Lovers Destined by: HM

Chapter 1

Qhuinn stood on the terrace overlooking the crystal clear swimming pool wondering if he
could make a clean jump for it. From this angle he would probably just hit the pavement.
"Fuck," he whispered under his breath. Not one to ever cry, he felt the tears welling in his
eyes. The pain in his chest was becoming unbearable. The muted sounds of Blay and
Saxton coming from the bedroom could not escape his mind. It's all he had been hearing
over and over in his head for the past week.

"The night sky is just beautiful out here, isn't it?"

Qhuinn squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of his cousin's voice. "What the fuck do you
want?"

"Those are such harsh words to use with family, Qhuinn."

Qhuinn turned to glare at Saxton over his shoulder before bringing his eyes back to the
pool. Maybe throwing Saxton over the terrace was a better idea. The thought of it made
one side of his mouth curl up into a grin.

"Not sure why you are so upset with me. Here I thought you would be happy for Blay and
I."

"So what is it, official now or something?" Qhuinn snuck another glare Saxton's way. His
handsome, blonde cousin was leaning against the wall with a foot propped up behind him
looking like a young Hugh Hefner in his silk robe.

Saxton shrugged. "The words haven't actually been spoken, but this week has been
absolutely…pleasurable." The bile rose in the back of Qhuinn's throat. He swallowed
hard, pleading with himself not to lose it. "I know he's in love with you. Hell, the mention
of your name is almost off limits. But you see, Qhuinn, he'll come around soon enough.
He won't wait for you forever, now will he?"

Qhuinn turned around to face Saxton. He leaned his ass against the railing, folding his
arms across his broad chest. "Why would you want to be with him if he's in love with
someone else." What was he, a desperate motherfucker? The guy was good looking and
smart enough to have his pick at any male he wanted. Why did it have to be Blay?

Saxton chuckled. "Someone else? You can't even acknowledge that it's you. Now why
would I want to be with him if he's in love with you, Qhuinn? Well let's see…for the sex
of course." Saxton moaned. "He is quite lovely. That body of his is flawless."

Qhuinn dematerialized in front of Saxton, a hard forearm to his throat, his lip curling over
his fangs. "You listen to me, you son of bitch. If you hurt him, I will rip your fucking
head off."

"Protective, aren't we Qhuinn? I wasn't under the impression that the red tear drop you
wear on your face was for Blaylock and I sure as hell do not smell your bonding scent on
his skin when we fuck."

Qhuinn dug deeper into Saxton's throat with his forearm. "You God damn piece of shit.
I'm going to kill you." And he wanted to. He wanted to grab him by his pretty boy, silk
robe and throw him over the ledge. He wanted to look over and see the puddle of blood
under his body after his skull was crushed against the pavement.

Saxton brought his hands up to Qhuinn's arm, attempting to push him away. "Easy now
cousin. You and I both know you wouldn't do that. You wouldn't want to hurt Blay, now
would you? Saxton's fingers tapped against Qhuinn's chest. "Not even you could find it in
that small, empty heart of yours to do that to him." Qhuinn growled. "I'm not afraid of
you, Qhuinn. Now let go of me. I'm sure Blay will be looking for me shortly."

Qhuinn kept the pressure on Saxton's throat for a few more seconds while his
mismatched eyes moved over Saxton's perfect face. Suddenly remembering how
unworthy he was of Blay's love, he let go and allowed his heavy shitkickers to lead him
back to the edge of the terrace. He placed his large hands on the railing to hold himself
steady.

"Well I better get going, it was so nice catching up with you, Qhuinn."

Once he heard the door shut behind him, Qhuinn turned around and let his back drag
down the railing until he was sitting on his ass with his knees to his chest. His long
fingers weaved through his disheveled black hair. If he had such a small, empty heart,
then why did he feel like he had a bulldozer sitting on his chest? Why did it hurt so
fucking bad?

Chapter 2

Blaylock stood in front of the bathroom mirror slowly buttoning his pale blue collared
shirt. He tried to focus only on the buttons, but his mind was elsewhere. This week was
supposed to help him move on and forget about Qhuinn, but in reality it had done the
exact opposite. He had always imagined his first time to be wonderful and with someone
he loved, he had always imagined it to be with Qhuinn. All this effort he was putting into
this potential relationship with Saxton was pointless. He had never really been with
Saxton because Qhuinn was the one on his mind every single time. It was Qhuinn's hands
running across his chest and down his abdomen, it was Qhuinn's long, slender fingers
gripping his dick and it was Qhuinn's beautiful mouth taking him all in. Just thinking

about it now had his cock pressing against the zipper of his pinstriped pants. He looked at
his face in the mirror. What the hell was he thinking? Qhuinn didn't want him so why was
he pretending it to be true. A sudden knock at the door grabbed his attention away from
his internal conversation. "Yeah," he called out. He assumed Saxton was either ready for
their date or ready for round two of the day, neither of which he was ready for.

He heard the heavy footsteps across his bedroom. It wasn't Saxton's reflection that
appeared in the mirror behind him. It was the most beautiful creation he had ever seen.
Those gorgeous mismatched eyes locked on his through the mirror as Qhuinn leaned in
the bathroom doorway. "Where're you going?"

Blay had to clear his throat in order to speak. No matter how many times he looked at
Qhuinn, the guy always took his breath away. It didn't help that he was standing there
without his shirt on. "Dinner," he replied.

"With Sax?" Blay nodded. "Not going to that homophobe cigar bar, are you?"

"Why do you care?" He tried to pull his eyes away from Qhuinn, but couldn't manage to
do so. By now, his gaze was running across his broad chest, his perfect abs and down to
the v-shaped pelvic muscle peeping out above the dark, designer jeans that rested low on
his hips. God, those hips; he wanted to grab on to those hips.

"You know I care, Blay."

"Not really," Blay mumbled under his breath, placing his hands on the counter in front of
him.

Qhuinn folded his arms across his chest. It was something he did when he was nervous.
Blay had watched him for so long that he was able to pick up on all of his gestures. "Well
I do care and besides that, I need to know if I should be ready to take down some more
bastard humans tonight."

"That won't be necessary." He finally let his eyes pull away from Qhuinn. "We're just
going to have dinner." The silence between them lasted for so long that Blay had to look
up and see if Qhuinn had left. "Is there something else that you needed because I should
probably finish getting ready?"

Qhuinn uncrossed his arms and started walking towards Blay, closing the distance
between them in two wide strides. His strong hands came down on Blay's shoulders
causing him to stop breathing. "Blay," he whispered. Qhuinn buried his face between
Blay's shoulder blades while his hands slid from his shoulders all the way down his
bulging biceps, his tense forearms and finally stopping softly on top of his hands that
were resting on the counter. "I just needed to see you."

Qhuinn dropped his hold on Blay and backed up towards the door. Blay was staring at
him through the mirror in complete shock. "If you run into any trouble, you know how to
reach me. I'll be there in a split second." Qhuinn turned and walked out of the room.

It took Blay a moment to get his breathing back to normal before he turned and walked
into his bedroom. He stood staring at the door while he unbuttoned his pants to tuck in his
shirt, perhaps hoping Qhuinn would walk back in. He jumped when he heard another
knock at the door. "Come in." He could barely speak the words.

