Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
QUINN
“ W e might need a map of this place,” I say. We’ve been walking just steps behind Aurelia for far too long. Truthfully, it’s likely been only a handful of minutes, but there’s an uncomfortable air between us.
Aurelia snorts a laugh that could also be a scoff. She looks as if she might comment, but then her face flattens and her eyes resume their hard stare on the path ahead of us.
I can’t help but wonder how many times my mother walked these very halls before she abandoned her homeland in exchange for a life with my father. Even the room Abby and I are staying in once belonged to her. I couldn’t bring myself to care last night when my heart felt like it was pierced by a million tiny shards of glass, but now? I think I want to know about her life here.
She’s a traitor to these people because she left them to die in a war that should never have happened, but she saved some of them, too. I don’t want to pass judgement on her for things I don’t fully understand. All I know for certain is that she was taken from me too early because she chose not to return to her home. Chose not to return to these people.
They may not wish to speak of her, but even if I have to sift through this entire city to find even the faintest trace of her, I will. I want to understand her and the choices she made, and I’m not sure how long I’ll have to do so.
The image of a veil wraith taking the form of my mother forces its way into my mind and brings with it a small stab of heartbreak—and a much larger bolt of fear.
The veil wraiths are another problem I’m not quite ready to face.
Jade sacrificed himself to save me last night, but does that mean I’m truly safe from the wraiths and their promise of death?
Jade told me that seeing a loved one in the veil meant I would be dead within the year, but I knew he was lying. I could feel an invisible blade dangling above my head, readying to fall at any moment, and despite my assurances to Abby that I’m not going anywhere, I still very much feel it swinging above me.
I need to find out more about the wraiths and what this means for me—and I’ll have to do it without Abby catching on. I don’t want to keep secrets from her and she’ll be pissed if she ever finds out, but I can’t burden her with this. Not when she’d cried simply because I bled a little. She told me to take my safety more seriously, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.
I’ll do everything I can to heed the words Evan had spoken to me when I saw him in the veil.
I will live for her. For Abby.
Nothing else matters.
We come to a stop at a solid door. It’s not transparent like many of the others in this hall, and neither is the room itself. The sudden promise of having Abby alone has me swallowing. Ever since our bond reforged, I can hardly keep my thoughts pure. I’ve nearly jumped her twice already, and if Aurelia doesn’t hurry up and get that door open…
The metal squeaks as Aurelia turns the wheel attached to the very center of the door. There’s no other sign of a handle, so that must be it.
“This is the bathing room. I do not think it has been used for some time. I would say it is all yours, but I suspect the dragons will make use of it as well. My people need only swim.” She continues to spin the wheel until something clicks and the door swings wide.
The walls of the room are glass, but they resemble a frosted window in the dead of winter and are nearly impossible to see through. Perhaps a siren swimming along the outside could see that someone was in here, but it would be nothing but a blur.
The room is odd, to say the least, and unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s quite large, and could therefore be used communally, though I have no plans of sharing with anyone other than my mate. The floor is even and flat for only about four feet on all sides of the room before it becomes a set of long stairs in a perfect square. Nine steps deep on all sides, it flattens out once again, leaving the very center of the room as if it were the washing basin—yet it’s bone dry.
“This is probably a stupid question, but how are we going to get the water in here from out there?” I point to the wall to my left. The glass looks blue with the ripples of water behind it. It’s impossible to tell the time down here—at least for me—but I can only assume we’re nearing midday based on the amount of light trickling this deep into the waters.
Aurelia walks a few steps to a lever on the wall. She slides it to the left and… It begins to rain! Water falls from the ceiling directly above the center of the room and begins collecting in the basin's heart.
Aurelia turns the level back, and the water stops. “Do not forget to turn it off or you will flood this room.”
“And how do we get the water out?” Abby asks, sounding just as mystified as I feel. Bathing under a waterfall is nothing new to me, but this is ingenious.
“You saw how I opened the door? Turning the wheel will activate the pressure that keeps water out. We have an intricate system that keeps air inside the city. It is not perfect, but so long as you do not forget to seal the door, you will not cause an issue. Can you be trusted with such a simple task?”
