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Lover Tamed	By : Sarah_Wolfe Category: A through F > Black Dagger Brotherhood Views: 3499 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward, nor do I make any profit from this.

Chapter List
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Chapter 5

Qhuinn flopped onto his back breathing like he had just run thirty miles in under just as many minutes. His lungs were on fire and his ribs were cramped. Sweat flowed from every pore causing his hair and clothing to stick to his skin. The extra training that Wrath was making them go through was ridiculous. They had to work out for what felt like forever and after that the three boys had to spar with the brothers.

Qhuinn had just taken on Rhage and got his ass handed to him. Every part of his body was sore and he was sure that he would be black and blue from head to foot for a while. While the brother he had just fought seemed unfazed. His breathing wasn’t even labored.

“Don’t worry, my man. Hollywood is the best at hand to hand.” A hand entered Qhuinn’s field of vision. He looked up into Tohr’s face then accepted the offer of help up from the spongy blue mats.

“But you did well, Qhuinn. That’s it for today boys,” Rhage said.

Qhuinn could feel his body sag in relief when he reached his shower and stood under the spray of water. Even though his muscles were shaking with exhaustion, washing away all the grime and stickiness from working out felt great. The water even helped soothe the tightness in his back and limbs.

After the shower he threw on some sweatpants and a tee shirt. At least the brothers going out fighting gave them a reprieve from getting their asses kicked. Qhuinn knew John and Blay were fairing no better than he. They had been on the receiving end of the same kind of ass beating.

He flopped down in his bed in an exhausted heap of flesh. The television offered little that interested him as he flicked through the hundreds of channels and found only infomercials and old movies. He shut the TV off with a sigh after finding nothing that immediately captured his attention.

The rumble in his gut told him he was hungry. Groaning the whole time, Qhuinn crawled out of bed with the mission to find something to eat. In the kitchen he found he wasn’t the only one with an appetite. Sitting at the table eating were Blay and Evelyn. They were both talking quietly until she looked up and spotted him in the doorway. Doc Jane must have given her something to wear because she was decked out in a set of green scrubs.

“What’s up,” he addressed her and his best friend.

“Hey,” Blay greeted in return.

“Hi,” she replied in a whisper so low he had to strain to hear it. She averted her eyes from his to the plate of fruit salad she had sitting in front of her, finding more interest in a strawberry than him. Or perhaps she was still mad about what had happened at Zerosum.

Not really in the mood to chat, Qhuinn went over to the refrigerator and pulled out all the things to make two turkey sandwiches. While he made himself something to eat, the other two kept quiet and ate their food. Though no one said anything, it was quite clear that something was pressing in on them. After fixing the two sandwiches, Qhuinn sat down at the table across from them both. Blay was the one to break the thickening silence.

“How long do you think Wrath is going to keep us on the new training regiment?” he asked.

Qhuinn shrugged. “Hell if I knew,” he said biting into his sandwich.

Eve looked a little anxious even though she was still staring at her fruit. She plucked a piece of honeydew off her plate and placed it in her mouth. She chewed slowly as if putting all her concentration into tasting the melon’s sweet nectar.

“So I guess Wrath is letting you stay,” Qhuinn murmured around a mouthful, peering at her.

The female finally looked up from her dish and at him. “Um, not exactly.”

His pierced brow arched up. “Well, you’re still here, aren’t you?”

“Not that it’s any choice of mine,” she snapped, pushing the last of her fruit away. “Believe me, had I been given the option to, I’d be so out of here.”

“Trust me. We don’t want humans hanging around here anymore than you want to be here,” he pushed back, forgetting the apology he was going to offer. Something about her anger seemed to trigger his, and he could not stop it from boiling up.

Blay’s eyes widened slightly as he looked back and forth between them. “Maybe you guys should cool it a little. There is no need for all this hostility between the two of you. You might be living together after all.”

“Might be?” Qhuinn looked over at Blay, eyebrows furrowed.

“I have the choice to live here or to be executed,” she told him.

“Couldn’t they just wipe her memory clean and send her on her merry way?” he asked.

“It wouldn’t work with her. First off, it’s no longer short term memory. She isn’t exactly human anymore, so that doesn’t help matters. Her resistance is going to be stronger than a regular human. And the entire trauma of being attacked would prevent most of the memories from being scrubbed,” Blay said matter-of-factly.

