Quinn's Lady (14 page)

Chapter 28

Quinn huddled in the corner of his cell , eyes tightly shut. Even though he couldn’t see the girl, he heard every ragged breath she took, the slow, steady beating of her heart, the enticing scent of her fear. Like a wild animal smelling its prey, it only increased his desire to bury his fangs in her throat and ease the incessant hunger burning through every fiber of his being.

“Girl.”

“Wh…what?”

“Tell me your name.”

“Why?”

“Tell me, dammit!”

“Larrah.”

He repeated it, hoping it would help him to think of her, not as prey, but as a human being, a young woman who needed his protection. “I need you to trust me.”
She said nothing, but her skepticism was palpable.

Quinn opened his eyes and took a deep calming breath. “I want you to come here and sit beside me.”

She scrambled into the far corner, legs drawn up to her chest, hands protecting her throat.

“Come here.”

She crawled toward him, her whole body trembling, her eyes wide with terror.

“Listen to me,” he said. “I’m going to drink from you. You must not fight me. I want you to sit very still and say nothing. Do nothing.” If she allowed him to drink from her, perhaps he could take only a little. If she fought him, he knew he would kill her. “Larrah, do you understand?” If his powers weren’t so weak, he could have mesmerized her, but he lacked the strength to do so.

She nodded once, then closed her eyes. Her lips moved. He watched her a moment and realized she was praying.

Thinking,
Heaven help us both
, he grasped the girl’s shoulders and lowered his head to her slender white throat.

#

Serepta cursed at the sight that met her eyes when she materialized outside Quinn’s cell. She had expected to see the girl dead, drained of blood, her prisoner filled with self-loathing. Instead, the little whore was asleep, her head resting on Quinn’s lap.

He looked up, an impudent grin playing over his lips. “Thanks,” he drawled, stroking the girl’s pale cheek. “I needed that.”

Serepta glared at him. Then, overcome with rage, she materialized inside the cage and broke the girl’s neck.

Strengthened by the girl’s blood, Quinn sprang to his feet. “Damn you, Serepta! That was uncalled for!”

At the mention of the witch’s name, the dragon stirred to life, its teeth sinking into Quinn’s shoulder. Overcome with anger, he hardly noticed it.

But Serepta did. She smiled triumphantly. It was what she had been waiting for.

Now, she thought, her hand reaching for the dagger hidden in the folds of her cloak. Now was the time to destroy Quinn and unleash the dragon’s power.

She lunged toward him, smiling triumphantly.

Quinn stumbled backward and darted to the left. The blade, meant to pierce his heart, sliced into his shoulder instead, opening a shallow gash across the dragon’s tail.

The dragon let out a roar that shook the walls. Its tongue, long and black and forked, lashed out amid a white hot flame, searing Serepta’s arm from wrist to elbow and setting her cloak on fire.

With a shriek, she dropped the dagger and vanished from the cell.

Dropping to his knees, Quinn tore a strip from the hem of the girl’s skirt, intending to use it to staunch the blood flowing from his shoulder. But there was no need. Like a kitten with a bowl of cream, the dragon lapped it up, and as he did so, strength flowed into Quinn. The wound healed without a trace. The dragon snorted a puff of gray smoke and resumed its normal position on Quinn’s shoulder.

Quinn stared at the tattoo. Why had it defended him against Serepta? Wasn’t she supposed to be its master? She had created it, after all.

With a shake of his head, he closed Larrah’s eyes, removed her shirt, and covered her face and neck with it. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “So damn sorry.”

Picking up Serepta’s dagger, he turned it in his hands. He spent the next several minutes trying to pry open the lock of the shackles on his wrists, but to no avail.

And then he looked at the tattoo on his shoulder. “Dragon?”

Nothing happened.

Using his fingers, he stroked the creature’s back. “Dragon, awake!”

The tattoo rippled. He flinched when the dragon’s claws raked his skin, but it didn’t draw blood. And then it raised its head and stared at him through dark, fathomless eyes.

“Well, shit,” Quinn muttered. “Listen, dragon, I need you to melt these shackles. Can you do that?”

With a shake of its head, the dragon unleashed a narrow flame of white hot fire. It burned through the silver link between the chains and the silver cuffs at his wrists, freeing his hands. Surprisingly, the flame didn’t burn the skin beneath.

Stroking the dragon’s neck, Quinn summoned its power and his own, felt it flow through every nerve and cell of his body. “All right, buddy, let’s get the hell out of here.”

#

Serepta kicked her ruined gown aside, then stared at the blackened skin of her rm. Not only did it burn like the fires of Hel, but it wasn’t healing. She summoned the woman who served as her maid, sank her fangs into her neck, and drained her dry. And still the burn did not heal.

The dragon had attacked her. Why? She had conjured it. It carried her magic. Why had it turned on her? And why wasn’t the burn healing?

#

Quinn was feeling pretty good by the time he returned to the Fortress. He called Seleena’s name as he stepped inside, realizing as he did so that she wasn’t there. Damn and blast, where could she be?

Seleena? Can you hear me?

Quinn? Oh, Quinn, just sit tight. I’m on my way.

On your way where?

To Serepta’s.

Forget that. I’m at the Fortress.

How did you get away?

The dragon, Red. He got me out of there. Hurry home and I’ll tell you all about it.

She walked in the door on the last word and flew into his arms, her hands moving over his back, his shoulders, his face.

“You’re all right?” she asked, her gaze searching his.

“Never better, now that you’re here.”

“I was so afraid!”

“Yeah, me, too. Afraid I’d never see you again.”

Taking him by the hand, she led him to the sofa and pulled him down beside her. “Tell me everything.” She noticed the dried blood for the first time. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

He nodded. “She cut me up a little, that’s all.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s not the worst of it.” He paused, thinking of the dead girl. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

“Tell me everything.”