Her words irk me, but I elect not to comment. I may have earned the right to stay here, but Aurelia has no reason to like me. “I realize that having us here is difficult for you and your people. Thank you for giving us a chance.”
Aurelia sighs, and for a moment, her eyes look sad. “You have earned a chance in my eyes, but I cannot speak for everyone. I will do what I can to quell the upset your presence will no doubt bring. Do nothing to agitate the situation. Keep to yourselves and the dragons.” Her eyes flick from me to Abby’s left hand. “You have already caused a stir this morning, and all for a ring your mate does not wear.”
“I thought your kind didn’t know of our customs.” At least, that’s how it appeared by the almost offended reaction I got when I asked the metal worker to fashion a ring. I’d been hunting for a jeweller, but it seems after the slaughter that took place here, jewelry hasn’t been a priority. I’m still not even sure the man will make the custom ring I requested. It’s just as likely that he only agreed to do it to get rid of me.
Aurelia sets down the clothing in her arms next to what must be a jar of liquid soap. “The trouble with your mother started with a ring.” Without any further explanation, she leaves the room, shutting the door behind her and finally granting me a moment alone with Abby.
“She’s not very friendly, is she?” Abby asks.
I know she’s hoping to get a smile out of me, so I flash her a grin. It’s just like her to worry that any mention of my mother will send me into a spiral, but she’s the last thing I want to think about right now. Not her, not the wraiths, not my possible impending death.
I ignore the question and slide the lever until the water flows again. The farther I slide it, the faster the water pours. “What do you think? Want to make out in the rain or under a waterfall?”
The ache to be entwined with her again is nearly too much to bear, so I don’t object when only a soft laugh comes in answer to my question and her warm hands wrap around my arm. She tugs me away from the lever—leaving it somewhere in between—and kisses me fiercely as she unbuttons my shirt for the second time this morning.
She breaks the kiss only to pull the shirt from my head, but I catch her hand in mine and halt the movement. “We should wash our clothes, too.”
“Fine, but we don’t have to be wearing them for that, do we?”
Thank the Gods.
“Insatiable as always,” I say with a laugh that sounds far too deep with the arousal building in my throat.
I remove the shirt, and she helps me out of my pants. I’m finding it much easier to bear weight on my leg now, but I accept her help so that I don’t prematurely tear open the stitches. I can’t guarantee anything after I get my hands on her.
Once I’m naked, I rectify the situation by helping her out of her clothing. And then we just stare at each other. Just as we did the night she absorbed the crowns and found herself covered in golden vines and flowers.
I’m not looking at those this time. I’m taking stock of her injuries. Or trying to, anyway. It seems she came out of the battle relatively unharmed. She’s caked in sand and dried blood, but I suspect much of it is mine. The scent of iron has filled my nose since last night, and if she’s injured, I might not be able to smell it. Even if I were in my wolf form, I’d likely just pick up on my own injuries.
“Were you hurt?” I ask, my voice suddenly gruff. I need to know before I touch her again. I should have made sure of it this morning, but the need to be inside her was impossible to ignore. Even now, I’m so hard it hurts.
She shakes her head but then rubs at her right arm, just beneath the shoulder, and cranes her neck in an attempt to see the back of it. “I think there’s a scratch or something on my arm.”
I close the distance between us in a single stride and turn her so her back is to me. I can’t see anything through the dark smears, so I take her hand in mine and lead her under the cascade of water. Being as gentle as I can with my now trembling hands, I wipe the area clean. Sure enough, there’s a shallow gash that could very well have been left by a sword, though she was far luckier than I was. Her wound is closing just fine on its own and won’t need stitches.
I lean forward and press my lips against it. The heavy ocean rain hits my head, flattening my hair and causing cool water to rush down my face. The water pooling beneath us turns to a brownish pink. I haven’t seen my reflection, but I can just imagine the state I’m in.
“Wait here,” I say, even though the mere thought of moving away from her is painful. She looks about ready to stop me, too, as I climb up the steps to collect the bottle of soap.
I lather some in my hands before rubbing it against Abby’s chest and shoulders, washing away all traces of war. The soap has an odd smell to it, and I can’t help but wonder if this too came from a sea creature. At least this one doesn’t sting.
“My turn,” she says, her voice breathless as she takes the bottle from my hands. The instant her fingers brush across my skin, I relax into her.
