Undying Hope (26 page)

“I am sure it would be nice to have Nikon around if Kyros showed up while you were shopping.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You’re not coming in with me?”

“No, I have something else I need to get.”

“Okay. How do I put the harness on him?”

They got out of the car, and Quinn showed her how to put the harness on Nikon, take it off, and had her practice a few times. He pointed out the modifications Wolf had made so that if the wolf needed to, he could be free of the contraption in seconds. “Get whatever you want, and I’ll be back in a while. I’ll let you know when I am on my way.”

She was still grumbling about how insulting it was to call Nikon a dog as she stuffed the papers into her purse. “All right, and I’ll let you know if I’m done before you get back. What’s my budget?”

“Get whatever you think you need. I’ll have bank cards with your name sent, and we’ll go to see my lawyer tomorrow to get my will redrafted.”

Her eyes snapped to his. “Will?”

He went over to her and brushed a kiss on her forehead, which seemed to please the
treòir
, and then took a step back. “I need to look human. Humans change wills as they move through the stages of life.”

“Oh, okay.” She kept giving him that wounded look, as if he was going to drop dead on the ground at any moment.

He gently pushed her toward the door, making sure she was holding on to Nikon’s harness properly. They got strange looks as they went, and Donovan turned to her. “Stay in this store. If you need me, call me our way, all right. Brogan is out there close as well. It’s faster, and I’ll see what we can do about getting you a cell phone tomorrow.”

“You’re doing it again.”

“What?”

“Spending too much money on me.”

This time he leaned and brushed his mouth over hers and let his fingers play with a strand of her hair. “Humor me, my lifebond. It will make me feel better.”

Her brow furrowed. “Does this mean we are something like married?”

“Not yet. It just means that you have to accept my need to provide for you everything you need and everything you want.” He closed his eyes to keep her from seeing his struggle with the
treòir
as he said the words. “I love you, Haven. We will make this work between us, forever.”

She brushed her fingers down the side of his face, and he opened his eyes. “I love you, Quinn, all of you. I’ll meet you back here in a while, okay?”

He stood there, leaning his head against hers for a long moment before he slowly turned and walked away.

* * * *

The plan was simple. Prove to Quinn he was in control of himself no matter what else happened around them. She could feel the presence of what she thought was a dragon, and she was starting to be able to notice Wolf when he was close. Now that she was Undying, the only thing preventing her and Quinn from bonding was his inability to trust his
treòir
. Quinn seemed to feel better after spending money on her, so she’d factored that into the plan. Now she needed to swallow back her hang-ups with extravagance and enjoy getting ready to show Quinn he wasn’t the menace to society he thought he was. Haven blew out a breath as she patted Nikon’s head. “
Okay, you have to help me find something to spin his head off his shoulders.”

“You do know how dangerous he is, right? Those red eyes of his are not a very good sign at all.”

“He’s Quinn, and every part of him is Quinn no matter what issue he is having. I said I accepted him and everything about him, and I meant it.”

“Then you just may save him yet. Come. I smell a pretty lady, and she might be able to help you with human fashion far better than I could.”

Haven let the wolf guide her through the store to the woman at the perfume counter. Nikon backed up and flattened his ears, then moved forward slowly, his nose twitching. “
She’s dying to do something called a Cinderella make over. I’m not sure what that means, but you can ask her.”

Haven smiled and then caught the attention of the woman at the counter. Her nametag read
Donna
. “Excuse me, I have this really important date tonight, and I have no idea what to pick out for it. Can you help me?”

The woman flicked a glance at her. When she saw the wolf, her eyes went huge. “Is that what I think he is?”

Haven’s smile went sweet. “This is Nikon. He’s a companion dog. I am seeing this man, Quinn Donovan, and we’re going to his club, Fantasia, tonight, and I have no idea where to even begin, and we are leaving from here, so I kind of need to get everything here.”

“Quinn Donovan? Hang on just a second.” She picked up the phone and hit a few numbers. “Hey, I need help! There is a woman here who has a date with Quinn Donovan.” She paused. “Yes way, and she needs our help.” She hung up the phone and beamed at Haven. “Okay, the first thing you need is a dress, so let’s get your coat off to see what kind of figure we are dealing with.”

