Retribution (68 page)

“Layla,” he whispered, lifting her gaze to his.

All he wanted to do was touch her. Nothing else mattered in comparison. She was the perfect drug calling his name in the sweetest of ways, and he had to have a taste. One of his hungry hands moved to her heart then slid over her bare shoulder, working its way under sparkling spirals to the back of her neck. His other hand stretched across her back. Then he pulled her against him, pressing her cleavage to his tight stomach. Her fingernails dipped into his sides, and he quietly growled as he grabbed her ass and pulled her up his body, finding her ear with his mouth. “You look amazing.”

“Oh yeah?” she breathed.

“Mmm hmm...” His starving lips trailed down her neck, his tongue eager for her shoulder, but he managed to rein himself in long enough to mind search his dad. '
How much time do I have?
'

'
Forty-five minutes.
'
 

That would have to do. Quin pulled himself from her hair. Then he concealed their bodies and headed for the forest.

The rhythm of distant drums vibrated through Layla’s body like the echoing growl of a far-off thunderstorm, but all she could see were the backs of her eyelids as she sedately hovered in Quin's magic, letting him repair and replace the skimpy outfit he’d ripped off her thirty minutes before. She concentrated on his hands while he concentrated on her, and neither of them spoke until his task was complete.

He moved a forefinger to her cleavage, taking a moment to trace the soft flesh flowing from the scalloped silver. Then he rested his hand over her heart. “My perfect angel.”

Pulling his hand from her chest to her cheek, she rubbed her face in his palm. Then she swallowed hard when his familiar scent fluttered her heartstrings. “Bonded couples never leave each other, right?”

“Not if they can help it,” he answered, moving his other hand to her face. “And bonded or not, I'll never leave you.”

“Will you want another woman's body?”

“Let me see your eyes, love.”

She looked at him, and he leaned closer. “Why are you asking me these things?”

“Because I need to hear the answers.”
 

“Don't you know them?”

“I need to hear them, Quin.” Keeping her lips in his left palm, she moved the right to her heart. “If we live through this, and sometime down the road, two beautiful and topless witches offer you their bodies, will you want them?”

“No,” he answered, flipping her upright, but he kept her floating in his spell.

She searched his eyes, wanting so badly to believe him, but a person can't control what their body wants.

“Why do you doubt me, Layla?”

“Can you promise?” she returned. “Can you promise you'll never want another woman?”

“I can. Not because I'm a saint or the king of monogamy, but because our relationship is incredible, and you're as extraordinary as a person can get. You'll always be the one I see when I close my eyes, and while I believe other women are beautiful and deserve my respect, only one gets my heart and soul. You're my one and only, Layla, and it will be that way forever. Fate and blessed magic have made it so, and I'm grateful they have, because it's what I want most. You, me and forever.”

“You just promised, Quin. You just promised me forever.”

“I thought I'd already offered you forever.”

“You have.”

“Then why are looking for additional coverage?”

“Because I'm insecure,” she confessed.

He furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head. “It's been a while since you've felt insecure about yourself when it comes to our relationship. Have I done something that worries you? Or have I stopped doing something?”

“No, Quin, please don't put this on yourself. Here,” she said, pulling her face from his palm. “Bring me closer.”

He obeyed, pulling her body against his, and she reached for his jaw while staring into his eyes. “You've done everything right, but I can't compete with multiple women throwing themselves at you. I feel confident I can handle one witch, but I'm only one person, so when they start attacking you in packs I'm at a huge disadvantage. I know you find me more beautiful than them, and I know I do things for you they can't, but they offered you the one thing I'll never be able to provide, and that made me insecure, no matter how wonderful you were in turning them away.”

“Do you feel better now?”

“I do. It helps to know our bonding secures my number one spot. And please don't think that's because I don't trust you, because I do, but acting on something and wanting something are two different things. A person has no control over what they want.”

“That's true,” he agreed, keeping his eyes on her face as he floated toward the clearing, “but I assure you, Layla, you have nothing to worry about. And I'm not just saying that because we're bonded. I'm saying it because of who I am and who you are. I’d never choose a trail lined with dozens of average flowers when there's another that leads to a perfect rose. Two witches are not better than one, not in my case. I have the best.”

“Thank you.”

He laughed as he shook his head. Then he tapped the tip of her nose with his own. “I should be thanking you, my love. I can't believe Morrigan and Daleen got you to wear this.”

“It's a good thing you didn't bet Serafin, huh?”

“It wouldn't matter if I had. I’d burn all my money to see you confidently standing in an outfit that shows off exactly how stunning you are.”

“So it pleases you?”

“Yes. I’d absolutely be lying if I said otherwise.”
 

The music had grown louder, and they could hear obscure voices floating through the tall tree trunks and ferns. Quin's feet touched the mossy earth, but he kept her in his arms. “Will you be putting your cloak back on?”

“No.”

“Really?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Really,” she confirmed. “Will you keep me warm?”

“Of course.” He searched her aura then found her eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Do you want me to put it on?”

“I want you to be comfortable.”

“Well I can't say I'm comfortable walking around like this, and I never intended for anyone to see it, but I also don't feel comfortable having to defend my territory against the hungry hellcats. Apparently seeing me covered up makes them think you're an easy target, and I have enough fighting to do without having to chase women away, so I think I'll let the cloak stay in your bag. Maybe they'll think twice before swooping in on what's mine when it's obvious I intend to keep it.”

His lips twitched into a smile. “You're sexy when you're passionate, Layla, and I love that you're willing to fight for me, but it's unnecessary.”

