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Chapter 6

  "I am not getting on that," Quin said flatly, staring at the large bus with its enclosed spaces and strange occupants.

  "You are, and you will. We need to get to Los Angeles, and this is the only way we can afford."

  Quin scoffed, "I don't need human money. I will fly there. And how do you know we need to go to Angelates?"

  "It is Los Angeles, and that is where the entry to the fey is. You will need to trust me on this."

  "You are a woman; why would I trust you?"

  Gemma considered hitting the handsome Neanderthal with something hard.

  Of course, thoughts of hard brought her back to his impossibly hard cock, and that train of thought wasn't getting them anywhere.

  "Since you are grounded, big boy, we will be doing things my way."

  Quin grabbed Gemma and shoved her up against the stone building where she had just slipped inside to purchase tickets. They both smelled ripe and were ornery as sin. Quin had tried to shift several times, but he was still having trouble with his shoulder.

  It was the same place where his wing had been shot in dragon form. He tried to shake off the fear that rose up inside of him every time he thought about not being able to shift again.

  He was the fucking Dragon King of the West, ruler of the seas. Of course, he would be able to shift again. It had been a long, horrible walk. They had traveled into town, and then Gemma had asked him to wait while she went inside and got bus fare.

  "Listen, warrior princess, I am a dragon. We don't ride inside of enclosed spaces. We are born to fly. I am not getting into that death trap. So, if you want to go on your own, then, by all means, have a great time."

  Okay, so he really didn't want her to go on without him, there was something about her that was helping him keep his shit together while he healed.

  And she was the best sex he had ever had, but he told himself that came second.

  "And for another thing, I am not a boy. You have first-hand knowledge of just how manly I am. But if you want me to prove it for you, I can. I am not that fond of clothing anyway, and the stuff we stole for me doesn't fit right."

  Gemma's mouth opened and closed a few times. Her eyes had dilated, and her breathing was coming faster. "Why don't you give me some space?" she hissed at him, hating the way her nipples tightened with need.

  "Why don't you give me another fuck so I can get better?" He leaned in close so that their lips were almost touching. "Or are you too scared?"

  "At least I'm not scared of a bus," she retorted.

  He tightened his hands on her, hoisting her up just enough so that her feet weren't touching the floor.

  "Fine," he snapped. "I ride the bus; you ride my cock. Do we have a deal?"

  Color appeared on the apples of Gemma's cheeks. "You are a reprobate!"

  "You are a cock tease." He brushed his lips ever so softly against hers.

  As he pulled away, Gemma followed his lips, but he kept them out of reach.

  "What do you say?"

  "Deal," Gemma bit out. "But get on the damn bus!"

  Quin took his time releasing her, making sure that she slid down every inch of his hard body.

  "How did you get the tickets?" he asked huskily.

  Gemma smiled that feminine smile that had been leading males to make decisions with their dicks for generations of time. "It's best you don't ask some questions, big boy."

  Quin scowled, "You can't call me that! You can call me big daddy, or hey, here is a crazy idea, how about Quin?"

  Gemma burst out laughing. "Big daddy?"

  Quin shrugged. "Well, yeah."

  She continued to laugh as she followed him onto the bus and showed the driver their tickets.

  Quin moved to the back of the bus and then, smelling the bathroom, got up and moved to the front of the bus.

  Gemma followed, a wide smile pasted on her face.

  "Is there a problem, sir?" the overweight bus driver asked, looking into the large rear-view mirror.

  "Big daddy is a little particular."

  The last word came out as more of a squeak. She bounced on the seat that Quin had yanked her into.

  The bus driver narrowed his eyes at the two of them, "I don't want any problems on my bus."

  "We don't, either," Quin grumbled. "I will keep the woman under control."

  Gemma started laughing again at the bus driver's outraged expression.

  She whispered too loudly, "Big daddy, you know I don't like when you hit me."

  "Ma'am, do you need help?"

  The portly driver was attempting to get out of his seat.