Haven took off her coat and put it onto the counter. The woman inspected her and smiled. “Okay, Fantasia is a fantasy-themed club, and they have this awesome Middle Eastern Dance show. Is that something you would want to be a part of?”

“I dance some.”

The woman gave her an impish wink. “Then we need to find you something that will show off your belly and make Donovan drool.”

Several more sales girls flocked the area, and before Haven knew what was happening, she was in the dressing room and modeling dress after dress until they decided on a shimmering Kelly-green dress that bared her stomach and dipped low in the front. The skirt was long and flowed around her just the way she liked, the one side with a slit up to the hip. They found a darling pair of silver high-heeled shoes that wrapped around her ankles. Then the women herded her to the counter for a complete makeover. One of the girls played with her hair and then decided to leave it down for the exotic dancer effect they were going for. Then, they all stepped back to admire their work.

They stuffed her clothes into a shopping bag. Donna was babbling excited at her. “You should get a full length coat, too, just so it will be a total surprise when you get to the club with him, and a few bracelets, and some kind of necklace, too.”

Haven groaned. It physically hurt to not look at any of the price tags, but she needed to do this. Quinn needed to see that she trusted him completely, even if he was having difficulty with his dark side. To prove herself, she had to let him take care of her, which, for some strange male reason, equated into him spending money. She couldn’t believe that he would turn into anything like Kyros, not when she was here to pull him back. “All right, whatever you ladies think.”

They added a set of wrist bangles to each arm that worked perfectly with the shoes, but Haven firmly declined a necklace. Rowan’s wolf head pendant was beautiful and not something she was willing to take off just yet. Then they took her back to the dressing room for the mirror. Haven stared at her reflection and almost demanded they take everything back. The person looking back at her was some sexy vixen, but she was glowing.

Her voice was shy. “Do you think he’ll like this?”

“Haven, honey, Quinn Donovan would be a fool not to fall madly in love with you,” Donna said as she helped her back into the full-length suede coat that covered her down to her toes.

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

Donna blinked and looked confused for a moment, then brushed it off. “I’ll give you a sample of perfume to take with you.”

“Tell her no,”
Nikon said.

“What? Why?”

“Quinn likes how you naturally smell, and so do I. Please don’t add any more offensive orders to my poor nose tonight. I think you may have to bandage it when we get home. Besides, that smelly stuff has been upsetting Medea’s belly.”

Haven couldn’t help the laugh, and Donna just shook her head at her. “Thank you, Donna, but I won’t need the perfume.”

“Okay, but it can only help you.”

“I’m sure, but my companion has a sensitive nose.”

“Oh, right. Okay, well I’ll just get this all rung up for you, and I’ll meet you over at the counter.” Donna took a collection of tags over to the counter to do just that.

Haven pulled herself away from the mirror and closed her eyes. “
Quinn?”

“Are you okay? I can be there in two minutes.”

“I’m fine. I have everything I need. I just need to pay for it.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”

“Haven?”

“Yes.”

“I love you.”

Her heart warmed. He was starting to sound like himself again. Her plan seemed to be working. She didn’t need retail therapy. He did.

* * * *

Donovan walked back into the boutique and found Haven shrouded in a huge coat that covered everything but her face. She grinned at him. “Well, how do I look?”

A gaggle of women peered at them from over the clothing racks. He lifted a brow, and several of them gasped and backed away. Haven only tsked at him. “You are scaring people, again. Now, I’ve done what you asked, and I promise I didn’t even look at one price tag, but it hurt, pal, it really hurt.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to live.” He went over to the counter and paid the bill.

His hand cupped around her waist as he led her back to the car. He leaned down and murmured against her ear. “You look happy, and your new coat is beautiful. Am I going to find jeans and a T-shirt under that?”

She laughed. “You just might, but you’re not going to find out until we get there.”