“Serepta brought me a young girl to feed on. Her name was Larrah. I fed on her, but I didn’t kill her. It made Serepta angry and she broke the kid’s neck.”

Seleena’s face paled at his words. Taking a deep breath, she blew it out in a long, slow sigh. “I’ve resigned myself to the fact that my daughter is beyond redemption. The dragon, Quinn, tell me about the dragon.”

“Serepta pulled a dagger, intending to kill me, I guess. When I dodged out of the way, the blade cut the dragon’s tail. I guess he didn’t like it. He struck before she got a second chance. It burned her hand and her arm. She let out a shriek, dropped the dagger, and vanished. The dragon melted the shackles that held me and we came here.” He held up his hands. “Think you could magic these cuffs off me?”

“Of course.” She murmured a few words and the restraints fell away.

He kicked them aside, then rubbed his wrists. “Where’s Nardik?”

“We went to Caynn in search of the wizard who restored Serepta’s magic, hoping he could tell us how to thwart her. He refused to help, but we learned that Serepta had given him Annis in exchange for the return of her magic. Nardik hoped to bring Annis home, but it seems she’s quite happy there. She’s going to marry the wizard’s son.”

“No shit? Wasn’t she a nun or something?”

“Yes. Nardik’s gone to tell Amerris and Marri that she’s all right.” Seleena cupped his face in her hands and kissed him lightly. “I missed you.”

“No more than I missed you.” He glanced at his blood-stained arm. “I need a shower.”

“Would you like me to wash your back?”

Quinn stared at her, wondering if he was reading more into her offer than she meant. “And my front, if you’ve a mind to.” He had expected her to blush and stammer. Instead, she took his hand and led him into the bathroom.

Once there, she turned on the shower, adjusted the temperature, pulled several towels from the shelf.

Quinn reached for his belt, paused when she didn’t leave the room. He tossed it aside, unfastened his trousers, let them rest on his hips. And still she didn’t take her leave.

Keeping his gaze on her face, her cheeks now very pink, he shucked his pants and briefs and stepped under the spray, felt his mouth go dry when, several moments later, the door opened and she moved in behind him.

Quinn sucked in a breath when she took the soap from his hand and began to run it up and down his spine. “Red…do you know what you’re doing?”

“Washing your back. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

He groaned softly. “Damn, woman, I’m not made of stone any more, you know.”

She laughed softly, her soapy hands moving tantalizing over his shoulders and back, sliding lower, lower.

“You’d better stop now, Red,” he growled, “or you’re going to wind up flat on your back in about ten seconds.”

“Isn’t that what you’ve been wanting all this time?”

“Yeah, but you’d better be sure it’s what
you
want, ‘cause once we get started, there’ll be no going back.”

He tensed as she dropped the soap, then leaned into him, her bare breasts pressed against his back as she scattered butterfly kisses across his shoulders.

Muttering, “Time’s up,” he turned off the water, swept her into his arms and carried her swiftly into her room. “Last chance,” he warned as he lowered her onto the mattress.

Pulling him down on top of her, she whispered, “Stop talking,” and covered his mouth with hers.

It had been years since she had shared a bed with a man. She had been certain that there could be no better lover than Nardik, which just proved how wrong you could be, she thought, as Quinn kissed and caressed her. She had shared passion with Nardik, but never love. Never given him her heart. It made all the difference. Why had she waited so long for this? Her fears had been groundless.

She reveled in his caresses, in the slick feel of his damp skin against her own, the touch of his hands in her hair, on her skin, the husky sound of his voice as he whispered that he loved her, needed her, wanted her more than life itself.

Time lost all meaning as they came together, hearts and souls blending, melding, until, with one final thrust, he made her his. Pleasure exploded deep within her. His body shuddered a moment later and then, spent and sated, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

#

Quinn woke abruptly, aware of movement in the house. He tensed a moment, then relaxed when he realized it was Nardik. And tensed again when he heard the wizard’s footsteps in the hallway. Grabbing the blanket from the foot of the bed, he drew it over Seleena, covering her from head to heel.

He was sitting up, his back against the headboard, the blanket draped over his hips, when Nardik opened the door.

A look of utter hatred twisted the wizard’s features when he saw Quinn.

The dragon on Quinn’s shoulder moved, undoubtedly stirred to life by the tension between the two men.

Quinn met the wizard’s gaze. It was all he could do not to laugh in the other man’s face.

With a hiss, Nardik closed the door.

Quinn smiled. Score for one me, he thought.

Seleena stirred beside him.

Sliding under the covers, he said, “Hey, sleepy head. We’ve got company.”

Her eyes widened. “Nardik!”

“Yeah. He doesn’t look too happy.”

“He knows? About us?”

“You could say that. He poked his head in here a minute ago.”

She groaned softly, obviously uncomfortable at having her former lover and her current lover under the same roof.

“It’s not a secret you could keep from him,” Quinn remarked.

“I know, but…”

“You’re not having regrets, are you?”

She considered it a moment. She had expected to feel guilty or uncomfortable knowing Quinn had made love to her daughter first, but the thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. And it didn’t bother her now.

“Red?”

“No, of course not. It was wonderful.” She smiled up at him. “You said it was bound to happen sooner or later. I just wish it had been sooner.”

“Not my fault it took so long,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. “I was ready the day we met.” He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, thinking how beautiful she looked with her hair sleep-tousled, her lips swollen from his kisses, and how lucky he was to have found her. He muttered a mild oath when he heard Nardik in the kitchen, slamming cupboard doors. “We might as well get up and face the music,” he said, tossing the covers aside. “He’s not leaving until we do. But first, how about another shower?”