  Gemma decided to behave. "No, sir. We will be good; he rewards me when I'm good."

  She tossed in a wink that had Quin's blood boiling.

  "Why are you trying my patience? I am not an impatient being, well, not normally. But there is something about you that just grates. I want to fuck you or spank you, preferably at the same time."

  The driver had written them off, muttering, "Probably part of a cult."

  Gemma winked at him. "I said that I would let you fuck me; I never said I would make things easy for you."

  "You swear that my brother and his mate are with the fey." Quin stared into the almond-shaped eyes that had managed to twist his insides into knots. He prided himself on knowing one's nature. She wasn't fooling him, was she?

  "I only want what is best for you," Gemma answered honestly. "I want what is best for all of us, to be able to go home. And going to the fey is the only way."

  Chapter 7

  "A sex club? You really should have led with that, Gemma. I would have been much more willing to get on the death machine with wheels."

  Gemma gritted her teeth and replied, "For the last time, we are not here to actually go to the sex club."

  Quin gave her a sexy wink. "Right, it's the magical entrance to the fey. Sure, it is. So, hey, let's just, you know, act normal and blend in."

  He cracked the door and it immediately slammed closed.

  "That was weird." Quin frowned.

  Gemma smirked, "Did I mention it was a fey only sex club?"

  Quin's scowl deepened. "Now you are just being mean."

  He wrenched open the door, nearly pulling the metal from the wall.

  "What in the hell is going on?" A small, stylishly dressed man sashayed over to them. "We are closed."

  Quin pushed past the man into the dark room. "We need to speak to someone named… I don't remember the name."

  Gemma reached her hand out. "Hi, I am Gemma, a Valkyrie warrior sent from Valhalla to speak with your queen. This is Quin."

  Quin's nostrils flared at his less than enthusiastic introduction.

  "Hello, darling, I am Terry. Harry, my brother, should be here today, but Barry wasn't feeling well so Harry stayed after to care for him. I am afraid that I don't know the protocol as well as I should. Barry and Harry as so much better at this sort of thing. Can you come back tomorrow?"

  Quin growled, and Terry paled before emitting a little sparkle that Gemma didn't think he meant to emit.

  "No, we can't come back tomorrow. We have come from a different realm; do you understand what that means?"

  Terry straightened to his full height, the only problem was that it was maybe half of what Quin's was. He literally was shaking in his shoes.

  "I know about the other realms, sir. I also know that we were forced from ours, and now the fey live in this cruddy existence on Earth. So, I would ask you to have some patience please."

  Gemma put a hand up to stop him. "Terry, this is part of what we have come to discuss with your queen."

  Terry brightened. "Why didn't you say so? Follow me."

  Quin grabbed Gemma's elbow and whispered into her ear, "I don't trust that little idiot."

  Gemma felt only a slight stab of guilt as she grabbed his hand and tugged him along with her. They followed Terry to a door and went through it to find they had entered into a hallway of a castle. The ornate woodwork distracted them for a mom
ent.

  "Welcome, Gemma and Quin. Terry, here, tells me you have much to discuss with us."

  They looked up to see a woman with long dark hair. As she spoke, it rippled black and deep purple.

  "Flora?" Gemma asked.

  The woman looked surprised. "Yes, have you heard of me?"

  "I am to understand you have lost your mate recently."

  A look of sadness washed over her features and her hair went pitch black.

  Gemma took an immediate step forward. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

  Flora shook her head. "It was unfortunate. Please, come into one of the libraries and let us chat for a moment."

  They followed Flora as she walked silently across the rich carpet, down the vast hallway, into a room that housed a gorgeous library and a crackling fire.

  "Please be seated." Flora turned to Quin. "Dragon, you will find a tonic on the side table that will fix your shifting problem."

  Gemma tensed.

  Flora then turned to Gemma, "I am interested in what you have to say. But I must tell you I am a Truth Teller."

  Gemma swallowed hard.

  Quin's eyes narrowed. "Why would it matter if you are a Truth Teller?"

