“Enough with the aging jokes!” she scolded. “How was I supposed to know your blood was a fountain of youth?”
Quinn pulled her against his chest, and twisted his hand in her long hair. Tugging her head back, he demanded a kiss. Her mouth opened beneath his, her lips soft and warm, her tongue tangling eagerly with his. “You know I love you, don’t you, Eve?” he asked against her lips.
“I know,” she whispered.
“And you know, if you leave me, you’ll immediately shrivel up like a leaf in winter.”
Her laughter spilled into his mouth, lightening his soul. “You’re awful.”
“But you love me anyway.”
“Aye. I do love you.”
“We should get married, then.”
Eve’s brown eyes were suddenly shiny with tears. “Was that a proposal, Lord Quinn?”
“It was.”
“Then, I say, ‘yes.’”
Epilogue
Somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland
“IT’S CONFIRMED,” Fergus McRae said. “Auld Lord Erskine won’t admit it, but the American, Quinn Kavanagh, defeated Sorley of Ireland. Dusted him complete is what I heard. Washed away in a rain storm like yesterday’s dirt.”
He spoke in a subdued tone, as they all did. The house where the three vampires sat around a simple wooden table was safe ground. It had been in the McRae family for generations upon generations. But they’d been born and bred in the Highlands. Long before they’d become vampires, they’d been fed superstition along with their mother’s milk. And one never knew who was listening on the wind.
“Who’s yer source?” It was Lachlan, the largest among them, who asked the question, though he spoke softly enough. Dark in body and soul, his power was a humming presence beneath the skin, always there, waiting to pounce. If they were going to fight for Scotland’s vampires, it would be Lachlan who’d lead the challenge to become the next Scottish vampire lord.
“’Twas Taskill who told me,” Fergus responded. “But I don’t need a source to know Sorley’s gone. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Aye, we all felt something,” Munro agreed. He was the third of their number. “Quinn’s rightly the new Irish lord, but, even so, I heard it was Raphael’s support that made the difference.”
“Oh, aye, going in, maybe,” Fergus agreed. “But even Raphael would nae interfere in a territorial battle. This Quinn guy had to have won it on his own.”
Silence then, as the fire crackled, and they all contemplated the territorial changes so close on their own borders. Once again, it was their leader, Lachlan, who broke the silence. “What does that mean for us?” he asked quietly, his voice almost lost in the wind pounding the walls. “Must we reach out to Raphael, as well? Is he now the arbiter of vampire challenges worldwide?”
The others frowned at the idea. Vampires were a fiercely independent lot, violently territorial. It didn’t sit well that anyone outside Scotland would tell them who should rule.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Fergus said. “But I’m thinking it couldn’t hurt to reach out. Casual like.”
“Right,” Lachlan agreed somberly. A deep frown marred his broodingly handsome face. “Fuck. You think he’s listed in the phone book?”
They all laughed at the ridiculousness of that, then Fergus brightened. “I think I can get a number for that mate of his, Cynthia Leighton.”
Lachlan gave him a glance that carried all sorts of meaning, most having to do with what a bad idea that was. “It’s probably not wise to cozy up to Raphael’s lover,” he said, just in case his cousin hadn’t gotten the non-verbal message.
“Oh, aye, and I was born yesterday,” Fergus responded. “I’m not cozying up to anyone. You’re forgetting our wee cousin Catriona, and that fancy French school she went off to. And who do you think was there at the same time?”
“Leighton?” Lachlan asked, suddenly intent.
“The same.”
They all straightened in their chairs, as if understanding that this one moment could change their lives forever. They looked from one to the other, each of them nodding in turn.
“It’s time, lads,” Lachlan said. “Let’s do it.”
To be continued . . .