The door opened slightly. "Hello handsome, are you ready?" To his disappointment it
was only Saxton looking as dapper as ever in his black suit.

"Yeah, just need to grab my shoes. I'll be down in a second."

"Ok, I'll be waiting in the foyer." Saxton closed the door behind him.

Both of Blay's hands went to his red hair, feeling like blazing fire beneath his fingers.
"Fuck, I need a smoke."

Chapter 3

The smell of Blay, his cologne, was still burning in Qhuinn's nose. He made a beeline for
the kitchen when he saw Saxton standing in the foyer almost taking Mary down in the
process. Rhage's shellan was standing near the kitchen entrance when he threw the door
open. "Mary, did I hurt you?" The last thing he needed right now was to be on
Hollywood's shit list. That big motherfucker wouldn't think twice about taking him down.

"I'm fine, Qhuinn. You startled me more than anything. Are you ok? You seem tense?"
Of course she would be more worried about him. Qhuinn nodded, and then took a seat at
the bar. Mary made her way to the refrigerator. "Are you hungry?"

He was starving. "I'm good." With all the food that Mary pulled out of the fridge, there
was no doubt she was preparing a meal for her hellren. He wouldn't interfere with that.
"I'm just going to grab an apple."

Mary quickly glanced up at Qhuinn and turned towards him. "An apple? I will not allow
you to have just an apple as your meal." She wouldn't allow him? He suppressed a smile.
He turned his head to watch her walk out of the kitchen towards the billiard's room. She
came back in holding a glass of whiskey and placed it in front of him. Her small hand
touched his bare back. "Here you go. You should stay awhile. I could use the company."

"Thanks." Qhuinn didn't understand why she was being so nice to him or why the hell she
would want his company. In general, she was probably the nicest person in the house, but
he hadn't had too much contact with her. Her and John were close and when he was

hanging with his buddy, he'd sometimes run across Mary. Come to think of it, he wasn't
sure if he'd ever had a real conversation with her. He took a swig of his Jack Daniel's.

"So, are you staying in tonight?"

He shrugged. "Looks like it." He hadn't intended for it to sound sarcastic, but it did. "I
mean John and Xhex are still enjoying their honeymoon."

She smiled at him over her shoulder. "Ah, I see. I'm so happy for John." She placed the
lid on the large pot after she stirred whatever it was she had brewing inside, turned
around and leaned on the bar across from Qhuinn. "It's very admirable what you do,
Qhuinn, putting your life on the line for John. The Brotherhood speaks very highly of
you."

"You give me too much credit. It's not like I have much of a choice. I'm just a reject with
a defect." Qhuinn swallowed the last of his whiskey.

"Qhuinn, that is not true." She was human, she couldn't possibly understand. Honestly, he
was not in the mood for the therapy session. Qhuinn placed one foot on the ground to get
up before Mary started speaking again. She looked to the ceiling with a smile on her face.
"I still remember the first time I met Rhage." She giggled. "He walks in the restaurant and
tells me he's there to see me. I knew there had to be some sort of a mistake. This
unbelievably handsome man would never want anything to do with a plain Jane like me."
Qhuinn really looked at Mary. She was such a simple beauty, but she was a far cry from
being labeled a plain Jane. "Anyway, long story short, he refused to take no for any
answer." Her eyes met Qhuinn's. "I always thought of myself as an ugly duckling until
Rhage touched me for the first time. He made me feel beautiful inside and out. It's
amazing how love can completely change your life, can completely change how you view
yourself."

Mary's hand stretched across the counter top. She softly placed it on top of Qhuinn's and
stared into his eyes. "Your eyes are very beautiful, Qhuinn. They are not a defect at all.
They are what make you unique. Your loyalty to John and the Brotherhood, that makes
you very honorable. You are certainly not a reject; you are a male of worth."

Mary's kindness was off the charts, but she clearly believed a lie. He was called a lot of
things, but male of worth would never be something he would live up to. He was thankful
when she released his hand and went back to cooking. "I'm honored that you offered,
Mary, but I'm not really hungry." He stood and walked towards the door. He paused and
faced her. "Thank you," he said. She flashed a kind smile. "For the drink." He turned and
pushed the door open.

"Qhuinn?" He looked over his shoulder. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'll be happy
to listen."

"I'll keep that in mind." Qhuinn quickly made his way back to his room and fell on his
bed face first. Mary had called him a male of worth? He chuckled out loud. She was one
naïve human. He was about as close to being a male of worth as she was to being a plain
Jane.

Chapter 4

"You seem to have something on your mind."

Blay looked up from the menu. It was true. The only thing he had on his mind right now
was Qhuinn's hard, strong hands resting so softly on top of his. His soft voice telling him
that he needed to see him replayed in his ears over and over again. He could kick his own
ass for just standing there and not saying a word. The truth was that he was scared of
being rejected by Qhuinn yet again. "I'm just trying to decide on what to order," Blay
replied to Saxton.

An accusing expression appeared on Saxton's face. "You've been this way the whole
night, like you are on edge about something."

Blay frowned and nodded. "I didn't mean to come across that way, my apologies. Is there
anything on the menu that you would recommend?" Blay was trying anything to get
Saxton to move on to another subject. Frankly, the guy's dramatic ways were really
starting to make his skin crawl and not in a good way.

"Is this about Qhuinn?"

Damn it! He just can't leave it alone. Blay let his voice rise. It was unlike him, but he was
tired of feeling defenseless against Saxton. "How does looking at a menu have anything
to do with Qhuinn?"

Saxton looked away, his head dropping and nodding. He spoke softly. "Look, I know this
probably isn't a good time to bring it up and I wasn't going to, but it's been eating away at
me all evening." His gaze came back up to meet Blay's. Blay's body tensed, his hands
squeezing into a fist on top of the table. He didn't know where this was going, but if it
had anything to do with him being in love with Qhuinn he was going to get up and walk
out. The topic was not up for discussion. "Qhuinn and I spoke this afternoon."

Blay should have been running for the door, but instead he stayed put. He was suddenly
interested in what Qhuinn had to say to Saxton.

"I'll just say this. If you continue holding on to the hope of being with Qhuinn, you will
never be happy. Qhuinn made it clear to me that he is overjoyed that I have come into
your life and taken some of the attention away from him. He's thrilled that you've moved
on, Blaylock." Saxton threw his hands up in a gesture. "I can't keep competing with

whatever it is you and Qhuinn were. I need to know if you really want to do this. I like
you a lot and I don't want to be the one getting hurt."

Blay folded his hands under his chin. He watched the flicker of the tiny flame coming off
of the candle sitting in the middle of the table. His stomach was in so many knots, he had
no idea how he would be able to keep any food down. He was crushed. Blay was certain
that Qhuinn knew Saxton would tell him about their little conversation; it'd been his plan
all along. He was a selfish asshole who perhaps had a hint of guilt, which would explain
their bathroom encounter. He looked at Saxton. It was going to be hard, but he had to
stop thinking about Qhuinn. He had too.