“I would not want any of you crawling around in my head ripping pieces of my life away, good or bad.” She was on the offence again, the tension already swirling in the air becoming as viscous as tar.

Qhuinn glared at her from across the table, his rage culminating right alone with hers. “You wouldn’t remember it.”

“That’s not the point. You have no business altering people’s lives!” Eve argued, her voice raising an octave with each word.

“If it’s for a good cause –”

“Protecting your own ass is not a good enough excuse for me. You better come up with something better than that,” Eve bit out, effectively cutting Qhuinn off.

“This is Bullshit! You know nothing about the vampire race, yet you sit there and judge our methods,” Qhuinn retorted, his voice rising as well.

“When it involves me I have every right to judge. How would you like it if humans abducted and held you against your will? How would you like it if you suddenly lost everything and everyone you ever loved? I was just trying to do what I thought was right. Big mistake that turned out to be because I have nothing now thanks to you. Just this hellhole.” She held her hands out and motioned around the surrounding room.

“We could have left you to die in that back alley all alone. But we took you with us. We saved your goddamned life!” he growled through clenched teeth, his fangs elongating with his seething rage.

“Qhuinn!” Blay reached over and put his hand on his friend’s arm but Qhuinn tugged it away.

Eve laughed though it held no joy, only bitterness. “I’d say we are a bit even in that department, wouldn’t you?”

“We didn’t ask for this,” Qhuinn hissed.

“Neither did I,” Eve whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She bowed her head, trying to hide them. With a sniff, she reached her hand under the curtain of hair and wiped them away. “Jesus Christ,” she uttered. “Blay?”

“Yeah?” He seemed to approach her question warily, as if anything he said would set either Qhuinn or her off.

“I want you to know even with everything that has happened since, I’m not sorry that I saved you. I’m glad that you’re alive. I just wish it were a smaller price I had to pay,” she confessed.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all of this because of me. If I had just –”

“No, Blay. You don’t have to apologize. It’s not going to change anything. I’ll still be in the same position I was a day ago. No matter how much I want to, there is no going back. If there is any bright side to this whole fiasco, it’s that we both got out alive, right? And right now, I don’t want to dwell on what could have been,” Eve said looking up into his light blue eyes. Her own still held tears that clung to her thick lashes.

Blaylock tried to comfort her. He reached out and ran a hand up and down her back. After a nervous smile stretched his lips he spoke. “You’re sort of like my rahlmen.”

“Your what?” she asked, looking dubious.

“Rahlmen. It’s like a savior,” he explained. His smile grew wider, brightening his whole face. “A guardian angel is what you are, Evelyn.”

Eve shook her head then snickered. “I think you had better get a refund, there, Blay. I’m not much of a guardian, and even less of an angel it seems,” she finished sadly.

“What do you say we all go watch a movie?” When there was another stretch of silence, the redhead pleaded the case. “It will be fun, and it will take our minds off of everything that has happened the past few days.”

“I just want to go back to my room,” Eve moaned tiredly.

Blay got up from his seat, grabbed both their dishes. “Oh, come on.” He threw the remains away and put the plates in the sink. “Just watch a movie with us. There’ll be popcorn,” he persuaded gently.

It was small but Eve smiled for the first time since Qhuinn had met her. It lit her face and she seemed genuinely pleased for a moment. Something stirred in him at seeing that little bit of hidden happiness transform her. Whatever it was, Qhuinn tamped the feeling down. It was something weird and unfamiliar. To be honest, it scared the hell out of him.

“Okay, fine. I’ll go watch the stupid movie with you, but only because you made me,” she grumbled.

Blay then turned his brilliant blue gaze toward him. “What say you, Qhuinn?”

Qhuinn mentally shook himself then polished off the last of his sandwich. “I guess,” he said around a mouthful of food.

Quiet filled the room while they sat there. They stewed in the diminishing tension until Eve spoke up and shattered it. “Qhuinn, can I talk to you for a moment alone?” Eve asked in a muted tone.

He gave her a bland look. “About…”

“About what happened at the club. Blay’s right. We might be living together so need to clear the air between us on that issue. It’s not going to do us any good to go on hating one another.” At this point Blay took the hint and gave the pair their privacy.

“I’ll be in the theater helping John set everything up. Qhuinn, you can show her the way, can’t you?” Blay inquired.

