Quinn's Lady (2 page)

Vampire.
He stared into the flames….

She reclined on a bed of silk sheets, her hair spread like skeins of silk across the pillow. She wore a long, black gown that did little to hide the voluptuous figure beneath. She smiled invitingly as she beckoned him to join her. Helpless, he stretched out beside her, drew her into his arms, and covered her mouth with his. He had never known a woman like her -- insatiable, inventive. Cruel. She had enjoyed causing him pain and yet, foolish man that he was, he had welcomed the ache for the pleasure that followed…

What had he done to incur her wrath? When had she turned him into a vampire? Why had she imprisoned him in a statue? And why couldn’t he remember any of it? Some parts of his mind felt like mush.

He glanced at the closed bedroom door. Was the mother as insatiable as the daughter?

He bolted upright.

Mother.

Daughter.

Who --
and where
-- was the father?

Chapter 3

The question about Serepta’s father was the first thing Quinn asked when he woke late the next afternoon.

He found Seleena in the kitchen, stirring something in a large pot. She regarded him for a moment, then said, “I don’t see as how that’s any of your business.”

“It is if he comes busting in here and gets the wrong idea.”

“I can assure you that won’t happen.” She stirred the pot again, then covered it and turned down the heat. “He’s quite happily engaged to someone else.”

Quinn’s gaze moved over her, amazed that any man in his right mind would leave this woman for another.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

His gaze moved briefly to her throat. “Yeah, I could eat something if it’s no trouble.”

“Sit down. There’s beef stew in the pot, or I can fry you up a steak.”

“You’re sure I can eat it?”

She nodded.

“Stew sounds fine.” Better to start with something mostly liquid, he thought, rather than dive into a hunk of meat. He watched her dish it up. How could he have forgotten being turned into a vampire? Had the witch made him a vampire and encased him in stone the same day? Dammit! Why couldn’t he remember?

“You look troubled.” She placed a pretty flowered bowl and a spoon in front of him, then took a seat at the table.

“Why can’t I remember when she turned me?”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps it was so traumatic, that you’ve buried it deep in your sub-conscious.” She shrugged. “Perhaps she conjured a spell to make you forget.”

“Maybe.” He regarded the contents in the bowl before taking a bite. It was hot and spicy. “It’s good.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you know a lot of vampires?”

“No. Most of them were destroyed in the last century.”

“Did Serepta ever try to turn you?”

“She knew better. My daughter might have been a powerful witch, but she was no match for me. Or for Nardik.”

“Nardik? The king’s advisor?”

“Yes. Do you know him?”

“I met once, a long time ago. I doubt he’d remember me.”

“He’s the queen’s advisor now. King Leonid is dead.”

“What happened to him?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got no place to go and nothing to do when I get there.”

Seleena folded her hands on the table and took a deep breath. “Do you know the royal family?”

“I know
of
them. Never met any.”

“Leonid’s youngest child, Artur, wanted to be king, but he was last in line and couldn’t wait. He murdered both of his brothers and then decided to get rid of his sister.  Marri vowed she didn’t want the throne, but, in his mind, she remained the only obstacle keeping him from his heart’s desire. Besides his father, of course. When the king learned the truth of Artur’s treachery, Artur killed him. And Nardik killed Artur. And now Marri sits on the throne.”

“Hel of a story.”

“Indeed.”

Quinn finished the last of the stew, declined Seleena’s offer of more. Suddenly restless, he pushed away from the table. In spite of the food he’d just eaten, he felt empty inside.

He needed to feed. Something warm and red and liquid.

Seleena recognized the hunger in the pale crimson glow behind his eyes. “Remember your promise,” she warned.

He nodded. “You saved my life, literally, and I’m grateful.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Probably for the best, don’t you think? I need to find out what I am, if you know what I mean.” He knew vampires had powers. It was time to discover just what they were.

“Take care of yourself.” Rising, she held out her hand.

It was swallowed up in his.

