Kit turned around in his seat again, to Rake’s dismay. “Yes,” Kit said, his eyes sparkling and his face lighting up in a smile that Quin would remember for the rest of his life. “I’ll marry you, Quin Rheon.”
Quin's heart swelled in his chest. So much, in fact, that he was worried he might pass out. “I love you so fucking much.”
“I love you too. And is it that surprising I said yes? You already agreed to spend eternity with me.”
“Yeah, but marriage is a commitment.”
Shaun snorted. “And eternity isn’t?”
“Well, when you put it likethat,” Quin said, face heating. “Wait, where’s the ring?”
“Oh. Here,” Kit said. He flashed his left hand at Quin, showing off his adorned finger.
Quin wasn’t sure how he’d missed it before. “You’ve had it on this whole time?”
“Yep.”
Quin shook his head. “That’s kinda naughty of you not to tell me.”
“You should spank him for it,” Shaun said.
“Excuse me, Shaun,” Kit said. “I’m pretty sure I recall Rake saying that you weren’t allowed to tell others when they should be punished.”
“He’s right, sweetheart,” Rake said.
“Oh no,” Shaun said, not contrite in the least. “I suppose you’ll have to punishmeinstead, Sir.”
“No sex in the car,” Quin said, concerned about the upholstery.
“We won’t,” Rake agreed, then glanced down as his phone buzzed. “Oh, DJ’s just sent me a selfie with Roxy and Xavier.” He showed Quin. Sure enough, DJ was between the witches, teeth on display in a wide smile. Roxy was side-eyeing him hard, but Xavier looked—deliberately or not—like he was doing the blue steel.
“Lemme see,” Shaun said, reaching back for the phone. Rake handed it to him, and Shaun snorted. “What a goof.”
“What’s our ETA, Kit?” Quin asked.
“Twenty minutes.”
So, not long to go until Quin got rid of Lawrence for good. There was no trace of him at that moment, but his skin crawled. Memories echoed in the back of his mind that weren’t his own. The sooner the witches exorcised Lawrence, the sooner Quin could escape the twisted images of Kit and Shaun and Matthewand Thomas and Jack and the dozens of other boys whose names he didn’t know.
Haunted by the thoughts, Quin fought to keep down the bile that rose in his throat.
A hand on his shoulder had him blinking hard. The images dissolved, scattering like ash on the wind. Rake was reaching over, the tense line of his jaw evident even beneath his stubble. Rake squeezed once, then let go when Quin gave him a grateful nod. Rake’s hands moved to his lap once more, his fingers tapping on his opposite knuckles.
Quin didn’t even mind the weight of the chains any longer. He’d wear them forever, if it meant keeping the others safe.
DJ, Roxy, and Xavier were waiting outside the front door for them when they arrived, DJ in a precarious crouch on the thin wall that bordered the courtyard. The witches stood close together, murmuring in a language Quin didn’t understand.
“Deej, try to look less like a vampire, would you?” Shaun called as he got out of the car.
DJ chuckled and jumped down from the wall, landing and speeding over to Shaun in a blink before scooping him up and noisily kissing him. It was as if they hadn’t seen each other in months.
Kit rolled his eyes as he pulled the chains off Quin, Rake’s gaze flitting between them and his boyfriends.
“They’re ridiculous,” Kit said, dumping the chains in the boot.
Quin clambered out of the car and stretched himself out, then took hold of Kit’s left hand. He raised it and kissed Kit’s finger, right at the knuckle where the ring sat. “Are they?”
“Mm-hmm.” Kit sounded dismissive, but Quin saw how his lips pursed to hide his smile.