“Yeah, sure.” That is if they didn’t have another blow out and ended up killing each other.

With a short jerk of his head, the redhead disappeared around the corner in the blink of an eye. Now alone, the tension thickened into something almost tangible. It pressed against them, heavy and suffocating. Mismatched eyes settled on Eve, expecting her to say her piece. She shifted back and forth on her feet trying to form words into what she wanted to say.

“Well…” Qhuinn had grown tired of the ever expanding silence. She was sitting there like a bump on a log and he wanted to push her in the right direction. Even though they had all the time in the world at the moment, it didn’t mean he wanted to waste it with her fidgeting about.

“I…want to apologize for what I said to you. It was uncalled for and I didn’t mean to make you so angry. It wasn’t you I was pissed off at. I shouldn’t have said such nasty things. And I want to apologize for snapping at you a few minutes ago as well. I tend to make a habit out of being overly defensive. I’ll try to work on that so it makes living together more…manageable.”

A loud breath escaped through his parted lips as he ran a hand through his mussed dried hair. He could tell that she was sincere in her apology. Qhuinn felt like he had no choice but to offer up one of his own. “Listen, about that, I didn’t mean what I said either. It was grossly inappropriate. I can overact sometimes, too. So we cool?”

Eve gave him a friendly smile as the strain weighing them down dispersed. “We cool.” He held out his fist to her and with slight hesitation she reached out with a small – almost tiny – fist and tapped her knuckles against his.

The conversation had Qhuinn feeling better. The hostility between the two of them must have weighed more on his conscious than what he was willing to admit.

He stood up from the table and took his empty plate to the sink then strode over next to Eve. Pushing out his elbow, he offered the girl his arm. “So, let’s go and watch a movie, shall we?”

~*~

The guilt that she had been shouldering was lifted with resolution. Eve could breathe a bit easier with at least one of her problems solved. She didn’t need any more conflict in her life right now, especially over something so petty. She was glad that they had worked things out so quickly, that he wasn’t going to holding some grudge against her.

Eve looked at the arm that was offered. After a pause she took it and was led out of the kitchen that was big enough to seat the entire army of some small countries. The lovely foyer beyond still took her breath away. The spectacular mural painted on the ceiling was Sistine Chapel beautiful. The depiction was of fierce warriors – most likely vampire warriors – astride horses in battle.

“You know, no matter how many times I look at it I don’t think I’ll ever get over how amazingly gorgeous this place is. Blay took me on a little tour earlier and I just can’t believe some of the art in this place. It’s like you are living in some kind of museum. It’s…crazy!” Her head tilted upward as she took in the scene on the ceiling, only looking away to mount the steps to the second floor.

“Are you some kind of artist of something? You did a drawing of Blay at the club so I figured…” he let the sentence trail off.

Eve’s expression brightened at the question. “Yes, I am. Being a freelance artist doesn’t really pay well all the time so I also teach a few classes at a studio. Nothing big or anything; I just show the students how to handle different mediums and such. Ever since I was a child it has been something I’ve wanted to do. I’m lucky to have…” She stopped suddenly and was no longer being lead by Qhuinn.

He paused midstride, turning to look at her. “Are you okay?” he asked when he caught what was doing on her face. She felt absolutely lost then, overcome like a frightened child alone in the dark. She felt ancient and tired. It was suddenly harder to breathe. Something in her chest constricted and emotion swelled in her throat. Eve looked at him, but doubted there was any of her normal animation burning in her gaze, only exhaustion. She probably looked like she hadn’t gotten much sleep in a long time with the dark circles she knew were under her eyes. They stood out starkly against the pale parlor of her skin. Even with the youthful face, she seemed to aged beyond her years in the last day or so. Qhuinn switched his eyes from her defeated, haunting stare, choosing to focus his attention on something other than that defeated look.

Eve shook her head, the long waves of silver and black trembling with the movement. “It just hit me, I mean really hit me. I’ve lost…everything. Knowing I can’t ever go back to my old life, knowing that the people I love won’t know what has happened to me, I just…” She let out a tiny gasp of defeat. “I can’t help but to think of all the times I took for granted. You never think of tomorrow and all the bad things that could happen. There are just so many regrets. It’s eating me up. I should have hugged my mother more and told her that I loved her. I should have been a better daughter. There were times when I was so horrible to her.” She hiccupped on a sob. “I wish I had one last chance to apologize for the damaged relationship that we had. If only I had tried harder to mend the gap. It makes me feel guilty to accept the offer to stay here. She will never know what happened to me; there will be so many unanswered questions. My mother has already been through so much. I don’t know how I could live with myself without this…this guilt consuming me. The only other choice I have is death. Choosing death would feel like the worst kind of betrayal but at least she would have closure. I don’t know what to do.” She squeezed her eyes shut then brought her arms up to wrap around herself as if fending off a chill.