He loved her laugh. It calmed and soothed both him and the darkness fighting to get free. He helped her into the passenger seat and then took the harness off Nikon. A short while later they were at the club. Haven made him stop before he could whisk her into his office again as she turned in a slow circle. His other clubs had been designed to mimic ancient civilizations he’d witnessed firsthand, but Fantasia was a creation all his own. It was what he thought a fairy glade would look like in Avalon with twinkling lights and floral garlands draped between pillars.

“This place is wonderful. Why do you live in a cave?”

He put his hand to his heart as if he’d been hit with a fatal wound. “Ouch, Haven. If you don’t like it, we’ll redecorate.”

“Only if we start with the bathroom, if that’s all right with you.”

“Perfect. All right, I am curious to see what my money bought for you to seduce me.”

She giggled and slowly undid all the buttons on the coat and then shrugged out of it. He swallowed hard as his cock went hard. “You’re going to give this old man heart failure. I swear it.”

She laughed again. “Not if I only stand here, I won’t. You owe me a dance, and before we get sidetracked by anything else, you are going to give it to me.”

He leaned down and nibbled at her throat. “Are you sure? I have to work with some of these people. I can’t have them laughing at me whenever they see me.”

She bit down on her lip and grinned at him. “I told you anyone could slow dance.”

“But the beat isn’t slow. It’s for the dancers on the floor.”

* * * *

“Then I’ll just have to teach you,” she said as she curled her hand around his. She tugged him to the dance floor. She loved the Middle Eastern Dance, and seeing so many people attempting it was lovely. The beat was just right for a sultry shake of the hips. Dancing was like riding a bicycle for her.

The first song was to get used to the movements again. When the next song began, the patrons cheered, and everyone crowded the dance floor. She locked her gaze on Quinn’s as she allowed her body to start to sway with the tantric rhythm. This was for Quinn. Her body moved with the pulse of the beat, brushing against his solid body with light, feminine motions. The music, the atmosphere, and the man transported her to another time, another place, and she danced with her soul. She didn’t stop until the music did. She smiled at the carnal lust in Quinn’s eyes. His hands clamped on her hips, and he pulled her into his arms, claiming her mouth.

“And the winner for this round is…. The woman lip locked with the boss in the center of the dance floor.”

Haven’s body was flushed with heated desire. Quinn dropped his head against hers and growled quietly. “I am going to fire him.”

“Would the pretty lady like to come up and collect her prize?”

Haven grinned at Quinn. “No, you’re not. You’re going to be a good sport about this. What’s the prize?”

“I have no idea. Usually it’s a free drink or a free ticket to get in.”

“Then I’ll just have to decline,” she said sweetly and tugged him along behind her as she went to the DJ booth.

The young man was grinning at Quinn with humorous intent in his eyes before his gaze went to Haven. “My, my, what a lovely winner we have here. What do you think we should give her?”

The crowd started shouting things out. Anything from a free drink to one man offering her a night of his services for free. Haven placed a hand on Quinn’s chest when he growled. “Do behave,” she whispered when saw the flecks of red in his eyes. “Both of you. I am having fun.”

* * * *

To Donovan’s astonishment, the
treòir
backed off, but they both agreed that glaring the man back into his place was in the bounds of behaving.

The DJ cleared his throat in a dramatic way. “I think that we should leave it to our overprotective host to bestow a gift on the lovely lady.”

The crowd applauded their approval. Donovan gave Gary, the DJ, a look that could melt stone, and then his grin went wicked. He took Haven’s hand. This was perfect. A dragon out of the Pacific tribe had finished just in time. He shifted a glance at Gary. “You asked for it.”

Then Haven became the only thing he could see. She would be bound to him and his
treòir
for an eternity. Though he was terrified of hurting her, but without her, the
treòir
would take over him completely, and the man that he was would be no more. Haven had given much for this moment, and she deserved something special for her troubles. Both of his giant hands clasped around her tiny ones, and he pulled her in to him. He didn’t notice the DJ until he was in close with his microphone. But all he wanted was his lifebond to know how much he needed her. He dropped down onto his knees in front of her.