Blay reached across the table to take Saxton's hand into his. "There never was or will be
anything between us." He couldn't say his name, afraid that if he did he would choke on
it. "If I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't be here. So please, let's enjoy our dinner." Blay
swallowed hard.

Saxton smiled. Blay retrieved his hand and pretended again to be looking over the menu.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Saxton scooting his chair closer to him. Suddenly he
felt the male's hand on his inner thigh immediately causing him to close his eyes and take
a deep breath. "What do you say after dinner we go back to my apartment for a little
dessert?" Saxton's voice sounded smooth and seductive. But with Blay's focus only on
Saxton, his voice and where his hand was, his dick was still limp in his pants.

Blay opened his eyes to look at Saxton. "That would be great." He lied. He had every
intention of still having this stomachache after dinner and wouldn't dare hesitate to use
the excuse. He needed to be alone

Chapter 5

The sound of a police siren caused Qhuinn to jump from his slumber. The damn thing
sounded like it was driving straight down the halls of the mansion. His tired eyes looked
towards the television. Law and Order: SVU was blasting through the speakers. The red
light on the cable box read three o'clock. It was three o'clock in the fucking morning and
he was lying in bed instead of pounding the shit out of some lessers. How much more
pathetic could he get? This honeymoon bullshit that John was on was getting out of hand.

Qhuinn rolled over and grabbed the remote control. Maybe he could find some Golden
Girls or some shit like that. That would put him right up there in the ranks with Lassiter.
Now that guy was pathetic. In the distance he could hear one set of heavy footsteps
coming down the hall. They were getting closer and closer until they stopped in front of
his door. His head jerked up waiting for a knock that never came. Whoever it was backed
away but did not leave. Qhuinn quickly made his way to the door and pulled it open.
"Blay?"

"I'm sorry, I was just on my way to my room," Blay stuttered.

"But your room is that way." Qhuinn motioned with his hand. "What's wrong? Did he
hurt you?" He asked urgently.

Confusion crossed Blay's face. "No. Look, I didn't mean to bother you, really."

"You didn't bother me. Hell, I'm bored out of my fucking mind." Qhuinn turned and
walked back and threw himself on the bed leaving the door open behind him. Blay stood
in the doorway for a minute before he stepped in. "So how was your dinner?"

"Qhuinn." Blay's focus dropped to the ground. He had grown accustomed to Blay's lack
of eye contact. "I want to apologize to you."

"For what? What the hell do you have to apologize for?" Qhuinn's breath caught in his
throat. Those sapphire eyes were looking at him now. Blay ran a hand through his red
hair, appearing to be sorting through his words.

"I'm sorry I've made this awkward between us. It's not your fault," he paused and shook
his head, "it's not your fault I feel the way I do. I can't just expect you to feel the same
way. So, I'm sorry I made you feel uncomfortable around me." Blay turned around and
sat in the chair next to the bed. He rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in
his hands. "I'm sorry."

Qhuinn jumped out of the bed. "I've never felt uncomfortable around you. Where did you
get that from?" He knew Saxton had run his mouth and demanded to know what he said
and afterwards he was going to track down his cousin and rip his head off just like he
promised the asshole he would.

Blay sat back in the chair. "Come on, Qhuinn. We can quit playing the games. You knew
Saxton was going to tell me about your conversation."

The blood felt like it was boiling below Qhuinn's skin. "What the fuck did he tell you?"
Blay rolled his eyes, but did not answer him. Qhuinn put a hand on each armrest of the
chair Blay was sitting in and got in his face. "What the fuck did he tell you?"

Blay's strong hands came down on Qhuinn's bare chest and pushed him away before
standing up. "Do you really have to ask? Its ok, I know I've been acting crazy and I know
you're happy I've moved on. I'm fine with that."

Qhuinn chuckled and started pacing. "That lying sack of shit. Oh, so I guess he left out
the part where I was going to tear him to pieces if he hurt you or how about the part
where he's using you, Blay?"

"You are unbelievable, you know that?" Blay turned and walked to the door.

"Unbelievable? I know you're not going to believe that prick over me."

Blay turned to look over his shoulder at Qhuinn. A shiver ran down Qhuinn's spine when
he realized that his best friend thought he was a liar. He turned away from Blay and he
saw his own reflection looking at him from the mirror over his dresser. Those fucked up
eyes glaring at him with disgust. Without even giving it a second thought, Qhuinn's fist
went straight through the glass, shattering it.

"Jesus," Blay gasped.

Chapter 6

Blay couldn't believe his eyes. Were they deceiving him? Blood was dripping from
Qhuinn's hand onto the carpet. Acting on reflexes alone, Blay grabbed Qhuinn's arm and
pulled him to the bathroom. He led him to the bathtub, forcing him to sit on the edge. He
grabbed the nearest trashcan and slid it under Qhuinn's bleeding hand. "What did you do
that for?"

Qhuinn didn't answer, but he flinched when Blay grabbed his hand to examine it. "This
looks bad. You need to see Doc Jane."

"No. I can do it."

"Quit being a hard ass, Qhuinn. You have glass embedded in your hand."

"I said I don't want to see the doc." Qhuinn stood and Blay's hand flew out, forcing
Qhuinn to plant his ass back on the edge of the tub.

"Fine, I'll clean it up." Blay sighed and walked over to the vanity area. Qhuinn was so
ignorant. He figured it was part of the guy's appeal, but damn if it didn't get on his nerves
at times, especially in a time like now. He grabbed some wet towels and found a first aid
kit under the sink. He was going to need something to get the glass out with. "I'm sure
you don't, but do you have any tweezers around here?"

"Medicine cabinet," Qhuinn mumbled.

Sure enough, there was a pair of tweezers sitting in the cabinet. Blay grabbed all the
supplies and set them down in front of Qhuinn. When he pulled his shirttails out of his
pants and started unbuttoning it, Qhuinn's head shot up. Their eyes locked as Blay
removed his shirt exposing the fitted tank top he was wearing underneath. Qhuinn's eyes
got even wider when Blay ripped his belt off. He took the shirt and belt and draped them
over the toilet before he knelt in front of Qhuinn.

Blay gently took Qhuinn's hand into his and started patting it with the wet towel. There
was so much blood that he could hardly see to get the glass out. "I'm not a liar," Qhuinn
said quietly.

Blay paused and looked at Qhuinn's face. His hard jaw was covered by a five o'clock
shadow and the circles under his eyes were purple from his lack of feeding. His usual
spiked hair was lying flat on his head. His beautiful eyes were…sad. Blay's instinct was
to comfort him. "I know you're not," he said softly and he meant it, "but I don't need you
to defend my honor, Qhuinn. I'm not a pussy. I can take care of myself." He broke their
eye contact and got back to work on Qhuinn's hand.

"I never said you couldn't. You wouldn't be my best friend if you were a pussy."

Blay laughed. "You are cut throat about everything, aren't you?" He heard a chuckle
come from Qhuinn and looked up just in time to have his breath catch in his throat.
Qhuinn was smiling. His entire face was transformed, all of his hard features becoming
soft. He was stunning.

Qhuinn's rare smile quickly faded. "What?"