A strong hand gripped her shoulder warmly, lending a supporting comfort. “Hey. I think your mother would want you to live. Even if she doesn’t know where you are, if she loved you she would want you to be alive and well, right? You never know, one day you might be reunited. Wrath might even be lenient enough to let you see her again to say goodbye.”

She looked up into intense green and blue eyes. “I seriously doubt that. His number one priority is to keep you all safe. I see where he is coming from and I don’t blame him for doing it. I know what would happen if your existence is made known to the public.” Eve stamped her naked foot and raked a hand over her face. “I should have just trusted my instincts and stayed away from that stupid fucking club. This whole debacle wouldn’t have happened. Not one little bit of it.”

“Are you so sure about that? We can’t choose the way we were born into this world. Sometimes you’re dealt a shitty hand in life. But it’s what you do with it that counts. Maybe this is the universe’s way of giving you a second shot, a new chance at a different life. Or maybe you were just meant to be here. You shouldn’t dwell on the what-ifs and if-onlys. Like what you said. What’s done is done. Now all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. The first steps are always the most unsure and shakiest but walking a new path will become easier. Just remember, behind the thunderclouds the sun is always shining, and all that philosophical bullshit.” He stopped and the sides of his mouth tilted up slightly. “My point is everything happens for one reason or another. Even if we don’t see it or feel it at the time, there is always something positive in the bad situations we find ourselves in. Sometimes you have to hold on a little longer and look a little deeper to find them. You are no coward. This I am sure of. You’ll make it, Eve. You’re a fighter, a survivor by nature. Hell, you took down three of our enemies by yourself, and that’s no easy feat for any of us. You pulled a Jesus with that resurrection bit.” His tone became sprightly, the playfulness reaching his serious eyes. “So within my infinite wisdom, my advice to you would be to take the king’s offer and live with us. Seize this new life that has been given to you.”

Eve closed her eyes and swallowed around the lump in her throat. This conversation remaindered her of the one she had had for her father. She had promised him that she would live for him as well. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Qhuinn was still looking down at her. He truly believed in his words. The assuredness and steadiness in his voice convinced her of this, but it was hard to take it all in with any sort of ease of mind. There were just too many doubts she had at the moment. Her judgment was slowly becoming poisoned with regret and sorrow.

The large hand on her shoulder slipped down her back and pulled her to a large body. Eve clung to the comfort like ivy to a wall, wrapping her arms around Qhuinn. He was warm and gentle as he held her, stroking her lower back softly. Eve realized then that she was trembling. The little quakes travelling up her spine and spreading through her body had her squeezing her eyes shut. She had to get a hold of herself. Taking a deep breath, she tried to get herself under control.

The warmth she got from his body soothed her. Reluctantly, she broke the embrace from the vampire. “Thank you,” Eve said. “Who would have thought you and I would be on speaking terms let alone hugging a day or so ago. Talk about the world working in mysterious ways,” she joked.

Qhuinn flashed a mischievous fanged grin. “I knew you liked me. You were just hiding it under all that disdain and sarcasm, right?”

Eve snorted but she couldn’t stop herself from returning the smile. “And I would have never taken you to be so rational and kind. Behind all that cheekiness and playboy attitude and muscles,” she poked him in his solid chest, “is an okay guy.”

He chuckled then tugged at her sleeve, urging her to follow him once again. “We better get a move on or they’ll send out a search party.”

Like everything else in the house the theater wasn’t any less lavish. Plush leather seats were big enough to lie down in. The screen was as big as what you would get in an actual movie theater. Hell, there was even a popcorn maker that was snap, crackle, and popping away with fresh kernels. John and Blay were standing next to a wall case full – absolutely jammed pack – with DVDs. Their heads turned as soon as the two had come into the dimly lit room. Little orange lights illuminated the aisles making it easier to navigate.

