by Zoe Perdita
To Quinn’s surprise, getting Bradley to agree to this meeting was easier than he thought. His threat may or may not have helped, since he heard Dr. Ross discussing it with Bradley after they’d arrived home. Dr. Ross thought Quinn getting out into the normal world would cure him of his delusions and group therapy might help him see how normal people coped, even at a place like that (he said the last part dripping with disdain).
Though, Dr. Ross warned if Quinn’s violent thoughts got worse, they’d toss him in the crazy house and throw away the key. Not his exact words but close enough.
“Do you two know each other?” Carol asked, but she looked at Tyler, who flushed red and scowled.
“No. I’ve never met the guy,” Tyler said and narrowed his dark eyes to slits.
Quinn shrugged. “Perhaps I was mistaken. But I do think he’s the one who can save me.”
“Okay, let’s continue. Next?” Carol said and plastered a smile on her face.
Quinn didn’t pay much attention to the other members of the group, though most of them eyed him curiously due to the hint of magic that the necklace could never properly control.
One of the only things he remembered of his father was when he lifted his great head, and the moonbeams danced around his horn, and he said that they were the last shifters blessed with such power, for all the others squandered it.
Of course, Quinn’s father was long dead along with the rest of his family. And if they were alive now, they’d have been shocked at his surroundings.
The hard plastic chairs were the most uncomfortable things Quinn had ever sat on, and he turned this way and that—crossed and uncrossed his legs—and couldn’t get comfortable no matter what. They were worse than Dr. Ross’s chairs.
The room was too large for only twelve people, so their voices all echoed throughout it and rang in his ears. Everything was worn and old—the floor a dingy gray and the walls and ceiling yellowed.
Most of the other group members were just generally sad, and they talked about things that were difficult and how they managed. Quinn wondered what they’d see if they looked in his mirror—how many of them would be disgusted with their personal truths or delighted in them. However, he didn’t say anything.
It sounded like being human was just as difficult as being a shifter.
Finally, Carol reached Tyler, who leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and stared at the center of the floor like he expected it to open into a great pit and devour them all at any second.
Slowly, Tyler lifted his gaze to Quinn and held it. “I don’t know why I’m here. I’m not depressed, so this is a waste of everyone’s time.”
Carol said something that Quinn didn’t hear because his heart was too busy jumping into his throat. Tyler was the one who told Quinn to come here, and that was supposed to mean he’d help like he had Saturday morning.
If this meant he wasn’t going to help then. . . then. . . .
Quinn stood up. “Where’s the bathroom?”
A pinched frown formed on Carol’s lips. “Down the hall to the right.”
As Quinn walked past, he nudged Tyler with his shoe, not so inconspicuously. His footsteps rang hollowly as he left the room and trod down the hall.
The men’s room smelled like Lysol, which was better than anything else it might smell like, and Quinn stood in front of the first sink and took a deep, stinging breath.
He came here expecting the wolf to agree to aid him. From what Tyler said the other day, it sounded like it. For the first time in ages, hope stirred in Quinn’s heart. His own death might not be the only way to be free, but now Tyler didn’t even want to be here?
Looking in the mirror, Quinn frowned at the creature he saw beneath the surface – the radiance trapped by the chain around his neck and the things he might do if he were freed.
When Montgomery senior first captured him, the only thing he’d said was that Quinn’s kind brought misery to the world—they were monsters intent upon destroying humans and shadow folk out of spite, not the purveyors of truth, like Quinn had been taught.
Creatures of great beauty and even greater terror.
If the alpha wasn’t going to save him, Quinn would strike a bargain that Tyler couldn’t refuse. Either way, he was going to get away from the Montgomery family.
The door swung open, and Tyler’s musky scent fought with the Lysol for dominance. “What the fuck was that about? You can’t tell humans what we are!” he growled and bared his fangs. He stood a few feet from the door, the dirty gray tile surrounding him, and his hands balled into fists.
Quinn let out a breath, leaned against the sink and smiled carelessly. “Why not? They never believe me.”
