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“Will I get fangs? Like you have?”
The question was so out of the blue that it made me blink. It took my mind a little too long to realize just what she’d asked me. “You have them, pet.”
She tilted her head slightly, almost as if it was required just to run her tongue along her teeth. Only a few seconds passed before she scoffed and shook her head. “Not like yours. Yours are…longer.”
I used that opportunity to brush her wet hair away from her neck and nip along the skin. “You still have a small sliver of humanity within you, pet. That will be erased when I am able to take you during one of the required tasks. Devouring that remaining piece might be all you need for those fangs of yours to grow.”
A hiss escaped her with every nip I delivered. “Promise?”
Tightening my hand against her throat, I used the pressure to leave her trembling. “Are you wanting to return the favor and use those fangs on me, pet? Do you feel the desire to leave a trail along my skin just like I have done to you?” I dragged my hand down, letting my nails scrape against her skin.
She shivered against me. “Yes, I do.”
“Then have faith that one more time is all it takes for them to be demonic. I was born with these. You weren’t. Patience.” I trapped her ear lobe in between my teeth and delivered a tug. “Now it is time for us to take off. I have one more place I want to take you before we go to the hotel.”
Those stunning gray eyes flickered toward me. “No more fights?”
It took me a moment to realize Quinn meant a physical fight like she’d witnessed tonight rather than a verbal one we’d shared. My expression softened. “No, pet… No more fights. I’ll never bring you to one of these again if that’s what you wish.”
Drawing in a slow breath, she turned in my arms so that she could gaze up at me. “I don’t mind them…just as long as you aren’t in it. Just promise me that much.”
I moved forward until I had her pressed up against the tile wall. “I swear it to you, Quinn Faxiss.”
Quinn was content to gaze up at me for several long minutes in silence, simply just taking in my own expression. After a moment, those lips finally curled into a gentle smile. “Thank you.” She rested her head against my chest.
Thank you.
QUINN
He heard me.
I couldn’t begin to describe just how much that meant to me when I was able to express how I truly felt about the last fight without the fear of retaliation. Several weeks ago, this probably wouldn’t have been my reality. Yet it went to show just how far we had both come since we uncovered the bond that we had already started forming.
“Don’t snuff out his light.” The same plea given to both of us by a man who only knew Asher. That didn’t stop the words from impacting me all the way to the depths of my soul. From what Asher had revealed, Salvatore had sought to change his mother until there was nothing unique left. Her light had gone out.
I shifted in my seat. The final place Asher had in mind required us to leave the borders for Vegas itself, taking us into the heart of the desert where not a damn thing could override the stunning beauty of raw nature. With the sun already beginning its descent, I could feel the chill in the air. While I was grateful for a break from the heat, the lack of bright lights from electronic signs really caught my attention.
The only thing that seemed to bring a touch of the modern world to the desert was a string of lights surrounding a large tent and a larger strobe light that would occasionally brush against the sign hanging over the entrance.
Kaia Family Circus.
Delighted chills trickled down my spine once my mind finally processed what Asher had brought me to see. I had never gotten to see any of the shows that happened to pass through Montana - not that humans were ever allowed in them to begin with. That didn’t stop my childhood heart from yearning for the chance to. Here I was, several decades later, peering up at the wide red and purple striped tent.
I could feel the energy in the car shift as Asher studied me closely. “Are you disappointed?” His voice was soft.
The edges of my lips twitched. Shaking my head, I pried my gaze loose from the stunning sight outside. “Far from it. I used to dream about going to the circus when I was young. My mother would mock me for it. Called it a pathetic dream that would never come to pass.”
All of the tension that had started to build up within his body dissipated immediately. The prince relaxed. “Good. I was…hoping you’d be pleased. This one has been in my mother’s family for generations.”
Aydin pulled the SUV up into a vacant spot not far from the tent itself. Those dark eyes flickered to every single mirror before he finally put it in park and shut the engine off. “I understand that this is another family business, sire, but this is far too open for me not to accompany you inside. I would prefer to remain close.”
“Not to worry.” Asher unbuckled and nudged his door open. “I’m sure she’s already planned ahead and gave you a seat.”
I nibbled on my lower lip as he slid out. Even if he drifted from my eyesight for a moment, it wasn’t long until he appeared on my side to tug the door open. I flushed slightly, quickly freeing myself so that he could help me out. As soon as I had left the warm SUV, the full brunt of the impending night chill brushed against me. I couldn’t stop the shiver from ripping through me.
I didn’t even realize what my demon was up to until the jacket engulfed my shoulders, his lingering body heat chasing away the chill before it could set in. Asher’s gentle smile grew as our gazes locked. “It’ll be warmer inside,” he promised. “The shows are usually pretty packed. Mother would always have to call ahead to let Primrose know we were coming just so she could reserve the seats for us.”
As his arm rested around the base of my back, my demon prompted me toward the tent entrance with a tense Aydin in tow. It took everything I had to walk calmly. My entire body was buzzing with excitement and I didn’t mind letting that energy leak into my aura. I felt like a child on Christmas, waking up to the one gift they’d been asking for for years. That didn’t stop the bounce in my step as we joined the others waiting to get inside.