“There you guys are,” Blay said, looking a little worried. “Everything cool with you two?”

“Peachy, peachy keen. We kissed and made up,” Qhuinn teased waggling his eyebrows at her. Blay groaned and John smiled from behind him.

“You are hopeless, you know that?” Eve muttered rolling her eyes.

“What kind of movie would you like to watch? They are separated by genre and in alphabetical order if you want to have a look,” Blay told her, his hand sweeping toward the enormous collection.

“Please don’t make us sit though some girlie romance movie,” Qhuinn begged.

She smiled. “What, no Titanic or Gone with the Wind for you boys?”

There was a collective groan.

Eve shook her head with a laugh. “I’m kidding. I’m not big on the whole romance thing. I’m game for anything horror, especially if there are zombies in it. I’m cool with anything you guys want to watch, really.”

Eve stifled a yawn as the boys went searching though the library of films. She hadn’t really gotten any sleep since waking up here about two days ago, and anytime she did, her mind would reenact the scene in the alley. She’d wake up in a cold sweat, a scream burning in her throat, the pounding in her chest almost too painful.

“Eve?” Blay called out, getting her attention.

She looked up to find John holding up a plastic case in front of her face. It was the original Night of the Living Dead. Eve hadn’t seen it in years and was actually looking forward to it.

“Nice choice. I couldn’t pass up watching a classic,” she told them.

Qhuinn clapped his hands together. “All right, let’s get some grub and let the movie roll.” While John put the movie on, the rest of the group went over to the candy bar. There was just about anything and everything you could possibly want. “You can have anything you want. What’s your pleasure, madam?” the vampire asked, tapping on the glass that displayed all the sweet eats.

By the time they were all done picking out what they wanted, they had arms loaded with candy, popcorn, nachos, big soft pretzels, and soda. “Jeez, you guys can sure put away the food. Common vampire lure says all you guys consume is blood. Ha! If only they knew about the grocery store that washed it all down. People should be more worried about you eating them out of house and home than actually eating them.”

“Hey! Are you calling us fat?” Qhuinn shrieked with false outrage.

Eve chuckled softly as she sat down next to him in the squishy, soft leather. “Fat, no; bottomless pits, yes.”

He shrugged. “It takes a lot of fuel to run this big engine.”

“I guess so.” She shook her head in disbelief. “And here I am sitting with some vamps, casually watching a movie. And this by far is the most normal thing that has happened to me all weekend.”

“At least you can say it hasn’t been boring,” Blay spoke from beside her.

“True, but I could settle for boring right about now,” she muttered.

They all quieted down once the beginning credits started to roll. Eve nibbled at the popcorn and the Swedish Fish, not really watching the movie. Her mind was preoccupied with what she had to do. Next time she got a chance to speak with Wrath she would accept his offer to live here. She would buy her time until she found a way to leave. But at least she didn’t feel so much like she was trapped in a den of sharks strapped in a meat suit. There was Lassiter and Blay that she thought she could trust. And maybe Qhuinn and John could join that list, too.

~*~

Michael Zimmerman fished into his nearly empty pockets and pulled out a few crumpled dollar bills. He threw them on the counter then snatched up the Caldwell Courier Journal. He didn’t stick around for the change or receipt before heading back to his POS car. When he was back behind the wheel he checked the front page. There was a huge article about some small earthquake that shook the city but caused no damage. There was a smaller article about some crooked politician’s arrest for tax fraud. But he found nothing on a back alley murder. Not even a story about a girl being found stabbed anywhere.

There was abso-fucking-lutely nothing.

Someone would have to have found the body by now. It was in broad daylight at a construction site downtown in a busy city. Someone was bound to notice the body of a dead girl…unless those vampire bastards took her with them and probably fucking saved her.

In a rage Mr. Z tossed the paper in the back seat. He slammed his fists against the steering wheel of the rust bucket he was in, frustrated with the whole goddamned world. Why couldn’t things work out in his favor for once? He wanted to be sure she was finally dead. His life was shit now because of her. He was stuck in this lifestyle of being a slayer. The murdering wasn’t the problem. It was the fact that he was no longer free to do it on his own terms. He had a Fore-lesser to answer to now, and if he didn’t do what the bastard said there would be hell to pay.

