Chapter 12
Jaks was waiting for him outside the classroom when he came out.
“Did Braed ditch me?” Quentin asked, relieved. As much as he tried to like the other vampire, the itch in the back of his head told him not to trust him.
“I told him his services weren’t needed for the rest of the day.” The tight line of Jaks’s mouth indicated his displeasure louder than any words.
“Is everything all right? I thought you were busy today.” Not that he didn’t want to hang out with his boyfriend, but he also didn’t want to interrupt his work. Leading a vampire clan was challenging, or at least it looked that way.
Jaks shrugged. “I wrapped up early, and I wanted to see you.”
“Thank you. I think Braed might see me as a rival for Mother’s affection. He doesn’t seem overly fond of me.” Which was ridiculous. His mother had more than enough love to go around.
“It’s been a while since he was in a relationship. Maybe he just needs an adjustment period."
Quentin bumped shoulders with Jaks as they walked down the hall. “Maybe. What does he usually do for you when he’s not babysitting me?” He hated to give Braed the benefit of the doubt, but to be fair, the vampire hadn’t done anything other than send him a few dirty looks.
“Not so much that watching over my beloved shouldn’t be seen as a privilege. I should tell your mother on him.”
Quentin had to hold back laughter at the thought of Jaks tattling to his mother. “And what would you accuse him of?”
“Not adoring you, as you deserve.”
“To be fair, he hasn’t done anything.”
“When I called, he told me he didn’t appreciate babysitter duty. He should see it as the privilege it is to watch over my beloved.”
“All that says is that he isn’t very smart to complain to you. I promise if he ever does anything I don’t like, I’ll tell you right away.”
He was done making excuses for people being shitty. Sometimes people were just assholes, vampires were no exception.
Jaks continued his rant. “He’s been a good clan member for over thirty years. I’m not sure what’s changed.”
“Maybe nothing like you said. It could just be jealousy.” A thought flitted through Quentin’s head. “Was he close to Vlad?” Maybe there was more to Braed’s disdain than he previously suspected.
Jaks clasped Quentin’s right hand in his left. “He was one of his enforcers, but I couldn’t tell you what sort of relationship they had. Vlad wasn’t close to any of his people. He might grant them one or two special favors if they performed well, but he considered everyone beneath him.”
“Hmm, there goes my idea that they were secret lovers.”
Jaks’s laughter drew more than a few appreciative stares. “Vlad was the least sexual vampire I’ve ever met. He talked a good game, but I never saw him with anyone.”
“And they weren’t related?”
“Not that I am aware of. You really think there’s something wrong? Something more than jealousy?”
He shrugged. “At first, I thought I only didn’t like him because he’s dating my mother and I’m used to being her only love.”
“That’s natural, especially for an only child.”
Quentin nodded. “Maybe, but the more I’m around him, the more I think it’s something else. I have an itch in the back of my mind like I missed some clues for why I don’t like him. It’s driving me mad.”
“As long as he hasn’t acted out, there’s not much I can do. I’ll continue to have him guard you because if anyone can stop him from acting out, it’ll be you.”
“So, I’m the babysitter of my babysitter?’ Quentin raised an eyebrow at his ridiculous boyfriend.
“For now. Unless you don’t want to?”
He appreciated that Jaks gave him a choice. “No, I’ll do it. If he’s going to be my mother’s boyfriend, I need to know he’s not going to harm her.”
“Or you,” Jaks insisted.
“Or me,” he agreed.
Quentin bit his lip, then blurted out his confession.
He couldn’t keep it to himself any longer.
“I called Stacy and asked her to have someone investigate Glenn’s sire.
The council might be all right with it, but technically, Nikko broke the law when he attacked Glenn, then left him.
Glenn could’ve killed a lot of people when he first woke. ”
Jaks smirked. “Well, there’s nothing I can do about humans investigating. Especially if I didn’t call them.”
Quentin frowned. “It won’t be a problem that I did?”
“You told a friend of yours about Glenn’s unsanctioned turning. Is it your fault if they happen to be bounty hunters?”
“Right. It is completely a coincidence.” He nodded. “Technically, I didn’t pay them anything or hire them.”
“How did you get them to agree to look into it?”
“I might have promised they could test my next generation of spell balls, but I was going to ask them to do that anyway.” Quentin shrugged. “Completely not related.”
“Good. Keep it that way, and the council can’t call us on it. They will probably admire your sneakiness.”
A burst of laughter escaped Quentin. “That’s me, Sneaky Q.”
“Better not let Glenn hear you say that. He’d make it your new nickname.”