And then we’re kissing.
I don’t know how it happened or which one of us instigated it, but I don’t care.
My leg is beginning to hurt again, what with whatever that pain reliever was being washed away with the blood and sand, but I ignore it. Scooping Abby up in my arms, I carry her out of the stream of water. She wraps her legs around my waist and I can feel the jolts of pleasure that run through her whenever she presses herself deeper against my already throbbing cock.
Fuck, I need to take her. Right here, right now.
I look around, desperately searching for the most comfortable option for her. Nothing looks all that promising and with my leg…
“Quinn,” Abby gasps, and there’s so much need in her voice. My name was a plea.
“Floor?” My desperation matches hers.
“Stairs.”
Stairs? Before I can ask, she slips down my body, takes my hand, and pulls me to the stairs to her right. She gets on her knees, legs spread slightly, and leans forward, propping herself up on the steps.
From behind, then.
She’d climbed high enough that I can do this with minimal pressure to my leg, though I have to focus on keeping my balance as I drive into her.
We both gasp as I fill her this way for the first time, and then my name is on her lips again. “Quinn.” She’s begging now, and I feel it, too. We both need this to be quick.
I thrust into her. Again and again and again. Our rapid breaths match the same rhythm. I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out and I can feel through the bond that she’s biting hers.
I climax first, but it’s enough to send her toppling over the edge mere seconds behind me as the glorious bond between us melds our pleasure into one. I can barely catch my breath before her orgasm rips through me and nearly puts me on my ass.
When the twitching of my cock inside her stills, I slip out and slump next to her on the stairs. Water has pooled, lapping at the step just below where we sit, but neither of us move to shut it off. Instead, I pull her against me and secure her in my arms. If it were an option, I don’t think I’d ever let her go.
“What is happening to us?” Abby asks, breathless. “I wasn’t… I mean, I had no control.”
“It’s the bond. I think it’s safe to say this will happen a lot.” In all honesty, I have no idea, but it feels right. This feels right.
“It wasn’t like this before. I wanted you— needed you —but this…”
“The bond before was never real. This is. We’re starting fresh, which means all the side effects.”
“Like needing to fuck?”
I laugh. “Like needing to fuck.” I’m utterly exhausted, but I reach for the soap and set about washing Abby’s hair. I hope it won’t dry it out too much, but this is the only bottle in here, so I’m hoping it works just as well for hair.
“What else is there?” she asks after a while.
“I’m not really sure. I just know what I’ve read.”
“Which is?”
“I think it’s different for every pair, but we’ll be in each other’s head more. I read mates can sometimes share pain, so if one is injured, the other can split the sensation to make it more bearable. The details on that account were vague, as it was just a brief mention in a journal.”
I lean Abby back so that her hair dips into the pool of water and do my best to rinse it clean. Once I’m satisfied I got all the soap out, I ease her back up and she sets about wringing it out.
“Whose journal?” she asks, and I’m surprised she’s still thinking about it.
“I’m not sure. The entries were signed off as ‘Lia,’ but there was no other mention. Her mate’s name was Zye, but I don’t know who either of them were. The journal didn’t even have dates, though it wasn’t as worn as some of the older ones in Rosewood’s library.”
She watches me for a moment, as if waiting for something. “So, how do we do it?”
“Do what?”
“Share pain.”
My eyes narrow. “We have no reason to ever do that, unless you’re injured.”
She mirrors my expression. “You need to put more stuff on your leg. I can help.”
“I regret telling you about the journal.”
She swats at my arm lightly. “Quinn.”
“Let it go, Stabby.”
“I felt it earlier. Little jolts. I know we can do it. I just need to know how.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Lia didn’t know how. The mention of it was vague. It was a brief entry about childbirth and how her mate went through it with her. Took as much of it upon himself as he could while she brought their son into the world. Aside from saying she wasn’t sure if she could have done it without him, there was no mention of how he did it.” I don’t mention how the entry ended, even though it could only help my case.
“Well then, we’ll just have to try.”
“Abby—” before I can tell her no, she’s up and shutting the water off. She dries my leg with a towel with careful hands, expertly avoiding ripping the stitches, though I wince at the rough fabric. The healer had been right. The slime worked wonders and took all pain away—after the application. I was hoping not to do this again so soon and, for a moment, I consider just going without it.