Mr. Z had tried rebelling before. That turned out to be a huge mistake. The Fore-lesser caused him unbelievable pain without so much as raising a finger. The bastard even enjoyed it, too. He had laughed as Mr. Z had lain distorted in agony. If he could ever get away with it, he would be the next victim on his hit list. It may not matter in the long run, but seeing that motherfucker pay would be a revenge so sweet. Those in power are bound to become corrupt sooner or later, especially if they were sick son-of-a-bitches to begin with like most of those that start out in the Lessening Society. Fore-lessers were no different. And lately there had been a lot of changes in their power structure. Hell, maybe Mr. Z wouldn’t have to put up with his boss for much longer if the trend continued.

As he was about to pull out onto Trade Street his cell phone went off. He pulled the Blackberry out of his coat pocket and cursed.

“Goddamn it,” Mr. Z muttered when he read the caller I.D. It was the Fore-lesser . “Hello,” he said through gritted teeth when he spoke into the phone.

“Mr. Z, where are you? You should be here questioning your prisoner. Not lollygagging about!” the voice bellowed through the earpiece.

“B-but I-I was…” the lesser stammered.

“I do not want excuses!” the boss hissed in a low, deadly tone.

“Yes, sir. I’ll be there in a little while.”

“Ten minutes. You have ten minutes to get here. Take longer than that and I will make sure you regret defying me,” he warned in that same cold, serial killer tone.

“I’m on my way right now, sir.” Mr. Z had to bite his tongue in order to choke out the words he really wanted to say. What he really wanted to tell the Fore-lesser was to eat shit and die.

The line went dead.

After slipping the phone back into his jacket, Mr. Z pulled out into traffic and sped down the busy road hoping for no traffic jams or active school zones to slow him down. Mr. H, the Fore-lesser, always followed through with his threats. And Mr. Z had no desire what so ever to be turned inside out, broken, and put back together again. He might be dead, but he was still capable of feeling pain and suffering just like the living.

Getting to one of the shitty houses they used as a place for interrogation in ten minutes wasn’t the only thing the slayer had to worry about. Now that there was a possibility of Eve being alive, he had to try and find her. The bitch needed to die for his closure. Taking her bratty little brother’s life had not been enough. He wanted them all to die, starting with Eve. What he would not do to tear out her heart and soak himself in her blood.

After he got the girl he would then go after the mother. Yes, he would get Dina, too. That whore had chosen everything over him. She was supposed to love him, yet she took her daughter’s side over his. She had betrayed Michael Zimmerman and made a fool out of him. He had loved her, he really had. But after all that she and her disgusting spawn had put him through, she deserved to endure as much heartache and suffering before he choked the life right out of her. They were the ones that wrecked him. The ones that had been his life’s undoing. They were the ones that had gotten away.

The Lessening Society and the vampire hunting had made him forget everything about his human life. But all those feelings had come back when he had seen the sweet, virtuous face of little Evey Chambers. Too bad he was impotent. He wouldn’t mind destroying her innocence all over again, breaking her into something ugly and bitter; turning her into a monster like he was. In time, he would get his revenge and lay waste to the enkindled ghosts plaguing his conscious.

~*~

The movie was halfway over when Qhuinn felt a faint tap on his shoulder. He looked over to find a black and silver head resting on it. One quick look and yep, Eve was passed out cold. She looked peaceful and vulnerable; how an angel was supposed to look. It was a great contrast from all the scowling that normally adorned her features when she was awake. Her thick, long lashes rested against her cheeks and full lips were slightly parted. It was the first time he had looked at her with something other than utter annoyance or pity.

Well, I’ll be damned, he thought. She actually is cute.

With a lopsided grin, he reached into his half empty popcorn container. A particularly bloody scene playing out on the big screen captured Qhuinn’s attention once again. The movie hadn’t been a bad idea. It actually did improve his mood some. But it had only been a few days since they were placed under a sort of house arrest. By the end of the coming week, he was so going to be on edge. With sex and fighting in the off-limits category, he was going to be absolutely insane. Sure there was always the training with the brothers, but there was no better stress reliever like killing the enemy.