  Flora's hair crackled for a moment. "The shot that brought you down came from this woman. I believe that she also intends to offer you as bait in exchange for something."

  Gemma choked on the air. "You go straight for the jugular, don't you?"

  Flora shrugged. "Truth is always truth."

  Quin's body had hardened. He moved to the side table and picked up the decanter, swallowing all of the contents. He felt his body healing immediately and the connection to his dragon was once again in place.

  "Why?" he demanded.

  "Indeed," Flora asked as well. "That seems to be the question."

  "You don't understand, Quin." Gemma felt her stomach tying in knots. The betrayal on his face was enough to make her insides want to hurl. She didn't like feeling this way. "Odin…"

  "Fuck Odin," Quin spat. "You are your own woman. Why?"

  Gemma gave a sharp nod. "We need the fey to join with the other realms. There is something larger than just Odin or the dragons or the fey."

  When Quin went to rage, Flora raised a hand. "Continue."

  "The Vernomi attacked the fey and forced them from their realm. But they have almost depleted all of the resources and are moving on to other realms. Creatures are dying, just as the fey did all of those years ago."

  Flora raised a brow. "I fail to see how that would cause my king and queen to act."

  "Maybe not," Gemma said bravely. "But they are headed to the Earth Realm next, and I know that your children and grandchildren would be affected."

  Flora's hair flashed red and she stood. "If you would wait a moment."

  The second Flora left the room, Quin had Gemma pinned against the bookcase. Gemma could feel the old books pressing against her spine.

  "You were going to use me as bait?" His words were rather calm, considering he was a raging inferno of anger.

  "Your brothers would never allow you to be left here alone," she choked out. "We need all the realms. Don't you understand?"

  Quin moved in close, so close that their bodies were smashed together and she felt his hot breath against her ear. " I know that you lied and manipulated a god. I don't know how smart that makes you or how stupid that makes me. However, I do know that you and I are far from being done with each other."

  He dropped her the second the door opened and Flora reappeared.

  "Queen Titania and King Oberon will see you now."

  Chapter 8

  "You can't ignore me forever, Quin."

  Quin flipped the page of the magazine he wasn't reading and ignored the way he burned holes through the pages with the fire bursting from his fingertips. Another magazine went up in a cloud of smoke and he cursed before glancing down and picking up a fresh one.

  "Quin!" Gemma snatched the magazine out of his hands, only to have a spicy cloud of smoke come billowing out at her. "Stop it, you overgrown firecracker!"

  Quin snorted, "The only thing that is slightly palatable about this entire affair is the fact that you are now just as much a prisoner as I am."

  Gemma sat down on the soft couch. The set of apartments they had been shown to after meeting with the King and Queen of the Fey were well appointed. There was a large living area and two large bedrooms flanking either side. The kitchen area seemed always to have fresh food, no matter the time of day.

  What they didn't have was a way to leave. King Oberon and Queen Titania listened to Gemma with cold faces and an air of icy indifference; not a word was spoken for long, agonizing moments, and then they ordered the guards to restrain them.

  "Instead of fighting, maybe we could talk about what we should do next," Gemma suggested.

  "Oh, I know! Maybe you shouldn't lie to the Dragon King; there is an idea! Or how about you don't shoot him down from the sky? Do you know how freaked out I was that I couldn't shift? No, of course, you didn't know because of my rugged manliness. But it was terrible. And faking a war of the underworlds to get another realm involved in your personal agenda. That is pretty manipulative. I know that women are classic for getting all up in a man's business, but this is taking things to a whole new level."

  Gemma winced. "Your sarcasm is noted. And your outrage is deserved."

  "Your placating tone is fucking ridiculous, and if you weren't so damn hot, I would consider killing you just so I wouldn't have to hate you so badly right now."

  "That was mean," Gemma replied coldly.

  "Well, I have had a trying few days." Quin stood and paced the living area. "I just wonder how long Odin and Freya were manipulating things." He turned slowly with wide eyes. "It was you; you were the ones who left the portal open to Earth. You were the reason Zoe was dragged into our world."

