Quinn's Quest: Legacy, Book 4 (16 page)

Bethany didn’t want to think about the reason Damek liked humans. Vampires needed blood to survive. Or at least that’s what all the legends said. She was quickly learning there was some truth to folklore when it came to werewolves, so why not vampires?

The thought of having to take blood to survive made Bethany’s stomach roil. She swallowed hard, afraid to look away from the powerful creature in front of them.

“If you ever get tired of working for wolves I could use someone like you,” Damek said to Craig, ignoring the way Quinn and the rest of the males in the room bristled.

“Leave my pack alone, Damek.” Isaiah strolled over to stand next to Craig. He looked huge next to the younger man. He also looked prepared to fight, which surprised Bethany.

“Ah, you werewolves are so territorial.”

Isaiah snorted. “And you’re not?”

Damek chuckled. “I won’t deny it.” He shrugged. “I was here long before this place was anything more than a smudge on a map and I’ll probably be here long after all of you are gone.”

There was a deep, compelling sadness in his voice that made Bethany frown. He sounded…lonely. She couldn’t begin to imagine how old Damek was.

He settled his dark gaze on Isaiah. “I wouldn’t hurt your human. I was offering him a job. His computer skills are impressive.”

Craig gave a rueful smile. “Thanks, but I’m happy here. With my family.” His gaze slid to Quinn, but he quickly returned it to the vampire.

“Still.” A heavy vellum card seemed to appear in Damek’s hand as if by magic. He handed it to Craig. “If you change your mind.”

To Bethany’s surprise, Craig took the card and shoved in the back pocket of his jeans. “Thanks.”

Damek studied the list before handing it back to Craig. “I will check the new addresses tonight. I can do it more quickly than you can. Plus, I will attract no attention. I will call you if I come across a likely location.”

Isaiah started to protest, but Damek held up his hand. Isaiah stopped, but appeared ready to throttle the vampire. Bethany held her breath, not wanting to see any kind of battle between the incredibly strong alpha male and the powerful vampire.

“I don’t doubt your skills, my friend,” Damek began. “But this will also allow me to search the minds of those who wander the dark corners of the city, especially the South Side, which seems to be the most likely place for this doctor to try to hide.”

Bethany’s mouth went bone dry. The vampire could read minds. Could he read hers? As if hearing her question aloud, he turned and stared at her. Then he winked. It was such an unexpected gesture it made her grin. It seemed so incongruous for a debonair vampire to be winking at her.

Quinn was practically vibrating with anger. She wrapped her arms around his waist, desperate to keep him from doing something crazy like attacking Damek. That wouldn’t end well no matter what happened.

“I’ll contact you before dawn. If I am successful at finding the location of your missing female it will be up to you to rescue her.” Damek rubbed his fingernails against the sleeve of his jacket to buff them. “I am not at my best during the day.”

Isaiah snorted again. “That’s an understatement.”

“I have several hours until dawn. Plenty of time to search the new locations and do some hunting of my own.”

Bethany shivered at the threat in Damek’s voice. She was glad he was on their side. She wouldn’t want to be the doctor or Brian if Damek found them.

“’Til we meet again, my friends.” Damek seemed to disappear into the shadows. The door opened and closed and he was gone. Tension seeped from the room like air from a balloon.

“That was…that was…” Bethany honestly didn’t know what to say.

Isaiah walked over to the door and bolted it. “Damek is different, but once he’s given his word, it’s gold.” He turned back to address the group, particularly Craig. “Don’t ever try to bargain with him. He’s like the devil. He’ll tempt you, and then find a loophole in any agreement in order to get whatever he wants. He’s the most dangerous creature I’ve ever met.”

No arguments from her. Bethany was scared of the vampire and wasn’t afraid to admit it.

Craig frowned. “I meant what I said. I’m not leaving my family.” He moved closer to Quinn.

Meredith went to Craig and patted his arm. “You have a place here as long as you want one. You may not be a werewolf, but you’re family now, the same as everyone else.

