Kit threw himself at Quin, heedless of their audience. Quin’s arms went under his bum to hold him in place as Kit’s arms twined around Quin’s neck.
“Are you sure that it’s not too soon?” Kit asked, searching Quin’s face for the truth.
Quin smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “It’s only forever.”
Kit let out a delighted and onlyslightlyembarrassing giggle, which was cut short when Quin pressed their lips together. The kiss wasn’t too deep or dirty—which Kit was glad of, given he was aware of the others in the room—but it conveyed everything he needed and more.
Surety, safety, security. He felt it all, but Quin’s love the most.
“Sweetheart?” Rake said, sounding alarmed. Kit and Quin broke their kiss, heads turning to see what Rake was reacting to.
DJ was fanning his face, his eyes bloody. “I’m not crying,” he choked out. “I’m just feeling a lot of secondhand emotion right now.”
“You big softie,” Shaun said fondly.
“I’mfine,” DJ insisted.
“So, I take it that’s a yes to the tethering?” Xavier said. He wore a guarded expression, and something else Kit couldn’t identify. Melancholy perhaps, or longing.
“Yes,” Quin said. He hadn’t put Kit down yet, and Kit would be happy to spend the rest of his days being carried around by Quin. The only downside was that he could see Conroy over Quin’s shoulder, rolling his eyes. Kit gave him the middle finger because he was a very mature adult.
“Best to deal with your ghost issue first,” Xavier said. “Wouldn’t want to include your creator in the tether by accident.”
“We’ll defer to your judgement,” Quin said.
“Wise,” Xavier said.
Conroy stood. Kit watched his movement closely as he went over to stand beside the witch siblings. “Now can you all pleaseleave so that I can finish my food? Roxy, you know I respect you, but using my home as your place of business is oversteppin’.”
“We’re done,” Roxy said. “Contact us directly next time, boys.”
“I quite liked the attempted-murder-as-means-of-communication,” Xavier said, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips.
“Ididn’t,” Conroy protested.
Xavier’s demeanour shifted back to its prior aloofness. “Nobody asked you.”
“God forbid a vampire doesn’t consent to his own assassination,” Conroy said. “Whatever is the world coming to?”
Roxy clicked her fingers. “Right. Intruders, out. Conroy, stop complaining—you know I’d never let you die.”
“I am forever grateful,” Conroy said, his flash of a smile showing off his sharp fangs.
“We’ll get an appropriate item for the spell and be back as soon as we can,” Quin assured Roxy as he walked Kit towards the door.
She nodded. “Good luck.”
Kit waved over Quin’s shoulder at her and Xavier. He’d only been high a few times before he became a vampire, but he felt a similar sort of buzzed happiness, like he could walk on air. Rake, Shaun, and DJ all followed them. Shaun caught Kit’s eye and gave him a sweet smile, mutual understanding passing between them.
“Are you ever going to put me down?” Kit asked Quin once they were past the graveyard and back on the street.
“Mmm. Nah.”
“Good,” Kit said. “Because I have no intention of walking.”
“Can you carryme, Rake?” DJ asked.
“If you carry him, you’ll have to carry me too,” Shaun said.
