disappeared into here.” He glanced at Quinn, then returned his focus to Taolma’s face. “How is he?”
Taolma peered at his mate, seeing his eyes were still closed. His chest rose and fell steadily, his hand moving up and down on his stomach with each breath. With his expression relaxed, he appeared less jaded and more... happy.
“I’m not sure,” Taolma answered truthfully. “It’s possible he’s coming around.” He glanced between the other two shifters. “He told me where he lived when his family was murdered. I need to get in touch with a vampire leader. How busy do you think Tobias is? Think we can get an audience with him soon?”
“Audience?” Golren teased. “What is he? A prince?”
Frowning at his pops, Taolma grumbled, “You know what I mean.”
“Actually, Tobias is busy speaking with each captive. He’s gauging their openness to, uh, change,” Golren told him. Before Taolma could express his disappointment, the other shifter continued, “However, Maelgwn does want to meet with both you and Quinn, so he will make time for you. I’ve heard he has extensive connections with both shifters and vampires.”
“Thanks,” Taolma muttered, allowing his eyelids to slide back closed. “Shit, why do I still feel so tired? What time is it?” Another thought hit him and he pried open his eyes and asked, “How’s Karen? She in trouble?”
Caladon scoffed. “Oh, yeah. Karen is in trouble. Teenagers and sneaking out are never a good mix,” he told him. “Her friend Patience is also in trouble, since she was covering for her. Told her parents that Karen was with her in her rooms when she was actually slipping from the estate to meet a boy.” Shaking his head, he smirked, “While I hate that I missed so many years of your life, I can’t say I’m sorry I missed you going through that phase.” His smile turned fond as he glanced from Taolma to Golren and back again. “Golren raised you right. He should be proud.”
“Golren is standing right here,” the shifter in question rumbled, sounding damn amused. “And, I’m proud of Taolma, too.”
Taolma felt his cheeks heat, discomfort filling him. “I’m not awake enough to deal with you guys when you’re like this,” he muttered. “Get out of here, so I can wake up. Bring a cup of coffee if you want to be useful.” To soften his words, Taolma grinned roguishly as he winked.
“Funny, Son,” Caladon responded. “It’s not quite eight o’clock in the morning,” he told him, finally answering his earlier question. He pointed at Taolma’s chest, then added, “And you feel that tired because you got shot. Perseus wants to check that first thing. After that, meet us in the dining hall. Bring Quinn, if he feels up to it. Conchlin is outside the door as a guard, but if he stays with you or Conchlin, he can leave his room.”
Taolma’s brows shot up. That was a big thing, to get to leave his make-shift cell, even with an escort. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,” he told them, hoping he was right.
“I’m glad you’re feeling well enough, under the circumstances,” Golren rumbled, his tone heartfelt. “With a through and through gunshot wound like that, you should feel right as rain in a few days.” He chuckled dryly as he rose from his chair. “I ought to know. Still remember getting nailed by a ball from a musket almost one hundred years ago. That kind of shit doesn’t leave you.”
“Ouch,” Taolma mumbled. “You never told me about that.”
“Not the kind of tale you share with your adopted son when you’re still searching for his father,” Golren stated softly, reaching over and patting his leg. “We’ll see you in a bit, if you’re up for it. If not, give us a call and we’ll bring you and Quinn a meal.”
Taolma nodded, slowly easing into a sitting position. “Thanks.”
After watching them close the door behind them, Taolma rubbed a hand over his face. He turned his attention back to Quinn and found his mate’s eyes open and his gaze fixed on him.
Scoffing lightly, Taolma smiled. “You were awake for all that, weren’t you?”
Quinn nodded, then sat up. “Yeah, I, uh—” He paused and cleared his throat as he ran his fingers through his bed-tussled hair. “Just didn’t seem like the kind of conversation I should, uh, interrupt.”
Taolma watched Quinn run his hand through his shortly-cut, dark-blond hair again. His fingers itched to brush a stray strand away from his face. Instead, he curled his hands into fists and rested them on his sweatpants-clad thighs.
At least waking to having his parents in the room had killed any hope of morning wood.
“And meeting the parents this early in our relationship was probably a pretty daunting idea, huh?” Taolma teased, easing from the bed. Being so close to his mate’s bed-warmed, sexy form was waking his prick up damn fast. He needed a little space between them. “So you know you can leave this room with me, right?”