Blay nodded and continued picking the glass from the cuts on Qhuinn's hand. They sat in
silence until he finished. "I think I got it all." Blay reached for the gauze and tape from
the first aid kit and started wrapping Qhuinn's hand when a gentle finger brushing across
his face startled him.

Blay's eyes squeezed shut. "Don't," he whispered.

Qhuinn cupped the side of Blay's face in his hand. Blay's head hung low as he forced his
eyes to remain closed, squeezing them even tighter. The feel of Qhuinn touching him was
a combination of joy and pain. Qhuinn had the hands of a warrior, but yet his touch was
soft and gentle. He couldn't stand to keep having these moments between them whenever
nothing would come of it.

"I want to be with you, Blay. I do." Qhuinn paused and Blay's heart was beating out of
his chest. "It's just that…"

Qhuinn went silent. Blay opened his eyes only to find Qhuinn had his closed. "It's just
that I don't want you to be with me." Qhuinn shook his head. "I don't trust myself. If I
ever hurt you, I would kill myself."

Undoubtedly, this had to be dream. Blay sat up straight on his knees and mustered up
every bit of courage that he had. He grabbed each side of Qhuinn's face into his hands,
pulled him closer and pressed their foreheads together. Blay felt the heavy breaths escape
Qhuinn's parted lips and sweep across his face. "You wouldn't kill yourself; you wouldn't
make it to the Fade."

"I wouldn't deserve too." Qhuinn's tone was heart wrenching. Again, Blay felt the need to
comfort him. He allowed his lips to barely touch Qhuinn's, holding them there for a long
moment before Qhuinn pressed them together into a deeper kiss. Qhuinn wrapped his
hands around Blay's forearms and slid his tongue into Blay's mouth. Blay turned off the
switch in his mind that had him worrying about what would happen afterwards and
completely lost himself in the moment. Qhuinn's lips were on his. He wanted him. He
needed more, much more. Their tongues began moving together, the kiss becoming more
passionate then any other kiss they had ever shared before. Blay's hands went to Qhuinn's
head, weaving through his soft, black hair. Qhuinn growled and took Blay's bottom lip in
his mouth, sucking on it. His elongated fang nicked Blay's swollen lip. "Open your eyes
and watch me taste your blood."

Blay met Qhuinn's beautiful mismatched eyes. His hard dick was twitching so bad in his
pants that it hurt. He wanted to be inside of Qhuinn, he needed to be. Qhuinn's gaze
dropped to Blay's lip, before leaning in to lap up the blood with his tongue. He pulled
away from Blay and moaned as he swallowed. "Fuck," Blay said breathlessly. Qhuinn
grinned and leaned forward, gently kissing Blay's neck. When he felt Qhuinn's fangs slide
across his skin, Blay let his hands drop to Qhuinn's waist. His moan echoed in the
bathroom, which was filled with the smell of dark spices-a double dose. He reached for
the front of Qhuinn's pants halfway thinking Qhuinn would pull away at any moment, but
he didn't. Blay pulled the snap loose and slid the zipper down.

Was this really going to happen? Was he really about to be with Qhuinn in every way
that he ever wanted to be? Blay gripped Qhuinn's dick in his hand, his diamond hard
dick, just as Qhuinn punctured the vein in his neck. He moved his hand around Qhuinn's
erection, up and down as he sucked the blood from his neck. Qhuinn's hands were
holding on firmly to Blay's broad shoulders.

The bang at the door startled them, both pulling away from each other quickly. "You've
got to be fucking kidding me," Qhuinn said.

The door opened before the invitation to come in was announced. Qhuinn promptly
tucked himself back into his jeans just as V stepped into the bathroom. "Well would you
get a whiff of that." V laughed referring to the strong bonding scent filling the room.
"What's going on in here, some Dom trick that I'm not aware of?" V was into that kind of
shit and evidently he thought the blood and gauze was part of some kind of sexual act.
Not all of it was. Of course, the shattered mirror probably didn't help their case.

Qhuinn just looked at the guy while Blay's back was still turned towards the door where
V stood. V waited patiently for a response that didn't come from either of them. "Well ok
then. Wrath wants everyone at First Meal in twenty. It's Mary's birthday. See you there,
true." He turned and walked away.

Qhuinn fixed his eyes back on Blay and smiled. "Guess you should finish wrapping my
hand." Blay grinned and picked up the gauze.

Chapter 7

Qhuinn watched Blay closely as he taped the last bit of gauze around his hand. The bite
marks on Blay's neck still had blood dripping from them. He hadn't had time to seal the
wounds before V barged in. He could still taste Blay's blood on his tongue. It was like
nothing he had ever tasted before, thick and rich. He found himself wondering if he could
survive on Blay's blood alone because frankly, it was all he wanted to taste for the rest of
his existence.

"You're all done," Blay said as he patted Qhuinn's leg and stood up. He leaned over and
picked up the supplies, placing everything perfectly back in the box and folding the
towels. He was such a neat freak, completely opposite from Qhuinn. Qhuinn stayed
seated on the edge of the tub as Blay walked over to the vanity area and put the first aid
kit back under the sink and tossed the towels in the hamper. Damn, he wanted more of
Blay. He wanted to feel whatever it was that surged through his body when Blay touched
him. Of course, they most likely only had about ten more minutes before they were due at
First Meal and ten minutes was simply not enough time, not for what he wanted. Blay
wasn't just some whore he fucked in the bathroom stall.

"Thank you," Qhuinn said as Blay started walking back towards him. Blay stopped and
rested his hands on his hips, his immaculate biceps flexing. Blay had arms that every
male dreamed of having and Qhuinn was one male that definitely wanted to have them,
wanted to have them wrapped around him.

"Sure, no problem. Let's not make it a habit." Blay chuckled.

Qhuinn finally raised himself from the edge of the tub and stood in front of Blay. He
placed his hands around those gorgeous biceps and swept his tongue across the bite
marks on Blay's neck, sealing the wound. The blood on his tongue sent another surge
through his body. "That's not what I was thanking you for," Qhuinn whispered in Blay's
ear. He turned and quickly made his way to the bedroom.

Qhuinn stood in front of his dresser as he pulled his black t-shirt over his head examining
the mess he had made. "Fritz is going to be pissed," Blay said as he came out of the
bathroom tucking his shirt back into his pants. His cheeks were as red as his hair and
Qhuinn couldn't help but grin. Blay was right; he was going to get an earful from the
doggen, but he couldn't find it in himself to regret punching the fuck out of that mirror.

Blay slid his belt back on and Qhuinn had a hard time peeling his eyes away. Compared
to him, Blay might as well have been wearing a tuxedo, but then again that was Blay,
always tailored to the max. He was fucking perfect. "Fuck, I'm going to have to be in the
same room with that jackass." Qhuinn blurted out, remembering why Blay was wearing
what he was.

Blay knew immediately who the jackass was. "He didn't come back to the mansion with
me."

Qhuinn was relieved, but wanted to know what happened. He could see that Blay didn't
want to talk about it, so he wouldn't press the issue, at least not yet. "Let's roll."