  Gemma's cheeks heated. "I wasn't on that mission."

  "But there was a mission." Quin gritted his teeth. "Fucking bastard. I know that you can't kill a god, but you can make it damn hard to come back. And when I am through with Odin, it will be so fucking hard to find all of his bits, he will need centuries to figure it all out."

  "Quin." Gemma stood and started to walk toward him, but she found that he wasn't in the mood.

  In seconds, she was trapped, bent over the back of the couch with his large body pressing into her backside. This forceful side of Quin was such a difference from his easy-going nature that she had gotten to know. If Gemma was being honest, she wasn't opposed to this, nor was she afraid of him. Or at least not too much.

  "I would choose my words carefully, Valkyrie, if I were you," he hissed into her ear. "You have fed me nothing but lies, and therefore I know that nothing you say is the truth."

  Gemma felt a pang of remorse; she didn't want Quin hating her.

  "I did what I had to for the good of everyone, including you."

  He laughed, the sound low. It danced along her skin and made goose bumps appear on her arms.

  "I appreciate you turning my life into a living hell for my own good, Valkyrie, but perhaps I like making my own choices."

  Gemma swallowed. "I have a name."

  "Names are funny things. It gives the bearer credence, it says that you accept who they are, you respect them, you receive them, and that they have some importance to you."

  To Gemma's horror, emotion began to clog in her throat and she felt stinging behind the bridge of her eyes. It was beyond ridiculous. Warriors of her caliber and stature didn't cry; that was as unheard of as it was asinine. And yet to hear his voice speak to her with such anger and disdain, it hurt worse than a blade slicing through her skin.

  Gemma swallowed hard again. She still didn't regret the choices she had made. All of the realms of existence were at stake. That was what mattered, not this one man's feelings or even her own agenda.

  Quin pushed away from her. "I need some space."

  He went to move into the bedroom tha
t he had claimed, but Gemma stopped him.

  "You made a deal with me."

  Quin turned to face her, his expression unreadable.

  "Anything I might have said was to someone I thought I knew."

  Gemma's jaw tightened. "If you rode the bus, I rode your cock."

  Quin scoffed, "Are you trying to tell me that you want to fuck right now?"

  Gemma shrugged. "An angry fuck to clear the air."

  Quin laughed, but the sound held no humor. "No, thanks."

  "Coward," Gemma spat.

  He whipped around, nostrils flaring. "If I were to fuck you now, little girl, I would probably hurt you. Is that what you want?"

  "I want you to keep your promises, but if your lizard feelings are too hurt…"

  Gemma was grabbed around the middle and lifted off the ground. A hard smack came down against her ass, followed by another one as he tossed her over his shoulder. Gemma wriggled and fought to get down, but Quin was far stronger.

  He threw her none too gently on the bed.

  "You want to ride my cock?"

  His eyes were ablaze with something that Gemma didn't recognize. It made her pussy ache with need. She was slick with heat and wanted his cock to be inside of her.

  She nodded. "Yes."

  Quin shoved his pants down, his thick erection jutting out.

  "Prove it, suck me good enough and I will think about letting you have more."

  He was being a bastard, and Gemma wanted to scratch her nails into him, to tackle him to the ground and fight him until they were both raw, ragged, and bleeding. But then she could see the challenge in his eyes. He was calling her bluff, waiting to see if she really would play the game or if she was just saying whatever she thought he wanted to hear.

  Two could play at this game.

  Gemma moved to the edge of the bed and spread her legs wide. She reached for him, but he raised a hand.

  "Put your hands behind you," he said gruffly.

  Gemma nodded and put her hands behind her. Then she waited for Quin to feed his massive length into her throat and prayed that she would be able to take all of him.

  At first taste, she moaned and licked the pearl essence of him. Her tongue ran over the bulbous head and swirled it, sucking loudly. He allowed her a few cursory sucks before really feeding it to her.