Page 95 of Quintus

“Get his jeans off. We’ll put him into the bed and see if he can sleep it off. He may need more blood but I want to get him out of the damn shower first.”

Gabriella unzipped his pants, and tugged hard at the sodden jeans, until they peeled away. Still holding Hunter in his arms, the vampire shoved to his feet and scooped up the Alpha with a grunt. Gabriella reached for a couple of dry towels hanging on a rack and followed Quintus into the bedroom. As he set Hunter onto the bed, she handed him one and began to dry off her face.

“Do you have the vial?” she asked, concern painting her face as if she’d forgotten about what Kellan had given them.

“Yeah, yeah.” Quintus dug into his wet pocket and retrieved the cylinder. “Thank fuck it didn’t break.”

Gabriella began undressing. She peeled off her wet t-shirt and bra, then made quick work of shucking her panties and jeans. “Here. Give me your clothes. I’m going to put them in the dryer.”

“I can go get some new clothes,” he said. “But I don’t want to go anywhere until we know he’s all right.”

“No, I don’t think you should flash out of here for anything. We need to stay together. For as rustic as this place appears, I can tell by his fancy bathroom that he’s got a washer and dryer. Let’s use it.”

“Was it the ten thousand dollar toilet that gave it away?” Quintus laughed, unbuttoning his pants.

“I’ve only seen one of those in my lifetime. Fancy hotel in New York. Heated seats,” she laughed. “You’re right. If he’s got a bathroom like that out in the middle of the bayou, the man has a dryer.”

As Quintus reached for a towel, he pulled Gabriella to him. “This is all going to be okay.”

“I’m just glad we got the potion or whatever the hell it is. We have to text Samantha to let her know.”

Quintus pressed his lips to hers, tasting his mate. “I want you to know how much I care about you, Gabriella. You are everything.” His forehead rested against hers, lingering for moments before he reluctantly released her. She gave a sad smile and gathered the wet clothing, leaving the room.

Quintus glanced at the Alpha whose chest rose and fell steadily. They’d have to heal him further before going after Lilitu. Whatever mojo the fae performed had better work, he thought to himself.

He reached for the vial and held it up into the air, observing the luminescent flecks that sparkled within it. Hellfire. Jesus Christ. And Gabriella was supposed to ingest this shit? It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen crazier things work in his lifetime but never had it been for someone he cared about.

Gabriella returned to the bedroom, a white towel wrapped around her body. His heart tightened at the sight of her. His tough little wolf had dried her tears but her reddened eyes gave her away. He took her hand and brought her over to the side of the bed.

Careful not to disturb Hunter, Quintus lay back onto the mattress. Gabriella fell into his embrace and he wrapped his arms around her. The warmth of her lips brushed his chest and he reasoned he could stay like this for the rest of his life.

“You okay?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“I’m tired. I’m tired of running. I’m tired of the death,” she responded, her voice soft.

“Someday when this is all over, I’m taking you on a date.” Quintus gave a small laugh.

“A date?”

“Si. A date.” Quintus smiled as he felt the corner of her lip turn upward, her hand brushing over his chest. “I know this thing between us…it’s fate. It’s finding someone that you’re drawn to, but I want you to know I…” Love. “I care about you. I want a life for us.”

“We’re immortal.”

“But you deserve more. You deserve flowers. And dancing. Breakfast in bed.” He smiled.

“You miss being human, don’t you?” she asked.

“It’s not as though my life before being turned was easy. But I was brought up to believe certain things. A few thousand years go by and you still want the basics. A home. Someone to love.”

“A family,” she whispered. “I never really thought about it. My mom is gone. I don’t have anyone else.”

“You have me.”

“You wanted children didn’t you?” Gabriella asked.

“I gave up on that a long time ago. I’m vampire. I can do many things, but bringing a new life into this world isn’t one of them.” Quintus had accepted that he’d never have a child. A family wasn’t part of the equation. He’d sire other vampires, but that was the only gift he could give to others.

“I’m part witch. For now anyway,” she stated.