Qhuinn held the door open as Blay walked towards him, their eyes locked on each other.
Blay slammed the door shut with one hand and pushed Qhuinn against the back of it with
the other. Qhuinn could smell the lust bouncing off of Blay, could feel his blue eyes
seducing him. Blay's brilliant full lips crushed against his, his tongue moving inside of
his mouth. Qhuinn was hard in an instant. He wanted to know what it felt like to have that
tongue moving around his dick. Before he could suggest it, Blay pulled away to soon
leaving him breathless. "I ended things with him. He was a little bitch and he got on my
nerves."

Qhuinn could only nod. What the fuck was happening to him? No one had ever taken
charge with him and Blay was sure as fuck taking charge of him, man handling him.
Damn, it was sexy. Blay stepped away and reached for the doorknob, forcing Qhuinn to
move.

Blay was two steps ahead of Qhuinn as they walked down the hall. "You're getting
confident in your old age, you know that?" Qhuinn called out to him. He heard a short
laugh come from Blay, but no response. "You scare me."

"In a good way or a bad way?" Blay asked as they continued down the hall.

"Both." Qhuinn's gaze drifted south when Blay tucked his hands into his pocket,
stretching the fabric tight across his ass. "Definitely both."

"If it makes it any better, the feeling is mutual," Blay said just as they reached the top the
stairs. Apparently, they were the last to arrive because every eye in the mansion was
looking up at them, including V who was sporting a big shit-eating grin. This was about
to get interesting.

Chapter 8

"Mary, the circus clowns are here," V chuckled.

Blay suddenly felt nervous although he wasn't sure why. It shouldn't be strange that he
and Qhuinn would arrive together. After all, they were best friends. Sure, Blay had been
avoiding Qhuinn for sometime now, but he was still his best friend. He wondered if V
had felt the need to share details with the rest of the party guests.

Qhuinn's hand brushed across Blay's lower back before leading the way down the
staircase. Blay felt slightly comforted by his touch and slowly followed while he looked
around the room below. It really did appear as if the circus came to town. Rhage was in
the corner spinning cotton candy while Bella was filling bags of popcorn. A houseful of
vampires having a birthday party with cotton candy and popcorn machines, now that
wasn't something you would see everyday.

"V, don't be so rude," Mary said as she jumped up from her seat. She threw her arms
around Qhuinn who looked like he didn't know what to do in return. "I'm so happy you
guys came."

Qhuinn awkwardly maneuvered himself out of Mary's embrace. "I wasn't under the
impression that we had a choice," he mumbled and then pulled out a chair across from
John Matthew and Xhex at the dining room table. "Poker? I'm in."

Only someone like Qhuinn could be rude to Mary. Blay was happy to see Qhuinn's cold
shoulder didn't seem to faze her. He shook his head and pulled Mary into a hug. "Happy
Birthday, Mary. What do we have going on here?"

"Thanks, Blay. Rhage insisted on throwing me a party," she giggled. Her smile was
contagious. "Anyway, have some fun; we have games and treats for everyone."

Blay grabbed a tootsie pop from one of the bowls on the table, which was no doubt one
of Rhage's special touches. He pulled the wrapper off and popped the sucker in his mouth
before taking a seat beside John Matthew.

John turned towards Blay and signed. What took you chumps so long?

"It's your deal John." Qhuinn slid the deck of cards across the table. Blay looked up only
to have that blue-green stare boring into him. "You want in this round?" Qhuinn asked in
a lowered voice. In that moment, Blay didn't feel an ounce of the confidence he had
minutes ago. Qhuinn was looking at him the way he had been for the past few months,
apologetic and full of pity. It was like nothing had happened between them.

Blay pulled the tootsie pop from his mouth to answer. "No, I'll just watch." He was 99%
sure that Xhex would win all of their money anyway. He may be an idiot when it comes
to all things Qhuinn, but he knew better than to play poker against Xhex. To bad he
couldn't apply that knowledge to all areas of his life.

"What happened to your hand," Xhex asked Qhuinn.

"Nothing," Qhuinn answered bluntly without looking up from his cards.

John's eyes moved from Qhuinn to Blay, back and forth again, before stopping on Blay.
What's going on?

"Nothing is going on. Can we finish this hand?" Qhuinn interrupted.

How about you let Blay answer when I ask him a question?

Xhex and Qhuinn hadn't exactly warmed up to one another. They were far too much alike
to get along. Blay could sense that she was about to let Qhuinn have it. "What the hell is
your problem, Qhuinn?"

"My problem? I've been locked up for weeks now while you two lovebirds play house
and I'm losing my fucking mind. That's my problem." Qhuinn stood and threw his cards
on the table.

No one said you couldn't go out.

"You don't fucking get it, John. Maybe you should go back and read the rule books."
Qhuinn pushed in his chair and walked away.

"Prick," Xhex mumbled under her breath.

Blay sank lower in his seat and bit down on his tootsie pop. He hadn't said more than two
sentences since coming down to the party and frankly, he didn't know what to say. Once
again, Qhuinn confused the fuck out of him. He didn't want to think Qhuinn's mood had
anything to do with him, but he couldn't help it.

Blay looked around the room. Mary, Marissa, Wrath, Beth, Doc Jane, Phury and Cormia
were playing Monopoly at far end of the table. Z and Rhage were playing with Nalla in
the den while Bella appeared to be popping more popcorn in the machine. Butch and V
were in the billiard's room and apparently Qhuinn had just joined them. Blay watched
Qhuinn as he racked the balls and stood back for Butch to break. As if he could feel Blay
watching him, Qhuinn's mismatched eyes locked on him. His hard face showed no
emotion.

The excuse to grab another tootsie pop allowed for Blay to pull his gaze away from
Qhuinn. Who knew what the hell was wrong with Qhuinn? Trying to figure it out did
nothing but give him a royal, brain fuck.

A tap on his arm brought Blay's attention back to John who was giving him a questioning
look. Are you ok?

It's been a long day. I need to get some sleep. Blay signed, to lazy to remove the tootsie
pop from his mouth to speak. God, it had been a long day. Only a few hours had passed
since he ended things with Saxton. Now, it felt like a lifetime ago. Sax didn't take well to
Blay ditching him, but none of that really mattered. For Blay, Qhuinn was the only thing
that mattered, always had been and always would be whether he was miserable for the
rest of his life or not.

What is going on with you and Qhuinn?

Blay allowed his gaze to return to Qhuinn. His long body was stretched across the pool
table, his backside facing Blay while he lined up his next shot. Blay could feel his
excitement rising in his pants as he imagined what it would be like to walk up behind
Qhuinn in that position. He quickly shrugged off the idea before it became noticeable just
how excited he was getting and turned back to John's wide eyed glare. Those wide eyes,
the color of the ocean, were still waiting for an answer. Right, what is going on with him
and Qhuinn? He wished he knew the answer to that question.

Blay shrugged, "Ask him."

Chapter 9

Qhuinn turned around just in time to see Blay grab another fucking tootsie pop. For God's
sake, if he had to watch him twist, lick and suck on one more of those fuckers, a quick
hand job in the bathroom was going to be necessary. He already had the worse case of
blue balls in the history of the world.