If there was one thing that he totally enjoyed doing it was finding a couple of hot-and-willings at the club then showing them a good time in one of the bathrooms. Sometimes he went at it alone, but lately he has had a little extra company. John hadn’t been interested in sex a for awhile. After some sort of falling out with Xhex, the object of his desire, John had been joining him in his sexual excursions, participating in the group sex with the human women. Though John was strictly straight, Qhuinn had dabbled in sex with other males. It was rare, but it did happen on occasion. Sex was sex to him; he just rolled with the flow. It didn’t really matter who was involved. Casual, anonymous sex was best. No unnecessary attachments or complications. Because he was vampire, he didn’t have to worry about contracting sexually transmitted diseases. And another plus side to being a vamp was that his acute sense of smell was able to pick up if a female was ovulating or not, so pregnancy was avoidable.

Because of his promiscuity, Qhuinn believed that he would never settle down with just one person for the rest of his natural life. His soul was like a tempest, restless and ever changing. He could never see himself eternally bound to a life mate – a shellan – giving up his wild ways just to stick by the side of the one he loved. He had never been in love. Qhuinn shuddered at the word and never planned on ever doing it. The only kind of affection he had ever gotten while growing up had been malicious, ugly, and abusive. He wasn’t even sure if he was capable of love.

Qhuinn took a sideways glance at the redheaded male on the opposite side of Eve. His best friend had once confessed his love for him. Blaylock was a male of worth. He deserved more, so much more, than he would get in a relationship with him. Qhuinn was sure he would cause nothing but heartache. It would obliterate their friendship and any other bond between them. He wouldn’t know what to do if he hurt Blay in any way and his best friend was suddenly no longer in his life. They had been thick-as-thieves close for as far back as he could remember. It was such a precious and cherished thing. Blay had been one of the very few that had accepted Qhuinn in the imperfect package that he came in. He was so not willing to destroy that kind of connection.

He could already feel the beginnings of a rift dividing them after their kiss a little while back though. And while it had been momentous, it had just been one kiss that had complicated things and changed the nature of their relationship. It was no longer just a friendly smile that Qhuinn saw when Blay looked at him. There was nervousness, attraction, and sometimes raw lust.

As if Blay knew that a certain mismatched stare was upon him, he flicked his gaze from the enormous screen to Qhuinn’s. With a blush, Blay let his eyes slip first to the sleeping little angel between then back to the movie that was now in the final stretch.

As the movie played out to the credits Blay nodded in Eve’s direction. “It looks like we have a casualty. I’ll take her up to her room.”

“She’s still shacking up in Lassiter’s room?” Qhuinn inquired.

“Yeah,” Blay answered quietly.

“If you guys finish cleaning up in here, I’ll take her up. I need to stretch out anyway. It feels like Rhage tenderized my whole body with that beat down he gave me. Next time, one of you guys gets to take him on.” Qhuinn rose from his seat after carefully moving Eve’s head back to her own seat, not wanting to wake her.

“What gives? A few hours ago I would have said you hated her.” Blay’s eyes darted between Qhuinn and the sleeping girl. “Does this sudden change in attitude have to do with whatever the two of you talked about?”

Mismatched eyes rolled. “Don’t be dramatic. I didn’t hate her. I just didn’t like her very much. And besides, it’s not as if we are BFFs or anything. We decided it would be best to put the club thing behind us and start fresh.”

“Uh huh, right, just as long as you don’t try to pull any of your usual stunts with her. If she is going to be living with us it will make things difficult to say the least,” Blay warned.

Qhuinn raised his eyebrow at his friend, giving him an indignant look. “You don’t have to worry about that. She is so not my type.”

“I didn’t think you had a type just as long as they were on their backs.”

“Ah, ha, ha, ha, very funny. She is the absolute opposite of what I would go for. She’s loud and too opinionated. I don’t need someone yakking away at me while I’m trying to do my thing,” he sneered.

“By the time our jail sentence is up, I think you’ll be ready to stick it in anything with a hole.”

“I’m crushed. After all our years of friendship, and that is all you think of me, a man-whore?” Qhuinn said clutching his chest in mock shock and hurt.

Blay shook his head and smiled. “You know that it’s true enough.”

Qhuinn showed his white teeth in a brilliant grin. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I like sex. Sue me.”

“Make sure you keep it in your pants around her. Lord knows we don’t need any more drama in this house.” Blay started collecting the empty wrappers and other debris from the food and snacks.

“Jeez, afraid I’m gonna lure her into a dark corner and jump her bones? What’s with this over protectiveness with her anyway? Is it because she saved you or something?” Qhuinn handed him his half empty cup. The ice rattled, filling in the pregnant pause as it was taken. Then he looked at his best friend with a mischievous smirk. “You don’t have a crush on her, do you?”