“That doesn’t matter. Humans don’t get it. If they knew the truth, what do you think would happen? Look what they do to each other. Not to mention, motherfucking hunters,” Tyler said and threw his hands in the air.
“Look what shadow folk do to each other,” Quinn said, raising his brows and crossing his arms. If that didn’t make this wolf feel at least a little guilty, than Quinn wouldn’t feel guilty for leading him into a bargain.
The light above Tyler’s head buzzed faintly, and the glow cast shadows across his face. He chewed on his lip ring and frowned. “No shit. But now those humans all think you’re crazy.”
“I don’t care about them. Do you think I’m crazy?” Quinn asked quietly and held his breath.
“Probably,” Tyler answered and let out a snarl of frustration before he continued. “You’re obviously some kind of shifter—I know that, and that asshole magic user is. . . what? Your caretaker?”
Quinn snorted. “He only cares about. . . I can’t say why he cares because of this,” he said and tugged at the necklace. “But it’s not good for me, and it’s not good for him. This hurts me. It’s diminishing what I am. How would you like to be caged and kept by a mere human?”
Tyler’s eyes focused on the chain, and his frown deepened. He flinched at the last part while the alpha inside him bristled at the surface. “Right. That. How do I know no one else can see it?”
“Because I can’t lie,” Quinn said and pushed himself off the sink.
“Is that part of the magic spell?” Tyler asked and his shoulders relaxed enough that Quinn figured he wouldn’t get punched if he moved forward.
“No, it’s part of what I am. We don’t lie. Ever. The truth isn’t as subjective as most people think. It’s a solid thing that doesn’t change shape with thoughts or words. That’s why Bradley is scared of me.”
Tyler stiffened at that, and Quinn knew why. Everyone lied, whether to others or themselves, and the truth was often the thing that scared them the most. If it weren’t, his kind wouldn’t be such a threat.
“You realize how fucking crazy this all sounds.”
“I know. Maybe it is crazy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening,” Quinn said, choosing his words carefully for fear the necklace might choke them out of him again.
It didn’t.
He took a few tentative steps forward, and Tyler didn’t move away.
Good.
That’s what he needed.
“How the hell do you expect me to help? If you have a spell on you, I can’t break it. I’m a wolf with no magic,” Tyler grumbled and shoved his hands into his pockets, though his eyes stayed glued to Quinn the entire time, his expression guarded.
“Breaking spells doesn’t require magic; you just need to find the weak points and exploit them. All magic has a weak point. If I could tell you more, I would.” Quinn stood about a foot from the alpha now, and his fingers twitched to touch those arms and kiss those lips again, but he held the urge at bay.
For now, at least.
Quinn waited for the words that would give him an opening – what’s in it for me? No one did something without personal gain. He’d learned that a long time ago too. Even a wolf as kind as Tyler.
The humans who were drawn deep into the woods didn’t look into the mirror without thin
king they would get something wonderful in return. Very few could stand what they saw, which made the gift they may have received moot.
However, Tyler didn’t say that. He simply flicked his pink tongue over his lip ring and frowned ever so slightly.
Perhaps he needed a nudge.
“If you break the spell, I can give you whatever you want,” Quinn breathed. Of course, the trick was the wolf would have to look into the mirror. What his heart most desired would be reflected therein, and that’s the gift he would receive. While Quinn couldn’t lie, he didn’t have to spell everything out in detail either.
“What if I don’t know what I want?” Tyler said and his voice dropped low.
“I think we can figure that out,” Quinn said and took the opportunity offered.
He might’ve been the prisoner of the Montgomery family, but he wasn’t some innocent creature with no experience. Plus, the way his body radiated around Tyler hadn’t happened before. He’d been turned on in a clinical sense, but never like this, with the ache in his groin and the urge to touch the alpha rubbing him raw from the inside out.
Tyler’s chest heaved lightly, and Quinn’s fingers ran over the smooth cotton – the muscles beneath it hard. His hand pressed into the solid heat, and it tensed with his touch.