“It can’t be that bad,” Abby scolds.
We’re definitely inside each other’s heads more than ever before. It’s not that we can hear each other’s private thoughts unless we’re speaking through the bond, but it’s easier to just know things. I’ll have to be careful what thoughts I let slip around her, at least until the whole wraith situation is dealt with.
“It’s not pleasant,” I admit. “Just give me the jar. We’re not sharing.”
She ignores me, of course, and takes a seat on the step beside me. I can feel her opening herself up to me and I consider shutting her out.
“Don’t you dare.”
I let out another sigh. I love this woman, but she can be infuriatingly stubborn. “It’s not that bad. There’s no need for this.”
“We need to practice. If it’s not that bad, then this is the perfect time.”
There’s no way I’m going to win. I can already see it now.
I hold still as she presses her forehead against mine, just as we did the very first time we opened ourselves to each other, enough to share more than just chosen thoughts. I breathe her in, scenting the strange soap on her skin, but under it is something almost floral. It’s a scent she’s carried on her skin ever since she became Terranous’s Chosen.
When the brutal sting returns, we both suck in a breath. It’s not as bad as I remember it, and there’s only one reason for that. The tremble of Abby’s hand as she applies the vile goo is all the confirmation I need that we can in fact share physical pain. The burning sends with it small bolts of lightning that shoot up my leg and into my gut, but then it vanishes just as it did the last time.
“You’re right,” Abby says, blowing out a breath. “That sucked.” She examines the jar as if it will tell her what vile creature produced such a thing, but there’s no label on it.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“You would do it for me.”
She’s right. I would. I would take it all for her.
I think for a moment about the journal and wonder if we’ll ever have a child. Or children. Gods, I’d never even imagined that would be a possibility for me.
“Where’s your mind?” she asks, tilting her head to one side as if that will better help her decipher my thoughts.
I flash her a teasing smile. “Can’t tell what I’m thinking?”
She shakes her head, wet hair swinging around her face, a lock of it getting stuck to her cheek. “I can sense your emotions, but they’re off. I can’t place it.”
“You won’t let it go unless I tell you, will you?”
She beams. “Never.”
I chuckle and run a hand through my drying hair. “I was just thinking that there might actually be a possibility of me doing for you what Zye did for Lia one day.” Her face is expressionless, so I continue. “I’m not saying I want us to have kids. I just never realized until this moment that it was an option for me.”
Her hand slips into mine. “No talk of children until we make the world better. I’m not bringing a child into this mess.”
“Agreed.” I can live with that. I don’t even know if I want kids. Me? A father? I’ve already fucked up Fern, and I wasn’t even trying to be a parent to her. “And marriage?” Abby gives me another look, so I put my hands up in front of me. “I’m just asking.”
She looks as if a thought suddenly occurs to her. “Isn’t there some sort of mating ceremony that’s supposed to happen?”
Where is she going with this? “I wouldn’t say it’s supposed to happen. I think the flower on my chest is enough to show we’ve already bonded.”
“But if we wanted to do something? Just to make sure it doesn’t break again?”
So that’s it. I don’t want her to marry me just because she’s afraid of losing me. I touch her face, running a thumb across her kiss-swollen lips. “It won’t. But we can ask about it if you want to be sure. I’m sure the bonded here will know.”
“I wish we could ask Tess.”
“She and Ruben never mated. They were mates, but it was rejected, in a way. They never had a ceremony.”
A flash of fear clouds her eyes, and I instantly regret mentioning the existence of rejected mates. “What if that happens to us if we don’t have one?”
“Let’s not worry about that now. We’ll ask.” I don’t think we need to worry about that ever. I don’t know for sure what happens if a ceremony isn’t performed, but we’ve chosen each other twice. I bear the same flower on my collarbone that she does. I don’t think the Gods themselves can break our bond now.
Death, however, might.
I lean in and kiss her before she can read the panic in my eyes. She kisses me back, and just as I’m readying myself to take her again, the city shakes.
Water sloshes violently around us. Both in the pool and the ocean slamming against the glass walls of this bubble.
And then, just as suddenly as it started, the waters stills.