"How long have you been in denial?" V's question caught him off guard. As bad as he
needed to, Qhuinn still couldn't pull his eyes away from Blay's lips as he slowly pulled
his latest tootsie pop out of his mouth. Jesus, if those lips were wrapped around his dick,
he'd be one happy son of a bitch right now. "I asked you a question, boy."

Qhuinn forced himself to meet V's diamond eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Denial, how long? I'm not talking about the river either." V parked his ass on the edge of
the pool table and stared at Qhuinn waiting for an answer. He was obviously being nosey
about what he walked into earlier and the truth was, Qhuinn had been in denial for a long
time.

"I'm not in denial," Qhuinn answered.

"Please, I see the way you're eyeballing Strawberry Shortcake over there. You're a
bonded male."

Qhuinn chuckled. "I know what it must have looked like, V, but we're not bonded."

"Hmmm." V got up and moved to the side of Qhuinn. "Well that's good to know."
Qhuinn watched V as he looked at Blay seductively. His stomach tightened with jealousy
and he felt the air blowing harder through his nose. "I've always had a thing for redheads
with tight bodies and if he's free then I wouldn't mind tapping that ass."

Qhuinn's reflexes took over. His firm hand came down hard on V's forearm and a growl
ripped through his chest. His top lip was curled over his fangs when V looked him in the
face. "That's what I thought. Now you better take your fucking hands off me before I beat
your ass, you little shit."

Qhuinn quickly dropped his hands and pulled himself together. What the fuck did he just
do? He fucking snapped and had no control over it.

"You wanted to kill me, true?" V was grinning. Qhuinn nodded, it was all he could do.
"That's bonded male shit."

Qhuinn looked at Blay and thought of someone else putting their hands on him. He'd
slaughter anyone who did.

Mine.

"Trust me, kid, there is no point in fighting it." V patted Qhuinn on the shoulder. "You
won't win."

Butch came back into the room, just as Blay was telling John goodnight. Qhuinn waited
for Blay to look towards him, but he never did. He was sure that Blay mistakenly thought
his mood swing had been about him, but he was just that…mistaken. He really did need
to get the fuck out of this mansion.

"I'm turning in. Catch you guys later." V gave him another shit eating grin and Qhuinn
just couldn't help being a smart ass. "Your name suits you well, Vishous." He expected V
to come at him with some bitchy comment or maybe even his fist, but he laughed.

"You're lucky I like you."

Qhuinn chuckled and retreated to the stairs. He didn't even knock when he got to Blay's
door. The room was empty when he entered with only the sounds of water coming from
the bathroom. Qhuinn plopped himself on the bed and waited. Blay's room had absolutely
nothing out of order. It always looked like the doggens had just left from cleaning it.
Qhuinn smiled to himself when he realized Blay would flip if he saw he had his shoes
resting on the bed. He slid his feet to the side and kicked his new Addidas trainers on the
floor.

Moments later, the bathroom door opened and Qhuinn said a quick prayer that Blay
wouldn't walk out naked. He couldn't be responsible for his own actions if he did. Blay
froze in the middle of the room once he noticed Qhuinn. He was wearing only boxer
briefs, every muscle ripped to the core. Damn it, he might as well have been naked. He
looked like a fucking sculpture.

"Hey," Qhuinn managed to choke out.

"Hey." Blay replied and sat in the chair across from the bed. Qhuinn had to bite the inside
of his mouth to prevent himself from crossing the room and falling to his knees in front
of Blay. Seeing Blay's hooded eyes and the dark circles under them helped. He was
exhausted.

"I just wanted to let you know that my little pity party downstairs had nothing to do with
you. I could tell that you thought it did. I'm sorry about that." He hated making Blay feel
like shit and he wanted to do everything he could to make it up to him.

"What's wrong?" Blay groggily asked.

Qhuinn shook his head. "This job, it gets to me sometimes. It pisses me off when John
doesn't realize that my entire life revolves around him, that I have no choice. Normally, I
don't let it get to me, but being cooped up in this house night after night fucking sucks."

Blay's beautiful, sapphire eyes were halfway shut. He literally looked like he could fall
over at any second. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Watching Blay fight his sleep was all it took for Qhuinn to forget about everything that
was bothering him. "Come here." Qhuinn patted the bed. "You're beat."

Blay crawled under the covers and faced Qhuinn. Qhuinn scooted down on his side until
he was eye to eye with Blay. He reached up and gently traced the dark circles under
Blay's eyes. "When is the last time you fed?"

"It's been awhile."

"I can tell." Qhuinn let his hand fall in front of him. God, the way Blay looked at him, he
swore he could see straight to his soul. "It'll always be like this, you know? Everything I
do revolving around John. Do you understand what that means?" Qhuinn wished he could
make everything about Blay.

Blay nodded and closed his eyes. Qhuinn leaned in closer and softly kissed his lips. "Go
to sleep," he whispered. He grabbed Blay's hand and turned the lamp off with his mind.
Right now, in this moment, it was all about Blay. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Qhuinn." Together, hand and hand, they fell asleep.

Chapter 10

Blay was awake, but his eyes remained closed. After hours of sleep, he still felt weak and
tired. He had gone far too long without feeding. He'd be murdered if he tried to fight in
these conditions, not that he'd be fighting anytime soon. He groaned and stretched his

body across the bed as the sound of the shutters opening for the night sounded in his
room.

Qhuinn…Suddenly the memories flooded his brain. Qhuinn had fallen asleep with him
last night. His eyes flew open, but he was alone in his bed. He smiled when he saw the
piece of white paper, neatly folded on the pillow next to him.

I waited. It looked like you'd be out for awhile. Hope you slept well. Q

Blay looked at the note for a long time, amazed. This was so out of character for Qhuinn.
At the same time he was scared that it would all go away and he'd wake up from this
incredible dream he was having. He rolled over and placed his feet on the ground, setting
his note on the nightstand. Qhuinn had actually slept beside him last night. He wondered
how long Qhuinn waited, watching him sleep.

A soft knock at the door startled him. He thought it might be Qhuinn coming back to
check on him, but it could very well be a doggen dropping off his laundry. Blay grabbed
a pair of athletic shorts from his dresser and slid them on before answering the door.

The smell of cinnamon and spice just about knocked him on his ass. "Layla?"

"Hello sire. I was called upon to serve you. You are in need of my blood. Please take
what I may give you."

Layla's lovely face looked sad as she stood before him in her white robe. "I'm thankful
that you are here, Layla. I do need to feed, but I didn't call you. Maybe it was Rhage or
Vishous."

She nodded. "No, sire. Qhuinn called me upon. He informed me that I should be of your
service."

Blay's abs tightened when he thought of Layla feeding Qhuinn or maybe it was the
thought of what may have occurred afterwards. He swallowed hard, glancing back over
his shoulder, hazily aware that they were still standing in the doorway. Blay bowed to
Layla and held the door open wider for her to enter. "Forgive me, Layla. Please come in."

As Layla appeared to flow across the room, Blay went to his dresser and pulled out a t-
shirt. He pulled it over his head before approaching Layla. He sat next to her on the
chaise lounge and took her hand into his, not without noticing that there were no bite
marks on her wrist. "I thank you for your gift."

