Page 86 of Quintus

“Fae.”

“Jesus, Quint? A fairy? They’re more dangerous than some of the fucking demons I’ve met.”

“I know, but I’m done with the witches. Samantha means well, but she’s fairly new.”

“She’s a high priestess.”

“Technically, yes. But she’s no Ilsbeth. No matter how strong her magick is, she doesn’t have enough experience. What happened today…the baby.” Quintus sighed. If Gabriella hadn’t taken the blow, the child would have been dead.

“I’ve got to admit. That whole scene was a little out of control.” Hunter set a bowl in front of Quintus and turned back to the stove. “Witches. Demons. They’ve got the market cornered on poison.”

Quintus noted how the Alpha favored his right arm, his eyes narrowing on a white cloth peeking out from underneath Hunter’s buttoned shirt. His fist curled into a ball. “What’s going on with your hand?”

“Nah, it’s nothing.” Hunter continued his task.

“Uh huh. You sure?” Quintus suspected he’d been hiding the serious nature of the injury.

“Yeah, yeah. Hurt myself here in the kitchen is all. Knife slipped.”

“You had the scratch before you started cooking, remember?” Quintus paused and lifted his spoon. “As I was trying to get Mao away from Viktor, I noticed you were close to Lilitu. You wouldn’t have happened to get in the way of that athame she was carrying, would you?”

“Look, it’s nothing. I’ll be fine. I’ve run miles a whole helluva lot worse hurt than this. I told you. Just a scratch.” Hunter turned to Quintus, averting his gaze as he set a second dish onto the table. “I’ll be good after I eat.”

“Let me see it.” As Quintus spoke the words, he knew the Alpha wouldn’t like being spoken to like a five-year-old child.

“Fuck you. Eat your Jambalaya,” he grumbled.

“Nice. Yeah, okay, don’t show me. But I’m going to kick your ass from here to New York if it gets worse, do you hear me? Gabriella, she went numb. Ya hear me asshole? Numb? Couldn’t move.” Quintus slid a spoonful of the food into his mouth and closed his eyes. “Mmm.”

“The way she was stabbed? She’s lucky she’s breathing. Immortal is a relative term.”

“This is…oh my…” Quintus lifted his eyes to meet Hunter’s.

“We all can die given the right circumstances.”

“So good. Excellent.”

“What’d ya expect? The wolf has skills,” Hunter joked, a small smile forming on his lips.

“Tru dat.” Quintus nodded.

“So I take it Gabby’s all right? I guess I already know the answer to that question.”

“She’s amazing.” Quintus smiled.

“Yeah, I could hear how amazing she was. You know, one of these times, if you’re looking for an extra player, I’m down.” Hunter laughed and opened the refrigerator, retrieving bottles of water.

“I bet you are.”

“I know you vamps. Not so good in the sharing department, but now that you’re mated and all…let’s just say it was tempting to help you out in there.”

“I don’t need any help, asshole.”

“She’s a wolf, Quint.”

“Full moon’s over. She’s good.” The vampire shook his head, continuing to eat.

“I’m just sayin’. We are a playful bunch. She’s claimed. It’s not like she’s going anywhere. You guys are mated.”