Page 1 of Quintus

Chapter One

Quintus jerked at the restraint, and hissed as the silver burned his skin. Immobilized, he struggled to breathe. As he dragged his tongue across his dry, cracked lips the faint taste of blood piqued his senses.

“Shh. You’re going to be all right.” The soft whispers of the feminine voice soothed him. Her nourishment was the only reason he was alive.

He shivered as she brushed her palm over his forehead. The gentle touch calmed him but the beast inside demanded to be freed. A growl tore from his lips and he bared his fangs.

“Settle now. The poison is almost out of you.”

“I…” His raw throat seized and he coughed, recalling the events that had led to his near demise.

Quintus had gone with Jake Louvière, the Alpha of Anzober Wolves, to kill Kasdeya, a demon vampire hybrid. Bitten and poisoned, he’d managed to save a human who’d become caught up in the melee. Materializing to New Orleans, it had been a miracle he’d been able to get her safely to a hospital. Desperate, he’d stumbled into an underground blood bar. In the underbelly of New Orleans, Quintus had found donors with no issue, but he’d been unable to feed. Vomiting blood for days, he’d succumbed to the poison, praying for mercy as he died in the blackness of the crypt.

Quintus had thought it a nightmare but as his senses awakened, he knew otherwise to be true. The sweet trickle of blood nourished his body, the magical essence flaring his cells back to life. A siren in the distance wailed, and he blinked his burning eyes open, taking in the sight of his surroundings. Sunlight streaked through the cracks of the stone ceiling but didn’t filter through the muddied stained glass windows. He ran the pads of his fingers over the cold granite bed on which he lay and glanced to the loose bricks on the ground. A mausoleum. I’m still in the damned crypt.

A shadow passed by him, her voice reminding him of her calming presence. He sniffed into the air, detecting only the scent of magick, but his instinct told him there was something more to her. A witch saved me? Throughout the years, he’d always relied on human blood, rarely indulging on other beings. The purity of his species had been strengthened by the underlying humanity genetically imprinted over thousands of years into human blood.

“Hey, how do you feel? I’ve got to get out of here soon,” she told him, breaking his spiraling thoughts.

“Ah, bella, I don’t think you need to worry. Remove the silver and I’ll be on my way.”

“No, if I let you go…”

“If you let me go…what exactly do you think is going to happen here?” Quintus sensed the hesitation in her voice.

“I’ll just leave the key here. When we’re done, I can call a friend for you. They can let you out.” She brushed her long brunette hair out of her face as she paced. “You’re weak. I’m sorry. I can’t chance it. If I let you go now you could drain me dry.”

Quintus tugged at the silver and it sizzled against his flesh. “Holy fuck. Look, if you don’t get these chains off me, I very well may bite you. And I can’t promise you’ll like it.”

As she turned to him, his gaze painted over his attractive captor. Honey-brown curls feathered around her face. Her wide blue doe eyes blinked over at him as she nervously bit her rosy pink lip. “I take that back. I promise you’re going to like it. I know I will.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” she refused.

Quintus glanced down, noting he’d been stripped of his clothing. “Is there any particular reason I’m naked?”

“You’d thrown up on yourself. I had to check your injury,” she explained, averting her gaze.

“And here I thought I was getting lucky,” he mused.

“I…I’d never do that.” Her head snapped to look at him.

“How about you let me go? I don’t even have my clothes on. What could I possibly do?”

“I…I need a promise,” she said, her voice shaking.

“A promise, huh? Negotiation.” A corner of his lip ticked upward. “This is progress.”

“First I need to feed you more blood,” she said, changing the subject. “I think you’re ready.”

Quintus’ skin tingled as she ran her palm over his forearm. Magick danced through her touch. Her soothing voice continued and he listened as if an orchestra were playing, his concentration honed on her words.

“I’m sorry this happened to you. But it’s okay, you’re getting better.” Her voice grew stronger as she spoke. “It’s just when I first saw you…the wounds on your back were pretty intense. I’m guessing they were infused with black magick. What did this to you?”

“Long story. Fucking vampire bitch.” He coughed, and a streak of pain stabbed through his abdomen. His thirst blossomed, his gut clenched in raw hunger. He tugged on the chains, the silver sizzling as it dug into his skin. “Get this off of me.”

“I’m sorry. One more feeding. Please.” She ran her palm over his forehead, not flinching as his fangs dropped.

“I swear on my life I won’t hurt you. I don’t know how the hell you found me. I don’t know what’s in your blood, but you did it.” Quintus hissed as another wave of agony tore through his body. He struggled to clarify his thoughts.