Bethany watched the others in the room, curious as to their reaction to Meredith’s pronouncement. Michael was frowning, but he was staring at the closed, locked door and she couldn’t be sure if his dour expression was because of his mother’s offer to Craig or if he was still thinking about Damek’s visit. Isaiah appeared resigned to whatever his mate wanted. But Benjamin, Teague, Neema, Kevin and Hank all nodded and seemed genuine in their acceptance.

“I appreciate it.” Craig removed his glasses and polished the lenses before slipping them back on. “By the way, I did your quarterly sales and expense reports while I was waiting for the searches to finish. I left them on your desk for you to look at. I highlighted a few areas where you can save money and improve sales. I’ve started your taxes and should have them done tomorrow.”

Meredith’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. When she recovered from her shock, she surged forward and hugged Craig, surprising the younger man. “That’s it, I’m never letting you go. You’ve sealed your fate.” She whirled to face Isaiah. “He has to stay now. He does quarterly reports. Taxes.” She appeared almost dazed.

Craig shrugged. “It was nothing. The paperwork was all there. I figured it was the least I could do to thank you for everything.”

Isaiah appeared impressed, which Bethany didn’t think was an easy thing to do. “You heard my wife, you have to stay now.”

Craig shifted uncomfortably. “I’ll stay as long as Quinn is here. I don’t want to lose my family again.”

The expression on the alpha male’s face softened. “I understand. But you’ll always have a place here.” He nodded at Quinn and Bethany. “You all do. You are pack. Not all werewolves will accept you. You know that, Quinn. There are the paranormal bounty hunters to contend with. And now this new threat from a deranged human scientist.”

Meredith added her voice to the argument. “There is safety to be found in numbers. We’ve all learned that. We protect one another. Help one another. That’s what pack life is all about.”

Bethany swallowed hard, touched by the genuine offer. Sure, Meredith had offered her a job earlier, but this was different. This was a formal offer from the alpha pair of the pack. She might not know everything about her new heritage, but she knew this was a huge deal.

She’d felt so alone for most of her life, even when her mother had been alive. Maybe if her mother had been more like Quinn’s mother, her life would have been different. He’d always known he was different, known what he was. She’d been lied to her entire life. Yes, her mother had been trying to protect her in her own way. Bethany understood that. But instead of protecting her, it had left her vulnerable to Phillip Morton and rogue werewolves like Brian.

Quinn inclined his head. “I thank you for your offer, but I can’t make any decisions until I find Chris.”

“Understood.” Isaiah addressed the rest of the group. “Time to get some rest. Damek will call if he finds something. Be ready to roll if he does.”

They all said goodnight to one another and trooped up the back stairs to the apartments. Michael, Benjamin, Isaiah and Meredith stopped on the second floor, while the rest of them took the extra flight to the third floor.

Quinn’s hand pressed hard against her lower back as he escorted her into their apartment. And how weird was it to be saying
their
apartment. It wasn’t theirs. They were simply sharing the place. It belonged to Kevin.

It was decorated in what she thought of as man-cave style. It had overstuffed leather furniture in the living room, including the sofa where Craig had been crashing on nights when he wasn’t down in the office, which was most nights. A huge flat-screen television and plenty of other electronic equipment filled out the rest of the room. The small galley kitchen opened up into the living room. It was clean and nice. But it wasn’t hers.

Bethany longed for a place to call her own. The one thing she regretted about having to leave Detroit was the loss of her apartment. It might not be much, but it had been all hers.

“You okay?” Quinn’s low rumble next to her ear sent shivers down her spine. Now that the tension of meeting Damek was passed, Bethany was facing an entirely new set of problems. Her skin was flushed and tight, like it was too small to cover her frame. She wanted to haul her clothing off and scratch at her flesh.

A sense of emptiness filled her. Her sex throbbed with an ever-growing need. The lush folds of her pussy were wet and swollen. Her nipples were peaked and aching to be touched.

Bethany glanced at Quinn and licked her lips. Yeah, that’s what she wanted. Quinn was a prime male specimen. She knew from firsthand experience that his cock was long and thick and hard. She almost whimpered aloud at the mere thought of him pounding into her slick, tight channel, powering in and out, over and over.