Since Tyler didn’t protest, Quinn slipped his hand lower.
Lower.
Past the band of Tyler’s jeans and palmed the half-hard cock tucked inside.
Tyler sucked in a breath. “You think that’s what I want?”
“You’re letting me touch your cock. I think that’s a ‘yes,’” Quinn said and pressed their mouths together into a kiss that was the exact opposite of the first one they’d shared. That one had been chaste – this was all heat and lust.
Tyler groaned in the back of his throat, and the sound reverberated into Quinn’s body. The cock against his palm hardened, and the hot velvet tip of the wolf’s tongue brushed his—the perfect contrast to the hard metal ring in Tyler’s lip.
Strong hands dug into his biceps and squeezed as Quinn slipped the zipper down slowly. The middle of a public bathroom probably wasn’t the best place for this, especially since the therapy group would let out soon. Still, Quinn wasn’t about to stop when he had Tyler right in front of him – ready to give in.
And to think he was going to get himself killed a few days before.
This was so much better than death.
Tyler grumbled something incoherent into his mouth and stepped back, dragging Quinn with him. They stumbled into a stall—the oversized one, and Quinn yanked the door shut and locked it.
“This is fucked up,” Tyler said in a breathy growl as Quinn ran his thumb over the blunt head of the wolf’s cock.
“Then why do you like it so much?” Quinn whispered into the alpha’s mouth before he sunk to his knees.
“Maybe I’m just a horny asshole,” Tyler said.
Quinn chuckled and fisted the base of Tyler’s shaft. The trimmed pubes tickled his palms, and the musk was overwhelming that close – thick and manly.
He inhaled deeply and ran his tongue from the base to the dripping tip in one long lap.
Tyler shuddered, and his hands fisted over Quinn’s shoulders in a grip that was bound to leave bruises. “Fuck!”
Each slow lick brought a new huff of pleasure to Tyler’s lips, and his hips reacted in turn, snapping forward eagerly though Quinn held them back. Quinn’s cock stiffened in his jeans, and he undid his own pants to get at it.
Tyler’s shaft was so hot and slick by now that Quinn could hardly help slipping his mouth over the tip and pulling it inside. It throbbed against this tongue and the barely controlled power in Tyler’s body trembled under him.
He fisted his own need and hummed his pleasure as his head bobbed—swallowing and sucking with his throat and lips until the muffled grunts were so loud he thought Tyler was ready to come in his mouth.
Then, the door creaked open and Tyler’s grip tightened on Quinn’s shoulders.
Slowly, Quinn let his lips pop free and looked up at the wolf standing above him.
Tyler’s eyes were downcast, focused on Quinn’s exposed cock and the hand wrapped around it.
Quinn slipped his thumb over the tip and licked his lips.
The man who entered the room hadn’t relieved himself yet, and from the rising tension in Tyler’s stance, that’s what the wolf was waiting for. He gave Quinn meaningful glances—though Quinn wasn’t sure what the meaning was. Probably ‘stop jerking off while that guy is pissing,’ but Quinn didn’t see the point.
Plus, it brought a delectable scowl to Tyler’s lips.
A shiver of need shot up Quinn’s spine as he slid his palm up and down his shaft. His breath was hitched—sharp—and the way Tyler’s hands gripped him made it that much better.
“Hello?” the man who entered the bathroom called, his footsteps close to their stall.
“Get the fuck out or I will break you,” Tyler snarled.
Quinn let out a snort of laughter. “He gets touchy when strangers interrupt mid fellatio.”
The man grumbled something about ‘queers’ and retreated.
For a moment, Quinn thought Tyler might go after him since his scowl turned into a sneer and his touch loosened and moved to Quinn’s hair.
Well, Quinn wasn’t going to let him—not yet. Not until he agreed to the bargain.
“Don’t hold back this time,” he said and engulfed Tyler’s cock again.
“Fuck!” Tyler groaned and his body snapped into motion, though it wasn’t like the others Quinn had been with. They showed little regard for him, but Tyler didn’t.
