Arctic Fire 2 (28 page)
“My Dewdrop,” he whispered lovingly against her ear. She lifted her head to look at him; he gently smoothed the hair back from her face as his ice-blue eyes searched her face. “It’s over.”
She closed her eyes. She’d spent the past six years of her life hunting for Earl and living with him hanging over her head. He was all she’d thought about for so long now; her need to get revenge on him had consumed her life. And now, it was… “Over,” she breathed. “Free.”
For the first time in years, she felt
free
. She didn’t have to worry about never finding him and getting her revenge, didn’t have to wake up every morning with the knowledge he was still out there, most likely destroying other families. He may still be alive right now, but it wouldn’t be for long, and he was no threat to her or anyone else anymore. Now, she was free to do whatever she wanted, with Julian.
“You’ll never have to fear him again,” he whispered in her ear.
Her fingers dug into his back as she tried to pull herself closer, but she’d never be able to get close enough. He embraced her as he rocked her back and forth. She opened her eyes to look at the others, but they’d slipped away into the desert, leaving her and Julian to each other and taking Earl and the couple with them.
Quinn turned her head as flames leapt high into the sky. Their crackling noise drowned out any other sounds. “What was this place?” she asked.
“A hotel, or it was supposed to be,” Julian answered. “Clint said the project was abandoned five years ago.”
“Before I came to town.”
He pressed a kiss against the top of her head. “Are you okay?”
She tilted her head back to look at him. The concern in his eyes tugged at her heart. She smiled at him as she placed a hand against his beautiful face. “Yes, but I’d really like to get out of this hideous dress.”
His overconfident grin spread across his lips as his gaze raked over her. The arrogant look that made her want to kick him in the shins most of the time was a welcome sight. “I don’t know, I kind of like you in it,” he said as his eyes lingered on her barely covered breasts.
“If that’s the case, maybe I’ll wear it to work from now on. It will probably help increase my tips.”
The smile slipped from his face. “Not gonna happen.”
Now it was her turn to smile at him. “But if you like it so much—”
Before she could finish her statement, he jerked his shirt off and slipped it over her head. He tugged it down to mid-thigh, which was longer than the dress itself had been. “Much better.”
Quinn stared at his bare chest, not so certain she agreed, but thankfully, right then she didn’t have to worry about other women looking at her vampire. The sound of engines rumbling drew her attention to the RV and a black sports car driving toward them.
“Now what?” she asked.
“Now, we enjoy each other, a
lot
.” The promise of his words made her quiver. “Then we put an end to the vampires clinging to this prophecy and we make some changes with the vampires, Hunters, and Guardians.”
“And how are we going to do that?”
He grinned at her as he bent to place a kiss against her nose. “I have a plan.”
One of her eyebrows shot up, but she couldn’t resist his smile or the warmth of his lips as they slid over her flesh. “A plan?”
“Yes.”
She shivered when he nibbled at her earlobe. “What about Earl?”
“He’s part of the plan.”
“Julian…”
“We can discuss it later,” he said as he brushed back a strand of her hair. “Just let me look at you and feel you now.”
There was no way she could argue with that when it was all she wanted to do too. She ran her fingers over his shortened hair and the black patches marring the platinum color. “What happened to your hair?”
“I had an incident with the sun.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “What kind of an incident?”
“That can also wait for later,” he whispered against her ear.
The black Challenger pulled up beside them. Before she knew what he intended, Julian bent and swooped her into his arms. She pressed her palm flat against his chest and tucked her head beneath his chin as she relished the strength and love radiating from him.
Safe.
She was finally safe, for now. There may still be other vampires out there hunting for the vampire of the prophecy, but Julian had a plan and she trusted him completely.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“You’re my everything,” he told her as he brushed a kiss over her forehead. “From now until eternity.”
“That won’t be long enough.”
“No, it won’t.”
He adjusted his hold on her as he opened the passenger door and slid inside with her against his chest. Quinn’s head fell into the hollow of his neck as she pressed her lips against his flesh. She couldn’t wait to hear what his plan was, but for tonight, the only plan she had was to stay in his arms, tasting and feeling him until long after the sun had risen and set again.
THE END
Look for the final book in the series coming late 2016!
You can also read more about Julian in The Kindred Series!
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My name is not really Erica Stevens, it is a pen name that I chose in memory of two amazing friends lost too soon, I do however live in Mass with my wonderful husband and our puppy Loki. I have a large and crazy family that I fit in well with. I am thankful every day for the love and laughter they have brought to my life. I have always loved to write and am an avid reader.