“Relationship?”
Upon hearing Quinn’s whispered word, Taolma turned to face him. Quinn stood next to the bed, too, and scratched uncertainly at his chest. Taolma realized his mate had removed his t-shirt at some point during the night and wished he’d been awake to help him.
Then, recognizing the man’s uncertainty, Taolma offered a roguish smile. “Yeah. Us being mates and all. Maybe I should buy you a cup of coffee before calling it a relationship,” he teased, trying to ease his human’s tension. “Could a trip to the dining hall be seen as a date?”
“I think I need a beer more than a cup of coffee to have that kind of conversation,” Quinn muttered, heading toward the bathroom.
Sighing, Taolma realized his mate had just pointed out another of their differences. “Can’t buy you a beer, yet, Quinn,” he admitted. When the human paused, his hand on the doorknob, and looked over his shoulder at him, Taolma shrugged as he felt his cheeks burn. “I’m twenty. Give me six months.” Quinn gaped in obvious surprise, so Taolma told him, “Just because I’m a shifter doesn’t mean I don’t obey the laws of the land I’m in.”
Nodding slowly, Quinn blinked, perhaps struggling to process all that.
Taolma made a mental note to start waking his man with a cup of coffee and a kiss... maybe not in that order.
“You make it sound like a done deal.” Quinn crossed his arms over his chest, his brows drawing together. Even the corners of his lips pinched. “Don’t I have a say in it?”
Sweeping his gaze down Quinn’s body, Taolma took in his shorter, maybe five foot ten inch stature. He had a toned runner’s build and lightly bronzed skin. His dirty-blond hair was probably a little longer than he normally wore it, considering the way Quinn had been threading his fingers through it as if trying to tame it.
When Taolma’s focus landed on Quinn’s fly, he spotted the tell-tale bulge. He knew his smile must have turned feral when he lifted his gaze back to his mate’s face and he saw the flush in his cheeks. Smirking, he stalked around the bed and headed his mate’s way.
“I remember smelling your arousal when we first met in that motel room, Quinn,” Taolma growled. “Sure, you were confused, but you like the way I look at you. You like knowing I’m attracted to you.”
Taking in Quinn’s widened eyes, flushed cheeks, and tense shoulders, Taolma placed his hands on either side of the door frame. He leaned close, lowering his head the over half a foot difference in their heights. To his pleasure, when he placed his nose
against his temple, Quinn didn’t move.
“You are aroused even now, Quinn,” Taolma declared. He eased back just enough to look his mate in the eye. Taking in his man’s dark-hazel eyes, he liked the way the flecks of brown dominated his irises. “I know you’re disconcerted that I am a shifter, but you are already becoming acclimated to my presence.” He grinned widely. “Are you averse to sex with a man? Because I can assure you, while I am young, I am not a virgin. I will make it extremely pleasurable for you.”
Goose bumps broke out on Quinn’s neck, and his lips parted. He panted softly, and his eyes were dilated widely. A second later, he swept his tongue out and licked his bottom lip.
Giving in to his craving, Taolma dipped his head. He pressed his lips to Quinn’s own, sipping lightly on the plump flesh the human had just licked. Tipping his head, he aligned their mouths more fully and sealed his lips to Quinn’s.
To Taolma’s pleasure, Quinn didn’t fight him. He didn’t participate, exactly, but nor did he pull away. When Taolma pressed his tongue to the seam of his human’s mouth, Quinn opened easily, giving way for his tongue to delve deep.
Tasting his mate for the first time, Taolma moaned low in his throat. As he lapped along the other man’s appendage, he found that Quinn tasted exquisite. His heady, masculine taste couldn’t even be hidden by the slightly stale, just woken from slumber tinge. Underneath that, Taolma easily made out his heady musk.
Pulling away for an instant, Taolma rumbled, “You taste delicious, Quinn.” Then, he captured his mouth more fully, thrusting his tongue in deep and forcing his mate’s mouth wide.
Taolma mapped Quinn’s mouth, licking at his teeth and sliding along his tongue. As he did so, his blood heated and flowed south. His cock thickened swiftly, pressing against the cotton of his sweatpants.
Quinn yanked back, suddenly. His eyes were glazed with passion, but he lifted his hand to his cheek. Touching the bandages lightly, a wince cleared his lustful look.
Coercing Quinn Page 4