“I'm still not going to give them an open invitation to take their best shot. It has to be embarrassing when they fall on their faces, and I don't need a bunch of witches pissed off at me for humiliating them.”

“Pull your lights in,” he instructed, and they both concealed their auras and bonded lights as he continued toward the clearing. “I doubt I get another invitation. People were on the prowl earlier, but if they haven't found what they're looking for by now, they're out of luck and out of time. We're close to abandoning camp.”

Her heart jumped into a supernatural race, pulling his with it, and he adjusted the force he held her with.

“Are we going to the glacier?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered. “We’ll organize then wait for grandpa Cat. Hopefully he’ll show up with news that Agro got our message and took the bait.”

“Where did you leave the message?”

“It’s triggered to start the moment he lands on our lawn.”

The clearing became visible through the trees, and he halted while finding her face. “Are you sure about the cloak?”

“Yes, and you don't have to put me down if you don't want to. They might have a harder time flirting with you if they have to look around my head to see your face.”

His dimples appeared as he continued walking. “I didn't know you possessed such a jealous streak, my love.”
 

“I didn't either,” she returned, wrinkling her nose.

He crossed the clearing to the platform. Then he leapt onto it and joined his parents and Layla’s grandparents. “Are we close?”

“Yes,” Caitrin answered. “We're about to cut the music.”

“Oh yeah?” Quin asked, glancing at the musicians. Then he looked at Layla. “Will you dance with me?”

The invite surprised her, but she quickly erased her dumb expression and smiled. “Yes.”

“We'll be back,” he said, taking flight toward the center of the clearing.
 

He landed near the impromptu band. Then he got the attention of a wizard playing a guitar and told him they had one more song. The guitarist nodded before breaking the news to the others, and Quin carried Layla to an uncrowded section of the glade.

“Would you like to touch the ground,” he asked, “or would you prefer I hold you?”

“I'm just fine right here,” she answered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

His dimples deepened. “Then that's where you'll stay.”

The song flowed into a sweeter tune, but it stayed upbeat, and Quin braced her with magic, keeping her eye-to-eye with him as he laid a palm on her lower back and took her right hand. Once he held her stare, he smiled and winked. Then he moved into their dance, staying on the edges of the crowd while carrying her into quick, playful twirls and wide, graceful spins.

He didn’t stop until the music faded into the forest. Then he kissed her nose and cheeks before diving in for her smile. It was with great reluctance that they severed the kiss, but she stayed in his arms as he returned to their family and landed next to Brietta.

“Where's Bann?” Quin asked, scanning the crowd around the platform.

Brietta’s face flushed as she threw Layla a glance. Then she raised an eyebrow at Quin. “Banning found himself a date.”

“Good for him,” Quin returned, giving Brietta a shrug.

Kegan flashed a smile as he softly pinched her nose. “It would be more accurate to say he found two dates, don't you think?”

“You think it's funny?” she scolded.

Kegan stifled his grin as he ran a forefinger across her wrinkled forehead. “Give the kid a break, hon. Why would he turn them down?”

“I thought that was obvious.”

“What's the deal, Bri?” Quin asked. “Why do you care what Banning does or how many people he does it with?”

Her eyes narrowed on the tree line as she jabbed a finger toward it, and Quin and Layla looked to see what had her so riled.

Banning had just emerged from the timber with a satisfied expression and aura, and he was accompanied by Idelle and Jenny.

Layla's mouth fell open, and she couldn’t help but laugh as she turned back to Brietta. “Why does that upset you?”

Brietta scowled, but then she sighed and relaxed. “I thought it would upset you. But apparently I was wrong.”

“Stop worrying about me,” Layla warmly insisted. “And no, I'm not the least bit upset with Banning.” She grinned as she glanced at him and his
dates
. “I'm glad it worked out for him. If I'd been thinking straight, I would have sent them his way the moment they walked up. It would have saved everyone embarrassment and time.”

“It would have saved
them
embarrassment,” Brietta corrected. “You had absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. You crushed them quite beautifully, and I was very impressed.”

“I think everyone on this half of the clearing was impressed,” Kegan agreed. Then he laughed as he looked behind Quin and Layla. “Trying to come up with excuses, Bann?”

Layla looked as well, grinning at Banning’s nervous posture. “You don’t have to make excuses on my account,” she assured. “I'm glad you could help them sweep up their shattered egos.”

He instantly shed the guilt and flew onto the platform, landing beside her. “And help them I did.”

“You can leave out the details,” Layla insisted. “Save those for Weylin. I'm sure he'll be glad to listen.”

“I second that,” Brietta added. “I don't need to hear the specifics of my baby brother's first threesome.”

“Who says it was my first?” Banning countered.

Brietta wrinkled her nose as Kegan and Quin laughed. But then the laughing died when Caitrin magically magnified his voice and called for everyone's attention.

It was time to make their way to the battlegrounds.

Chapter 46

The setting sun reflected brightly off snow-covered, easterly mountains, but only a sliver of the small lake still captured the solar rays to reveal its magnificent blue surface. The rest of the water was shrouded in mountainous shadows and resembled a slab of pewter, solid in its appearance save for the slight wakes occasionally roused by the unconventionally calm wind.
 

When more than two-hundred magicians flowed in from a trail between two westward mountains, the white glacier slowly filled with color, and the loose layers of snow danced up in swirls around alighting feet. Those seeing the area for the first time looked around, taking in the views while judging if the location was battle worthy, and on both accounts, the army seemed satisfied.