His gaze searched hers. She was a powerful witch and even though she wanted him, he couldn’t forget that her daughter had beguiled him with her beauty and then encased him in stone. Nor could he forget that the mother claimed to be more powerful than the daughter.

But her hand was still in his and her slightly parted lips were an invitation he couldn’t ignore.

Seleena’s eyelids fluttered down as his mouth covered hers. It had been years since she had been in a man’s arms, and Quinn’s were strong and sure, his chest as hard as the stone that had once encased him. His lips moved over hers, intimate, familiar, as if they had kissed many times before. As if they had all the time in the world.

Vampire.
The word whispered through her mind but she shoved it aside. What difference did it make? He was leaving. But for this one moment, he was hers.

She went up on her tiptoes, her arms twining around his neck to hold him closer, tighter. He tasted of vegetables and broth and man and she wanted to stay in his arms forever.

When he broke the kiss, she felt as if she had lost a piece of herself.

He stared down at her, his deep blue eyes filled with lust and confusion. And then, to her dismay, he vanished from her sight.

#

Quinn came to a stop by the fountain in the middle of the village, his whole body throbbing with need. Once the witch put her arms around his neck, he had wanted nothing more than to sweep her off her feet and carry her to bed. But the last time he had bedded a witch, he’d woke up a vampire. No telling what Seleena might do if she suddenly had second thoughts. Although the way she had caught fire in his arms, it might have been worth the risk to stick around long enough to find out.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced at his surroundings. From where he stood, he could see a number of houses strung out around the village square. Most were built of wood, others of brick. Several open-air stalls surrounded a pretty, bubbling fountain. Vendors hawked a variety of goods - food and drink, hats and scarves and imported trinkets. In the distance, he heard the ring of a blacksmith’s hammer, the chiming of a church bell.

As he walked through the square, people eyed him curiously, but that was to be expected. He was a stranger in a small town. Likely everyone knew everyone else. A few of the inhabitants smiled and nodded his way. A scruffy dog ran up to him, growled deep in its throat, then tucked its tail between its legs and darted under a wagon.

Quinn walked from one end of the village to the other. There was nothing to indicate where he was -- no street signs, nothing to indicate the name of the place or the population. One thing was for certain, it was Hel and gone away from the more prosperous parts of the country. If there was a spaceport, it was miles away. He saw no vehicles of any kind save one rusty old LandSkiff that had seen better days, and a couple of horse-drawn wagons. Damn, he really was in the backend of the planet.

But then, he was a vampire. He didn’t need transportation. He knew from spending time with Serepta that vampires were remarkably strong and fast. They could jump incredibly high. They didn’t grow old. They never got sick. They could change shape, dissolve into mist. Wounds healed quickly and left no scar. And, as he had just proved when he left Seleena’s house, they were capable of moving faster than the eye could follow.

Maybe being a vampire wouldn’t be so bad after all.

#

Seleena washed and dried the dishes. Usually, she just magicked them clean and into the cupboard but this afternoon she needed the distraction. She swept the floor, pulled the sheets from the bed Quinn had slept on. She lingered there a moment, the sheets pressed to her face. His scent was there, clean and fresh and masculine. The house felt empty without him.

Freyja twined in and out between her legs, meowing loudly for attention.

With a sigh, Seleena hurried out of the room, dumped the sheets in the washer, and then bent to pick up the cat. “I’m sure you’re glad he’s gone,” she murmured, stroking the cat’s ears. “But I miss him already.” It was an odd sensation. She had lived alone ever since Serepta left home. Until now, she had never been lonely. “And how odd is that? I don’t even know the man. And yet I felt something happen between us the first time we touched.” She moved into the living room and settled in the rocker. “Maybe I just imagined it.” She shook her head. “No. Whatever it was, it was real. But it doesn’t matter now. He’s gone.”

Freyja hissed softly.

“Yes, I know. I could force him to come back. Compel him to stay with me. But that’s not what I want.”

#

With the setting of the sun, the vendors closed their stalls and headed home. Quinn watched them the way a hawk watched a flock of chickens. Made his choice and followed the woman down a narrow dirt path lined with trees. It led to a solitary house.