"Sire?" Layla got his attention just before he struck her wrist. When he looked back into
her eyes they were filling with tears. "Will you drink from my neck?" She asked as she
pulled open the top of her robe, exposing her breast as it fell below her shoulders. She
was absolutely stunning.

While Blay sat speechless for a long moment, the tears from her eyes began streaming
down her face. "Umm…Layla," he stuttered.

"Please do not turn me away, sire," she whispered.

Blay reached towards Layla and closed her robe. "Layla, I'm not going to turn you away.
What is wrong?" It was all it took for her to completely break down. She pulled on her
robe tightly and sobbed. Blay wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his side.
"Layla, please tell me what is bothering you."

Blay remembered the last time she was upset. It had been because she wanted Qhuinn to
fulfill her needs and here she was now in front of him, exposing herself. It never set well
with Blay that the Chosen viewed themselves as servants, their bodies being mere objects
as if they were being pimped out. He sat Layla up straight and gently took her face into
his hands, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "Why are you crying?"

"Sire, I am sorry. Please, take what you need and I will be on my way." She lifted her
wrist in between them. It was very apparent that Qhuinn must have turned her away. It
was the only reason she would be this upset. Blay would be lying if he said that didn't
please him, but at the same time, he did not like to see Layla suffering this way. She had
always been so gracious to him.

Blay dropped his hands and grabbed both of hers, pulling them into his lap. "Listen,
Layla. I know what it feels like, just wanting someone to want you. But I honestly believe
that there is someone out there for everyone and in one way or another you will be
brought together. It could be longer or even sooner than you'd ever thought possible, but
when that time finally comes it doesn't matter how long you've waited because when you
are with your mate, your soul mate, you would have waited a lifetime just to spend one
day with them."

Blay lifted his hand to Layla's chest, placing it over her heart. "Something will move
inside of you and you will know its right. It's not something you can force. It just…it just
happens."

Layla placed her tiny hands over the hand Blay had rested over her heart. "Do you really
believe that? Do you believe you have a soul mate?" she asked softly.

Blay thought about Qhuinn and how much he loved the guy, how something inside of
him moved every time he laid eyes on him. He'd be willing to wait forever for him. "I
do."

Layla smiled and Blay couldn't help but return the gesture. "You are a radiant female who
will indeed bring much happiness to your future mate, whoever he shall be."

"Thank you, sire."

"Please, call me Blaylock."

"Blaylock, can I ask you for favor?" Layla appeared to be squirming with nervousness in
her seat. After what just happened, he wasn't sure what she would want to ask him at this
point.

"Of course," Blay replied.

"No male has ever fed from my neck. If what you say is true, I could be in waiting for a
long time before I meet my mate. I don't want to go that long without knowing what its
like." She didn't ask the question, but Blay knew that she still wanted him to feed from
her neck. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about the idea.

She dropped her hands from his and crossed them in her lap and Blay dropped his from
her chest. "Is this really what you want, just for me to drink from your neck?" She
nodded.

Blay's hand softly caressed her cheek and slid down her neck and rested on her shoulder.
"You have always been very gracious to me with your gift. I will do this for you to show
my gratitude."

"Thank you, sire…Blaylock."

Blay pulled her closer to him and drug his fangs across her vein, immediately his mouth
began to water. As gently as he could, he punctured the skin. He moaned when her warm,
sweet blood hit his throat. He could never wait this long again. He squeezed her tight as
he greedily took pulls from her vein. When he was satisfied, he sealed the wounds with
his tongue and sat back only to find Layla staring over his shoulder with wide eyes.

Blay immediately caught the faint smell of dark spices and he knew they weren't his. He
closed his eyes tight before opening them again, following Layla's gaze. Qhuinn's back
was pressed against the door, his shaking hands squeezed in fist and his mismatched eyes
fixed on Layla.

Quickly, Blay turned back to Layla who was now looking at him with questioning eyes.
"Is he…" Blay nodded before she could finish her question. Yes, Qhuinn was his soul
mate.

"You are a male of worth and I thank you. Perhaps I should leave now, Blaylock."

Blay shook his head. "Yeah, that might be a good idea." He stood and grabbed Layla's
elbow as he led her to the door. The last thing he needed was for Qhuinn to pounce on
her. Qhuinn slowly moved away from them the closer they got to the door, his lips
pressed in a tight line as if he was forcing himself not to expose his fangs. Layla scurried
out the second he opened the door and Blay let the door softly click shut, taking a
moment to turn around and face Qhuinn and his rage.

Qhuinn was standing two feet in front of him when he turned around, his hard hands on
his hips. Blay felt like his heart skipped a beat as he took him all in with his eyes. He
wore black nylon pants, a black fitted tank and black Addidas trainers. His face was
smooth and freshly shaved, his damp black hair was going in every which direction and
his blue-green stare was intense.

"What the fuck was that?" Qhuinn finally broke the silence.

Chapter 11

Qhuinn still couldn't believe what he walked in on. It was certainly the last thing he
expected from Blay. The minute he walked in the door his body took over. It took every
ounce of strength he had not to grab Layla by the throat and tear her into a million tiny
pieces. Once she was out of the room, he was able to relax some. Staring into Blay's eyes,
Qhuinn couldn't be angry with him. Is this what Blay had to go through all those times he
had to watch him take some bitch into a back room to have his way with her? It made
him sick to think about it.

"I didn't hear you come in." Blay spoke softly.

"That doesn't change things. It still happened."

"She was upset. She asked me too. It was nothing."

"She wanted me to fuck her, but I didn't do that." When the words came out, surprise
crossed Blay's face. Qhuinn was sure that Blay thought he had fucked Layla, which was
why he threw that out there. "You thought I did? Is that why you latched on to her neck,
to get back at me?"

Blay laughed. He really laughed and he was beautiful. Qhuinn wanted to take him in his
arms. "Are you jealous of Layla?" Blay asked, still laughing.

"I'm glad you find this amusing." Qhuinn said, refusing to break a smile.

"Qhuinn, she's a female."

That wasn't what bothered Qhuinn. He knew Blay didn't want the Chosen, but seeing him
drawing from her neck and the look of pleasure on her face made his stomach turn inside
out. "You've never taken from my vein," he admitted.

The smile vanished from Blay's face, his eyebrows raised. "I haven't exactly had ample
opportunities to do so."

Qhuinn dropped his head and shut his eyes. He didn't want to make Blay feel guilty, he
really didn't, but he wanted to be honest about how he felt. When he was with Blay, he
couldn't keep a lid on anything anymore. This bonding shit had taken over. "I know…but
you didn't have to do that with the Chosen."

Blay came forward and wrapped his arms around Qhuinn, forcing him to rest his
forehead on Blay's shoulder. "I'm sorry I ever made you feel this way. It sucks," Qhuinn
whispered.

Blay let out a short laugh. "Yeah, it does…but really, I apologize. I'm just not used to this
whole thing yet, whatever it is." Blay released Qhuinn and their eyes met. It was true;
they hadn't actually discussed this newly enhanced relationship of theirs. "It wasn't
something I had to think about before."