“No, I just know how you are. And I know enough about Eve to know she is not that kind of female. We’ve sort of developed a friendly relationship, and although she tends to be a bit cold, I think she is pretty okay to be around.”

“Oh, I see. You’re casting me aside and making her your new BFF, huh? Well, please make sure she keeps her insanity to herself.”

I bet that insanity is going to be looking pretty good by the end of this week, John signed, joining in on the razzing.

“Not you too, John,” Qhuinn groaned.

“See, John hasn’t known you for as long as I have and he has already called your card,” Blay said, clapping John on the back.

“Tomorrow I’m going to ask if I can kick both of your asses in training,” Qhuinn said in a halfhearted threatening tone.

Both John and Blay laughed, one silent and the other slightly muffled. “Oh, I accept the challenge, my friend.”

“You might as well already consider your asses grass, boys. And I’ll be the motherfucking lawn mower.” The three comrades shared another round of laughter before carrying on with their tasks.

Qhuinn looked down at Eve sleeping away in the big leather chair. She was really zonked out, but who wouldn’t be after all the stuff she had went through the past few days. Though he didn’t much care for her attitude problem, he had to admit that she definitely was a strong character. Some of the things he had said to her had been the truth even if he did give that little speech just to make her feel better.

Slipping one arm underneath her legs and back, Qhuinn delicately picked her up, hoping that his touch didn’t wake her. But she was out like the dead. Cradling her to his large chest, he walked out of the theater, and then to the hall of statues. Lassiter’s room was right next to Tohr’s so the angel could keep a close eye on his charge. He rarely spent time in it since he never slept. The angel usually spent his free time watching TV down in the billiards room.

The door was slightly ajar so Qhuinn used his foot to push the door open. With his mind he lit a few candles to cut through the blackness in the room even though he could see perfectly well in the dark. It was mostly for Eve’s benefit in case she woke up in the middle of the night with no light. He didn’t know how well she could see when it was dark and didn’t want to take the chance that she could.

He set the sleeping girl in the middle of the big bed. The sheets and blanket had already been pulled down so he reached over her to grab them. Before Qhuinn could get them, Eve’s body jerked and she bolted upright out of bed. She noticed him leaning over her, and in her frenzied awakening she yelped and punched at him.

“Hey! Hey!” Qhuinn shouted, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her enough to wake her. “It’s me.”

Eve stopped swinging her arms and blinked in surprise. “Qhuinn?” she questioned. Then she looked around at her surroundings, taking in the familiar bedroom.

“Yeah, and what the hell? You didn’t have to hit me. I was just taking you to your room ‘cause you passed out during the movie,” he huffed, letting go of her.

“I’m sorry. I…had a bad dream, and when I woke up I seen your shadow leaning over me.” She sighed, taking a deep breath. “I didn’t know it was you.” Eve buried her head in her hands and raked them over her face, like she was trying to scrub away a memory. He didn’t miss the trembling of her arms.

“Every time I go to sleep I’m back in that alleyway, but things are always worse. This time I wasn’t able to get to Blay in time. I could only watch those bastards killed him. There was nothing I could do, but scream.”

“You still seem pretty shaken. Are you sure you’re alright?” Genuine concern filled his eyes as he continued to return her gaze.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine once I get my wits about me and wake up fully.” She rubbed the bleariness out of her eyes and stretched her limbs.

“Alright, well I guess I’ll leave you to it.” Qhuinn turned toward the door. Just as he reached out for the handle Eve called out to him.

“You know, you could have just awoken me. You didn’t have to carry me. But thank you for taking me to bed.”

Qhuinn nodded then turned one of his famous playboy smiles on her. He was about to say something totally inappropriate about her last remark, but he stopped himself before he let his tongue roll. Just by looking at her he could tell that she was still quite unraveled. Now was not the place or the time. And if he said something like that she’d probably cause another fight between them. So he heeded Blay’s advice and stayed away from it. Who knew how long they would be living together, and Qhuinn wanted it to be as peaceful as can be for as long as it could.

The smile fell from his lips and he looked down at the floor. “Yeah, you’re welcome. You have a goodnight, okay?” Without waiting for a reply he turned the knob and left.
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Lover Tamed