Quinn stayed out of sight until she went inside. He circled the place, but detected no other occupants. Satisfied that his prey lived alone, he rang the bell.

#

Seleena’s heart skipped a beat when she heard a knock at the door. It was him.

She took two deep breaths, smoothed her hand over her hair, and lifted the latch.

“Think I could bed down in your spare room again?” Quinn asked.

“I thought you went off to find yourself.”

He shrugged. “Maybe I changed my mind. Or maybe what I’m looking for is right here.”

Seleena started to invite him in, then paused when she caught the faint scent of blood.

“She’s fine,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I only took a little.” He cocked his head to the side. “Don’t you believe me?”

“Yes,” Seleena said, stepping aside so he could enter. “I do.”

He followed her into the living room, took a place on the sofa while she settled into the rocker. The cat immediately leaped onto her lap, tail twitching, yellow eyes unblinking as it stared at Quinn.

Seleena stroked the cat’s head. “I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

“You seemed happy enough to find me at your door.”

“If I wasn’t, you’d still be outside.”

His gaze probed hers. “Why
did
you let me in?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t know? Or won’t admit it?”

She lowered her head to hide the rush of color she felt climbing up her neck into her cheeks. She wanted him. He was the most attractive man she had ever met. But that didn’t change the fact that he was a stranger. A vampire. Nor could she forget that he had been Serepta’s lover. That bothered her more than anything.

“You want me.”

The words hung in the air between them. She imagined she could see them there, in bold black letters, floating just out of reach.

“You don’t have to admit it,” Quinn said. “I can smell it on you.”

Her eyes widened. “No, you can’t.”

He winked at her. “Yes, I can. Just so you know, I want you, too. That’s one of the reasons I came back. To finish what we started this afternoon.”

Seleena pressed her hand to her heart to keep it from jumping out of her chest. He wanted her. Unbidden came an image of Quinn and Serepta locked in each other’s arms.

Seleena shook her head. There was just no way she could let Quinn make love to her, no way on earth that she could look into his eyes and wonder if he was comparing her to her daughter.

“What’s the other reason?”

“I want to get to know you better.” He leaned forward, his gaze holding hers. “You can try to fight the attraction between us. You can deny it until you’re blue in the face. You can throw me out of your house. But it’s gonna happen, Red,” he said smugly. “Sooner or later, it’s gonna happen.”

#

Lying alone in bed, listening to the clock chime the hour, Seleena couldn’t remember anything else she or Quinn had said. All she could hear was his smug voice echoing in her mind --
You can fight the attraction. You can deny it until you’re blue in the face. You can throw me out of your house. But it’s gonna happen, Red. Sooner or later, it’s gonna happen.

She tuned onto her stomach and punched her fist into the pillow. Turned onto her side. Onto her back.
It’s gonna happen….it’s gonna happen.

She closed her eyes and his image flashed before her -- thick dark hair, dark-blue eyes, shoulders as wide as her doorway, tawny skin, a flat belly ridged with muscle. And that tattoo. Her fingers itched to touch it, to follow the tail where it wrapped around his bicep…

“Stop it!” She jackknifed into a sitting position and turned on the light, banishing his image from her mind.

Freyja meowed in protest when Seleena slid out of bed. Pulling on her robe, she went to the window and drew back the curtain. All was quiet outside. The twin moons hung low in the sky, bathing the land in a faint yellow glow.

Too keyed up to sleep, she eased her bedroom door open. She listened a moment before tiptoeing through the dark house into the kitchen. A wave of her hand warmed a cup of water. She dropped a tea bag inside, stood at the counter, arms folded over her chest, while she waited for the tea to steep.

Her thoughts drifted toward Quinn again. She tried to rein them back, but it was no use. Was he asleep? She knew little of vampires except that they slept during the day, had exceptional powers, and drank blood to survive. But she had altered part of that. Would he now sleep nights, like everyone else? Where would he go when he left here? Would he go back to bounty hunting for that despicable man, Jagg?