“He probably would,” Quentin agreed. Glenn loved to tease. “Do you think the council will object since I work for the agency?”
“Worked, for them, darling. They don’t currently employ you.” Jaks raised their linked fingers to kiss the back of Quentin’s hand. “Right now, you are an independent inventor and part-time professor. You don’t have time for any bounty hunter nonsense.”
“Unless they kick me out again. Then I’ll have plenty of time.
” He didn’t really want to bounty hunt. It had been a desperate employment choice to pay his mother’s medical bills, but he didn’t want to give Jaks the impression that he could be pushed around.
He loved Jaks, but he wouldn’t be controlled, even if it was for his own good.
“Humor me, my sweet. Let’s deal with one thing at a time.”
“You want to keep me in a shiny cage, preferably surrounded by bubble wrap,” he groused.
Jaks sniffed, swinging their hands between them. “You make it sound as if I’m being unreasonable. You’d be adorable in bubble wrap. Just think of all that popping.”
Quentin snorted. “I don’t think you’d have the patience if I were naked under there.” He jabbed a finger at Jaks with his free hand. “Don’t get any ideas.”
Jaks’s lower lip jutted out. “Spoilsport. I was imagining unwrapping you.”
“I bet you were.”
They collected Glenn from his spot by the tree. He didn’t appear as if he’d moved since he planted himself there two hours ago.
“Good book?” Quentin asked.
Glenn nodded rapidly, his hair flying about. “Really good. It’s about a serial killer who pretends to be a vampire to throw off the police.”
“Sounds delightful,” Quentin said in a deadpan tone.
“It is.” Glenn’s cheery voice was at odds with the subject matter. He frowned at Jaks. “When did we have a change of guards?”
Jaks raised an eyebrow at Glenn. “An hour ago. I thought Braed would’ve told you when he left.”
“Nope.” Glenn tucked the book under his arm. “Are we going back home?”
Jaks looked to Quentin for confirmation. “Are we?”
He thought over everything he had to do before nodding.
“The only thing left on my to-do list is contacting Lars to see if he has any ideas about my new spell balls, unless you want to negotiate with Nikko to leave my house alone.” He had no wish to kill off the other vampire, but he did want him to stop visiting.
“Vampires don’t negotiate,” Jaks argued.
“Well, not with that attitude,” Quentin agreed.
“You aren’t going into the forest with a white flag and a wish.”
“I would think of a better idea,” Quentin protested. He didn’t argue too hard because he wouldn’t trust a vampire like Nikko not to kill anyone who entered his forest.
Jaks opened the car door for Quentin to slide inside. “How about we get you some ice cream on the way home?”
“Which home?”
“Mine. With all the enemies circling, I want you where I can keep an eye on you.”
“I’d be safe at my house.” Quentin folded his arms and tilted his chin up.
Jaks sat in the seat beside Quentin and slammed the car door shut, the only indication of his annoyance.
“I know that intellectually, my love, but emotionally, I want you closer, and I have some work to finish up. I would appreciate it if you would go with me to the manor. If you want to be taken to your house later, I’d be happy to go with you. ”
“All right,” he said after making Jaks sweat for a few minutes. He didn’t want his vampire to get in the habit of making plans for him.
Relief washed over Jaks’s features as if a curtain had been swept aside to reveal the worry hidden beneath. “Thank you.”
Quentin dipped his head. “I know you’re worried. I don’t want to add to your stress with everything going on.”
“I appreciate that.”
The kiss he gave Quentin more than showed Jaks’s appreciation. When they finally separated, he knew he was grinning like a fool; he just couldn’t make himself care.
“I have a few hours of work left at the manor. Would you like to come to my office with me or work down in your lab while I finish up some paperwork?”
“My lab. At least I’ll feel like I’m getting something done instead of just waiting around uselessly.” It was a solid compromise.
Jaks kissed his cheek. “You are never useless. Just looking at you brightens my day.”
Shoving Jaks away didn’t stop his blush.
The drive to the manor was spent in a much better atmosphere than the one on the way out.
He had only been at his lab for an hour before the door opened and his father entered, followed by a large man with bulging muscles and a wicked scar bisecting his left eyebrow.
He looked like he’d never smiled a day in his life and ate nails and barbed wire for breakfast. He was dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans, a tight T-shirt, and a leather jacket that partially hid his weapons.
A leather satchel hung from his left shoulder.
Quentin didn’t dare wonder what a real bounty hunter would hide in one.
“Quentin, this is Brenton Sage, bounty hunter. Sage, this is your client.”