Page 47

The shadows in the doorway shifted a second before Romulus came into the living room. Since we'd taken our new shape, he was less wary of us, but he still kept his eyes on me as he jumped onto the plush armchair near the fireplace. He'd been sleeping in Quinn's room most of the night.

The dog studied me with his usual intensity, his head slightly tilted. I couldn't recall much about dogs, but the way he stared at me seemed strange. Or maybe it was just Romulus who was strange.

"I'm not going to hurt him." I don't know why I felt the need to reassure the dog. He couldn't understand me anymore than I could understand him. The only thing we had in common was our unwavering loyalty to Quinn.

Romulus blinked but didn't move, still just staring at us. The beast grumbled, half-heartedly attempting to push to the forefront and return the stare, to gain dominance, but I held onto the reins, keeping him in check for the moment. Quinn wouldn't appreciate it if we got into a fight with his dog.

I should sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and there was a good chance everything would blow up in our faces once we told the other humans about us, so I needed to rest to ensure I could handle it. I knew that, but the restless agitation humming through my bones wouldn't let me relax.

I wanted to get up, to patrol the edges of Quinn's property and make sure nothing was out here with us. Even pacing the floor would help, but I couldn't. Not with the fresh bandages on my leg and shoulder. My right arm now rested in a sling against my bare chest, a visible sign of our injuries that the beast hated, but it helped. The broken bones and bullet holes would take a long time to heal, and our human said keeping the arm still would make it go faster, so we submitted and wore it.

With nothing else to do but stare at the wall and hope for sleep, I carefully got to my feet. Romulus watched me still but didn't stop me as I shuffled into the kitchen and out the back door. I might not be able to patrol like my beast wanted to, but I could at least take a look and make sure everything was alright. Perhaps it would allow me to relax enough to go to sleep.

The screeching alarm that tore through the tiny house sent a jolt of adrenaline surging through me, enough to ensure I wouldn't sleep for a week. The beast hissed in alarm and surged to the forefront, not strong enough to change forms but enough to yank control from me.

Sounds came from behind us, and we spun on our heel, prepared to attack, but the sight of our human froze us in our tracks.

Quinn's dark hair was sleep-rumpled, and he was close enough that we could feel his body heat, warm and soft from hours in his bed. Panic lingered in his eyes, but he slumped with relief when he saw us standing by the door. Hurrying past, with no fear of the predator currently controlling our body, he went to a small panel by the door and tapped a few buttons. A moment later, the screeching stopped, the silence echoing through the cabin.

"I should have told you there was an alarm on the doors. Sorry about that," Quinn said with a wince. "Did you need to go outside? You should be resting."

I tried to take back control, but the beast refused to yield, still on high alert from the sudden shock. Our muscles were locked tight, shaking with tension, ready to move at a moment's notice to protect what was ours.

"Typhon? Are you alright?" Quinn came back over, standing directly in front of us. There was no fear in his eyes when he looked up at us, only concern.

He does not need to fear us. We will never hurt him.

The beast's conviction was absolute. Unwavering. When I tried again to regain control, he brushed me away as easily as one would shoo away a fly. I could feel his agitation through whatever bond connected us. He was tired of my fear, my second-guessing, my insistence on being a weak human when we both knew we were more than that.

We couldn't respond to Quinn, not when I wasn't in control, and yet he still showed no signs of fear. The trust in his eyes shattered me. I didn't deserve it, but we would do whatever it took to earn it.

The beast reached out and I could only watch, a passenger in our shared body, as our hand brushed against Quinn's cheek. His eyes fluttered closed at the soft caress, and he leaned into it when we did it again.

We would never be a danger to our Quinn, but some primal part of us wanted more. We wanted him to carry our scent, so everyone would know he was ours. I couldn't even blame it on the beast, because I wanted it, too.

He didn't turn away from our touch when we gently cupped his face, but he opened his eyes again when we stepped closer, leaving barely an inch of space between us. The beast wanted to pull him against us, to wrap our body around him and protect him, but yielded to me this one time.

Quinn looked up at us, eyes dark with a swirl of emotions, but no fear or hesitation. A faint blush stained his fair skin and, in the darkness, I heard a soft hitch in his breath just before his hand came to rest on my chest, just over my heart. Our heart.

Ours. Our mate.

The gentle touch sent heat spiraling through our body and it took every shred of strength I had not to surrender to the beast and pull him close, to cover Quinn in our scent in every way possible. But when our human whispered the name he'd given us with an edge of need, I let the control slip. The beast and I were one when we leaned in and captured Quinn's lips in a soft kiss, and in that moment, we knew there was no going back or moving on from this man.

Quinn's arms came up around our shoulders, mindful of our injuries. Even now, in this breathless moment, he took care of us, and we would do the same.

If I’d ever kissed anyone else, I had no memory of it, but I still knew it couldn’t compare to this moment and the feel of Quinn’s warm lips on mine. Cupping his cheek felt as natural as breathing and the little shuddering breath he let out when I touched him sent warmth licking through our veins.

Quinn’s scent surrounded us. Fresh grass, new growth, the open sky and new beginnings. The beast wanted to wallow in it, combine our scents until everyone would know who we belonged to. I wanted it, too.

Gentle hands stroked up the back of our neck, hesitant at first, as if waiting for permission, before finally settling, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss.

That little show of confidence, something so rare for Quinn, turned the warmth in my blood into a fire, stoked higher when he let out the tiniest of moans. I needed this man. We needed him, in every way, in whatever way he would have us.

Without memories to guide me, I acted on instinct, teasing my tongue against his lips until he parted for me and we could finally taste him.

He tastes like ours.

A primal possessiveness surged through the beast, through us both. Still keeping one hand on his cheek, tilting his face just right, the other hand moved to his hip, tugging him closer. We needed to feel him against us, his soft body covered and protected by us.