He didn’t thrust relentlessly into Quinn’s mouth until Quinn found it difficult to breathe. The few times Tyler’s hips did move, it was sharp but controlled. His hands didn’t yank at Quinn’s hair. His fingers held it gently, his thumbs drawing delicate circles on Quinn’s scalp while his body tensed—so close to its release.
Quinn fisted both hands over Tyler’s cock, slipping them up and down the shaft while he milked the head. His own cock curled to his stomach, neglected, but it was worth it for the sounds that came out of Tyler’s mouth—the amazing heat radiating from his body.
If only Quinn had found this alpha sooner.
Tyler tried to pull back, but Quinn’s grip held tight, and the wolf’s seed spilled into his mouth.
Tyler growled.
“What the fuck?” he panted and leaned against the wall. Most of his tension drained away, and he released Quinn’s head.
Quinn wiped his mouth and grinned. “Is that what they call a rhetorical question?”
Tyler shrugged and stared at him. His expression opened, so it wasn’t like a highly guarded fortress any longer, but Quinn still didn’t know how to read him.
This alpha was unlike anyone he’d ever met, though that wasn’t saying much.
“Stand up,” Tyler said and pulled Quinn to his feet. His tongue darted out to the ring and wiggled it. This close, he smelled like tobacco and his own earthy musk.
“Are you going to give me a pity hand job?” Quinn asked and touched himself again.
“Was that a pity blowjob?” Tyler said and watched Quinn’s hand move.
“No,” Quinn said and kissed the rough edge of Tyler’s cheek. “You can just watch, if you want. It’s still a turn on.”
He meant it. The look in Tyler’s eyes felt like the passion burning him up from the inside out.
Tyler’s hands twitched just out of reach, and Quinn pumped himself harder. Faster. His come spilled free before the wolf even had the chance to reach him. The mess squirted on Quinn’s shirt and across his hand. His heart raced—breath ragged—as if he hadn’t been the one pleasuring himself at all. The look in Tyler’s eyes was a strange mixture of disappointment and hunger.
As Quinn’s heartbeat calmed, Tyler yanked some toilet paper from the roll and handed it over.
“What are the terms of your bargain or whatever?” Tyl
er grumbled and tucked himself away. He didn’t meet Quinn’s eyes, but the words were enough to bring a stab of joy to Quinn’s heart.
It beat faster, and his breath caught in his throat. “You free me, and I give you what you want most. That’s it,” Quinn said.
It sounded simple on the surface—innocent even.
Tyler sighed and shoved open the door as Quinn flushed the used paper. “And what if I don’t? Is there a time limit? Some kind of fucked up consequence? Like my balls fall off or some shit?”
Quinn followed him out of the stall and rinsed his hands in the sink. “I can’t touch your balls, unless you want me too. The only caveat is that it must be completed within two lunar cycles.”
“Or what?”
“You get what you want least,” Quinn said.
He didn’t have to say more. The implication was worse than any details.
Tyler scratched the back of his head. His face turned into a stony mask. “Two months, huh? Shit. Does that asshole hurt you?”
Quinn bit his lip and tried to nod, but the necklace sent a jolt to his head and stopped him. The pain was momentarily blinding, and when he opened his eyes Tyler stood next to him, a strong hand on his shoulder. “So you agree to the bargain?”
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Tyler said and his mask cracked. His brows drew into a deep frown and his lips curled.
“You have to say the words,” Quinn said, heart pounding.
No one ever agreed to a bargain before. Not like this. Over the years, the idea of freedom, actual freedom, slipped farther and farther away until it felt like nothing but a dream.
“I agree to a bargain,” Tyler said and crossed his arms. His biceps bunched.
Quinn leaned closer and pressed their lips together one last time. A slight jolt shot through them, sealing the magic for good. “Does this mean you’ll come to the next meeting?”
Tyler nodded slowly and touched his mouth. “Looks like it.”
“Twice a week?”
“Yeah. Twice a week. What the hell else do you want?”