(Please continue reading for more information)
Please visit these websites for more information about
D.B. Reynolds
Author’s Webpage
Facebook
Twitter
BookBub
Please rate/review Quinn on Amazon.com
Experience D. B.’s other titles from ImaJinn Books
The Vampires in America Series
Raphael
Kindle
Jabril
Kindle
Rajmund
Kindle
Sophia
Kindle
Duncan
Kindle
Lucas
Kindle
Aden
Kindle
Vincent
Kindle
The Vampire Wars
Deception
Kindle
Christian
Kindle
Lucifer
Kindle
The Cyn & Raphael Novellas
Betrayed
Kindle
Hunted
Kindle
Unforgiven
Kindle
Compelled
Kindle
The Cyn And Raphael Novellas:
Betrayed, Hunted, Unforgiven & Compelled
Kindle
Relentless
Kindle
The Stone Warriors
Damian
Kindle
Kato
Kindle
The Vignettes
Vampires in America: The Vignettes – Volume 2
Kindle
Sign up for email updates about
D.B. Reynolds
(Please continue reading for more information about the author)
Acknowledgements
As always, I want to thank my editor, Brenda Chin, who does such a fantastic job of making sense of what I write. Sincere thanks to Debra Dixon for bringing Quinn to such beautiful life on the cover, and to her and everyone at ImaJinn and BelleBooks who do so much on my behalf.
Most of 2017 passed in a confused blur for me, but, as always, my writing and my readers kept me grounded and kept me going. My trip to Dublin, Ireland was a very bright spot. It made Quinn a better book, but it also gave me a much-needed break that recharged not only my writing, but my life. There are so many people in Dublin that I need to thank. Alan Bradley of Touristy Ireland spent an entire long day driving me from place to place, answering my questions, checking off my long list of locations and things I needed to see, and giving me a history of Ireland that filled page after page in my notebook. Bryan Murphy provided a wonderful tour of Trinity College, including a close-up look at the magnificent Book of Kells, and the magical Long Room library. Tony from Extreme Ireland hosted an informative and joyous journey across Ireland to the Cliffs of Moher. But the highlight of my trip was a rainy Saturday afternoon at a hotel bar in Dublin with Tracey Nugent, Beryl Nugent, John Nugent, and Ruth Weal. It’s a day I’ll never forget! Thank you all.
Many thanks also to Connie Pokoyoway who won my Valentine’s 2017 contest and gave me the wonderful character of Adorjan, who keeps Quinn safe despite himself.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to author Angela Addams, who lives too far away, but who’s the best friend and sounding board a writer, or even a regular person, could ever have. Hugs to Karen Roma for her tireless efforts to make my books better, to Annette Stone whose invaluable assistanc
e frees my time to write, and to authors Steve McHugh and Michelle Muto who have shared this journey from the very beginning,
And, finally, I’m so thankful for my family. This was a rough year, and the pain doesn’t seem to end, but I couldn’t keep going without the love and support of my large and extended family. Love you all.
About the Author
D. B. REYNOLDS arrived in sunny Southern California at an early age, having made the trek across the country from the Midwest in a station wagon with her parents, her many siblings and the family dog. And while she has many (okay, some) fond memories of Midwestern farm life, she quickly discovered that L.A. was her kind of town and grew up happily sunning on the beaches of the South Bay.
D. B. holds graduate degrees in international relations and history from UCLA (go Bruins!) and was headed for a career in academia, but in a moment of clarity she left behind the politics of the hallowed halls for the better paying politics of Hollywood, where she worked as a sound editor for several years, receiving two Emmy nominations, an MPSE Golden Reel and multiple MPSE nominations for her work in television sound.
Book One of her Vampires in America series, RAPHAEL, launched her career as a writer in 2009, while JABRIL, Vampires in America Book Two, was awarded the RT Reviewers Choice Award for Best Paranormal Romance (Small Press) in 2010. ADEN, Vampires in America Book Seven, was her first release under the new ImaJinn imprint at BelleBooks, Inc.
D. B. currently lives in a flammable canyon near the Malibu coast. When she’s not writing her own books, she can usually be found reading someone else’s.
Quinn (Vampires in America: The Vampire Wars Book 12) Page 36
