Arctic Fire 2 by Erica Stevens Page B

that bond did to Seanix when Angie died,” Quinn muttered. “And they never even completed it.”
    “Can you leave us?” Julian asked the others. “We’ll meet you at the bar shortly.”
    “Sure,” Lou said and flung the door open. He wouldn’t have been more eager to escape from a ticking bomb.
    “Good luck,” Chris said and slapped him on the shoulder as Julian followed him to the door.
    “Thanks,” Julian muttered.
    Luther stopped before him in the doorway, his gray eyes intent on him. “Hallway,” Luther said. Julian glanced back at Quinn before stepping into the hall behind him. “Once you get this straightened out, you really should consider her plan. This vampire has to be stopped before he destroys more innocent lives. I know Quinn is your number one concern, but she will blame herself for every one of those lives, and you know it. She’ll also blame you for keeping her from doing this.”
    Julian’s hand curled around the doorknob as he fought the urge to tear it free. “Shit!”
    “Shit is right. You can’t order her about and expect it to end well. It won’t. I don’t think being a mate assures you a happily ever after with each other, but working together and listening to her will go a long way toward doing so.”
    Julian really resented that Luther was always so reasonable and one of the wisest people he knew. Every instinct he had screamed at him to make Quinn bend to his will. She was the most important thing to him. Outside of her and his friends, he really didn’t have much concern for anyone else, but she did. She’d been through hell and still somehow had a big enough heart to love and care for others.
    “I’ll try,” he said.
    “That’s more than I’d expected,” Luther replied with a laugh.
    Julian smiled at him before stepping back inside and closing the door. He turned to take in an ashen-faced Quinn. Walking over to the couch, he settled beside her and took hold of her hand. “Did you know?” she inquired in a hushed voice.
    “I suspected a while ago. I knew the first time we were together.”
    Her eyes were the color of molten gold when she turned toward him. Her chocolate hair tumbled around her shoulders in waves, enhancing her pretty features. Reaching out, he rubbed the scar on her chin. Unlike the first time he’d tried to do this, she didn’t pull away, nor did she become angry.
    “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
    “Because I didn’t know what to say or how to go about telling you. I love you, Quinn. You love me. Surely, you suspected something more was happening between us when we both allowed the pathways to open between us during the blood exchange. I’ve never let such a thing happen before.”
    “My uncle is the only person I’d ever fed from before. At the time, he was dying, and all I felt was a mindless hunger for blood.” Tears shimmered in her eyes at the memory, but she blinked them away.
    Unable to resist trying to comfort her, he leaned toward her and pressed a kiss against her forehead. He brushed his fingers over her cheeks as he pulled away. “Forgive yourself, love. I’m sure he has.”
    “He would have, but…” Her voice trailed off.
    “It’s difficult, I know.”
    Her head tilted toward him. “Why did you never allow the pathways to open with another before?”
    “Because you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted to share the experience with. You made my heart beat again; I’m guessing that’s another sign of our bond.”
    Just as he’d hoped, she grinned at him.
    ***
    Quinn leaned against his side as she contemplated his words. She supposed she should be mad he hadn’t told her his suspicions earlier, but what would it have changed? She still would have had sex with him. She would never take that back. She still would have taken his blood; it had been irresistible to her and still was.
    The only way to avoid this happening would have been to have never met him, but that idea only made her heart and mind recoil.