CHAPTER FIFTEEN
- Tallulah -
I wake tightly cocooned in Quimby’s arms. The clock on the bedside table says we slept for three hours. Which makes sense, since my sides are tender, but they don’t hurt anywhere near as bad as they did earlier. Slowly, I stretch to see if any other part of my body hurts, and I unknowingly disturb Quimby. Before I can stop him from waking, he pulls me over his body until I’m sprawled out atop him.
Eyes mere slits from sleep, he grins. “I could get used to this view.”
His hands skim over my hips, spreading tingles down my sides and settle on my thighs. Our gazes lock, and he softly sings a line from one of my favourite songs. The way Quimby sings, the way his voice trembles with the words, the song is an expression of his heart. Shyly, he reaches up and cups my face to pull my head towards his.
His eyes open. When our lips are about to meet, he whispers, “I love you.”
The hard planes of his body press against my softer ones, and I close the distance between us. My kiss, a silent promise I won’t ever let go and a vow to always be here with them. It quickly turns desperate. After my fingers tangle in his already tousled blonde hair, I gently tug in an attempt to bring him closer.
His hands slide from my face, down my neck, and caresses my back until they come to rest on my hips once more, which fires the tingles up to a level I’ve not felt before. As the kiss deepens further, my hands take on a mind of their own and move down to his jaw. The scratch of stubble against my palms heightens the sensations. What would it feel like on other parts of my body? Too caught up in the overwhelming feelings, my hips begin to gently rock against Quimby. With a guttural groan, his grip tightens and stops my movement.
Forever and only a moment later, we both break away, panting for air. I sit up and take in the view of him snug in my bed. A giggle slips free when I take in the mess I made of his hair. He looks like he’s been pulled through a hedge backwards.
“By, god, you’re gorgeous.” He runs his fingers down my cheek before he cups my chin. “Don’t ever scare us like that again. We can’t lose you, not now.”
Sobered by his words, I lean in and gently kiss him again. “I can’t promise to never put myself in a situation like that again, but I promise to try not to be so reckless.”
He sighs into my mouth before he pulls away. “I, we, know you can take care of yourself. We were petrified we’d lose you…”
My arms wrap around him as best as I can and gently whisper in his ear, “You’re all stuck with me.”
At that moment my stomach grumbles, and Quimby laughs. Grateful for my hunger pangs, it breaks the tension between us. I don’t like to hear the sadness in his voice. And I know two others who likely feel the same.
Quimby helps me up before he crawls off the bed. He doesn’t bother to put his shoes back on. Instead, he pushes them farther under the bed and offers a hand to help me stand. Just a few hours of sleep has made me feel a lot better than I did earlier, though my body still groans in protest.
We continue to hold hands as we exit my room, and Quimby shortens his stride to match mine as I hobble alongside him.
When we enter the living room, everyone glances up. Kenji and Theo look worse for wear, and my heart sinks in guilt. I should’ve gone back out to them after I cleaned up and allowed them to make sure I was okay before I went to sleep.
They quickly make a space on the couch between them, and Kenji pats the sofa in offering. Quimby leads me over, but instead of letting me go, he plops down in the offered seat and gently pulls me onto his lap. Kenji helps him turn my body slightly until I lean against his chest. Theo reaches out to tuck my feet in his lap. Stretched out across the three of them, I finally feel the tension start to leave my body. When they place their hands on me and begin to gently massage, I’m able to relax.
“How’re you feeling, honey?”
Startled, I look over to see Rosalina nestled between the guy’s dads on the opposite couch. They must have been there the whole time, and I didn’t notice.
“A little sore, but better, thank you.”
Henrique sits forward on the sofa. “While you were asleep, we got in contact with the DeLucas, and they’ll be here tomorrow. Although they’ve visited the main house before, the pack will know immediately something is wrong if they bunk down in the Alpha’s quarters.” He rubs a hand down his face, clearly stressed, and Rosalina pats his knee. “I’d rather keep the rest of the pack in the dark until we get more details and know for sure Lana was speaking of the Blood Moon pack. So, the DeLucas will stay with your father, and we’ll need to go there to see them.”
I recall the stuff Lana said while we fought and remember something. “She mentioned it was them who attacked me at the house…”
He nods. “She did, which is why I need the information checked out. Their distinctive fur, black in colour, and the Wolfsbane in their systems, made it likely to be Black Moon. Lana only confirmed our suspicions. I don’t want to cause an all-out war by us storming into their territory unannounced. The DeLucas will do us a favour and head over there for us.”
My brows furrow. “But they’re vampires, right? How will they be able to go there and not us?”
Theo explains to me before his father does. “When packs first started splitting into different sections, a higher council was created. This was made up of a member from each pack, and they got together to create rules and laws. Going into another pack’s territory without invitation was one of them. The different packs have always stuck to the laws, until Blood Moon got a new Alpha. Unfortunately, because we don’t want other packs to lose their trust in us, we need to stick to those laws, so we can’t go there without putting in a request to Blood Moon and them granting us access. Which, they’re not likely to give us. This is where the vampires come in. With them not being a shifter, they’re not obligated to follow any of the laws set out, so they’re free to cross back and forth as much as they want on pack lands without any backlash.”
I catch the look of pride on his father’s face, and it gives me the courage to ask, “May I be able to be a part of the conversations with them, please?” Especially since this mess was caused by me being his son’s mate.
Theo and Quimby open their mouths to protest, but a different voice beats them to it. “Oh, of course you will, honey. You’ll be taking over my spot as Luna eventually, so you should be a part of this.” Rosalina happily ignores the dark scowls her sons throw at her.
A voice bellows from the door and makes me jump in fright. “Like hell I’m having those blood suckers anywhere near my daughter! No way!”
Twisting to look over Kenji’s shoulder, I spot my dad in the doorway with his hands on his hips, lips turned into a deep frown. If he was a cartoon character, I could easily picture smoke billowing out of his ears.
Slowly, I move my feet off Theo’s lap, and the guys get the idea I want to be let up. Once they help me and I’m steady on my feet, I move towards Dad. It takes some effort to hide the wince that wants to escape when my shoulder jolts. His arms immediately open, and I practically fall into them. Long familiar arms wrap around me snugly, but not enough to hurt.
“I’ll be fine, Dad. Besides, you’ll all be there with the DeLucas, right?” At his nod, I continue, “Then they won’t be able to get past you to hurt me. Henrique would not have invited them if they were the enemy, and I’d like to meet them.”
He huffs into my hair and kisses my head, sounding resigned. “I don’t want them to see you as food.”
Laughter rings out, and Leverette speaks through his chuckles, “Solomon, I really don’t think you have to worry about Tally, she stinks of wolf. Give them some credit. They have been informed she’s the future Luna. They might be vampires, but they do have self-control, and they shouldn’t hurt her.”