“I’m going to grab a shower and head back down to the office for a few hours.” Craig’s voice interrupted her. She realized she was swaying in Quinn’s grasp. Her breathing was so fast and shallow she was practically panting.

“Shower over at Hank’s place.” Quinn’s voice was rough with need. Thick was lust.

Craig’s eyes widened as he studied them. “Will do. Give me a second.” He disappeared into the bedroom and returned a few seconds later with a change of clothing.

Bethany wanted to die with embarrassment, but another part of her was fiercely glad he was leaving. She had to get naked.

“I’ll come get you if I hear any news.” With that reassurance, Craig was gone.

The second the door closed behind him, Bethany started tearing at her clothing. It was confining her, choking her.

“Easy, baby.” Quinn tried to help her but she jerked away from him. He didn’t understand. She had to get naked.

He wrapped his arms around her and wrestled her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them. She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t helping her.” Please,” she begged, appalled by her lack of control.

It was as though she were another person. Not the Bethany she knew at all, but some creature more primal, more basic.

Her skin rippled and she cried out as her pussy spasmed, contracting around air.

“Let me help you.” Quinn’s voice was like it was coming from far away. “Stop tearing at your skin, baby. You’re hurting yourself.”

She smelled it then, the coppery scent of blood. She stilled and looked down at herself, horrified to see the fabric of her shirt was shredded and several long gashes marred her arms. She’d done that. To herself.

The shock was enough to jolt her back into some semblance of control. “What am I doing?” She peered up at Quinn, who had his strong arms wrapped around her like a straightjacket. “What have I done?”

“It’s okay, Bethany.” He released her slowly and began tugging at her ruined clothing. What was left of her shirt landed on the floor. Her bra followed. “I don’t think there’s any turning back from this moment. You’re in heat.”

She shut her eyes and swallowed. There was that word again. Trying to pretend it was simply biology wasn’t helping. It went far beyond the physical and into the mental. She craved Quinn. Wanted to join with him, to bond with him. Permanently.

And that was totally unfair to him. He had his own demons to fight.

“You should—” She broke off as a wave of lust rocketed through her, making her cry out. Her body undulated.

“Holy fuck.” Quinn swore as he helped her onto the bed. He practically ripped off her shoes and socks before dragging her jeans and panties down her thighs and off. He was panting as hard as she was.

“You…” She swallowed hard and stared at Quinn. “You felt that too.”

He looked as though he was in pain when he nodded. His usually pale eyes appeared darker. A lock of blond hair fell onto his forehead. She curled her fingers into her palms to keep from touching him.

He had to leave. Now. Or they could do something he might regret.

“You have to go.” Those were the hardest four words she’d ever said in her entire life. Every molecule in her body rebelled at the notion of him leaving her.

He stilled and then took a step back.

The cotton comforter beneath her back was cool, but her skin was hot. She bit her bottom lip to keep from moaning as a wave of heat blasted through her, arrowing from her breasts to between her legs. Her thighs were wet and she could feel a trickle of cream slipping from her pussy to trail between the dark crevice of her butt.

He looked devastated. Angry.

She didn’t want that. She was trying to save him, not hurt him. “Go before it’s too late.” It was getting harder and harder to speak.

He frowned. “Too late for what?”

She rolled over onto her side, panting hard. Quinn was beside her immediately. “Let me help you, sweetheart.”

The words tore at her heart. If only she were his sweetheart. She felt closer to Quinn than she ever had to another man. Maybe they hadn’t known one another very long and the circumstances had been extreme, but that didn’t seem to matter one bit.

Deep in her heart she wanted him. Forever. She barely dared to speak the word
love
. Her instincts, the ones she always relied on, were screaming at her not to let him go. She felt a stirring inside her and recognized it for the first time as her wolf. Something not separate from her, but part of her. Two sides of the same coin.

But the human part of her, the part not controlled by instinct, didn’t want a man if he was trapped by biology as much as she was. She was human enough that she yearned to be wanted simply for herself. To be loved.

It was torture to speak. Bethany finally understood how powerful this burning, instinctual need truly was. How had Chrissten fought against Brian for so long? The moment she asked the question, she knew the answer. If any other male were here besides Quinn, she’d fight him.