"You mean before I wanted to assassinate anyone who laid their hands on you."

Blay laughed. "You are insane." Qhuinn suppressed a smile. "You can smile you know.
You happen to be very handsome when you do."

Qhuinn shook his head, the corners of his mouth curling slightly as Blay's hands raised to
either side of his neck. "I'm not going to kiss you, Blay. You won't taste the same. It's bad
enough that you smell like a cinnamon roll right now."

Blay lost it, doubling over in laughter and Qhuinn couldn't stop himself. He laughed to.
He hadn't seen Blay laugh that hard in so long. It was fucking fantastic, even if it was at
his expense. He didn't care. Blay pushed by him and stretched out across the bed with his
hands interlocked behind his head, his laughter fading. "Can you believe I'm still tired as
hell?" He yawned.

Qhuinn walked closer to the bed. Sweet Scribe Virgin, Blay had the most incredible body
he'd ever seen. His eyes ran over Blay's thigh muscles that were peaking out from below
his shorts. "You just fed and by the way, what's with this Blaylock nonsense. Are you on
a first name basis with the Chosen now?"

Blay smiled, looking gorgeous propped up on his bed almost as if he was waiting for
Qhuinn to jump on him and he wanted to do it too. Fuck yeah; he wanted to do it. For
weeks he didn't have shit to do and now it was just his luck that tonight John was waiting
for him in the training center. He just couldn't catch a fucking break. He continued to
move towards the bed until he reached the edge below Blay's feet.

"Are you still wanting to talk about this?"

"Maybe," Qhuinn replied slyly with a cunning look on his face. Blay chuckled and
Qhuinn leaned forward placing a knee on the bed and a hand on either side of Blay's legs,
slowly crawling on top of him. Qhuinn stared into those burning sapphire eyes. When he
reached his face, he let his body bear down against his, pressing his hard dick into his hip.

He ran the tip of his nose along Blay's jawline, against his ear, then down the side of his
neck before following the same trail back up, letting his tongue ring drag against the soft
skin. When he reached his chin, he pulled back and fixed his eyes back on Blay's. "I'm
still not going to kiss you. I mean…I would have, but you ruined that. Hopefully you
learned your lesson," he teased.

"Won't happen again," Blay grinned.

"Good."

Qhuinn's phone started vibrating in his pocket. He rolled off of Blay, sitting up next to
him before answering it. "It's a text from John. We're hitting up the training room if you
feel like getting your lazy ass out of bed tonight."

"What about Xhex?"

"She went back to work with Trez and iAm. You'd know that if you would check your
messages." Qhuinn reached over and grabbed Blay's phone from the nightstand, flipping
it open. The first message was from that piece of shit, Saxton. Blaylock call me, it read.
He held it up in front of Blay's face before flipping it shut and tossing it onto Blay's
stomach.

"I won't be calling him." Blay was still lying with his hands behind his head, completely
relaxed.

Qhuinn sat back against the headboard. He reached over Blay's head and held onto some
of the fingers that were sticking out from under his head. He twisted his thumb through
Blay's soft, red hair. They sat in that position, silent for a few minutes.

Qhuinn had a feeling he was going to have to do something about his cousin, but he
wouldn't disturb Blay with talks of it. He needed to go take out his frustration on the
punching bag. "John's waiting for me. You think you're going to feel up to it?"

"I'm surprised you're not going out tonight."

"We haven't fought in weeks. I'm not taking any chances. We need to train, plus I knew
you needed to feed. You were way to weak." What he really meant was that he wasn't
going to take any chances of letting Blay get hurt. At this point, he couldn't bare the
thought of Blay out there fighting at all, much less as weak as he was. Qhuinn would
never let Blay know that. He'd accuse him of thinking he was a pussy or some shit which
he didn't, far from it, but if anything ever happened to him, he'd die.

"Thanks for thinking about me."

Qhuinn leaned over and kissed the top of Blay's head. "I'm always thinking about you,"
he said softly. He rolled over and stepped out of the bed, smiling. Blay didn't look like he
would be moving anytime soon.

"I'll be down in a few," Blay said, bringing his hands forward to rub his face.

"Maybe you shouldn't. If you're not alert, you'll surely catch a fist in the face."

Blay smiled and rolled over to stand on the other side of the bed. "I could be half asleep
and still kick your ass."

Blay was stronger than him, but he was definitely quicker which helped him avoid
coming in contact with any of Blay's powerful punches. "Well it looks like we have a
date then." Sure, it wasn't the kind of date he really wanted to take Blay on, but it would
do for now. Blay rolled his eyes and walked over to his closet. Qhuinn slapped his ass as
he walked by. "See ya."

"See ya," Blay mumbled as he dug through his clothes.

Chapter 12

If there ever was a perfect example of washboard abs, Blay was looking at it. Qhuinn was
pounding away at the punching bag while his pants hung low around his hips. They were
so low that Blay wasn't sure how he even managed to keep them up. Maybe it was the
solid, roundness of his perfect ass doing the job. His rock hard abdomen was so lean and
defined. Even his sides were ripped with muscle. The way his pelvic muscles came
together in a perfect v-shape had him licking his lips.

"How it's going, buddy?" Blay greeted John who was seated on the mat watching Qhuinn,
legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. "Are you done already?"

Nah, just taking a breather. What about you? Are you ready to swap blows? John signed.

Blay smiled. "Always."

Let's do it. John hopped up from the mat and Blay followed him over to where the gloves
were hanging.

Blay let his gaze return to the focal point of the room as he slid on the gloves. Qhuinn
was non-stop on the bag, twisting, turning, punching and ducking. His footwork was
impressive. Axl Rose's voice was blasting through the stereo speakers, Welcome to the
Jungle always being a personal favorite of Qhuinn's.

Just as Blay was about to turn back towards John, Qhuinn grabbed onto the punching bag
and stopped it from swinging back and hitting him in the face. He smiled at Blay. "Hey,
you made it."

Blay's breath hitched in the back of his throat when Qhuinn started walking towards him,
his boxing gloves swaying at his sides, his body drenched in sweat. He knew it was his
imagination, but it was like every move Qhuinn made was in slow motion, straight out of
a movie scene. Holy Mother of God, he had never seen him look any sexier.

Qhuinn rested a glove on Blay's shoulder. "I'll let you warm up with John, then you can
have a piece of me." He shot Blay a flirting smile and wagged his eyebrows a couple
times. "Do you like that idea?"

Fuck, why was he looking at him like that? Blay was already having enough trouble
breathing at the moment without the seductive glares. He had a better idea. How about
they skip this training session all together and hit the showers?

"Sounds good." Blay pushed by Qhuinn, tapping him in the stomach with his glove as he
walked by. "Are you sure you can handle me?" He called out over his shoulder as he
made his way to the mat. This conversation was no longer about boxing.

When Blay turned around, Qhuinn had a smirk on his face, his now gloveless hands
rested on his hips and his long, slender fingers were spread right across those gorgeous
pelvic muscles. "Oh, I'm pretty sure I can handle anything you dish out." His voice was
pure sex.

"Well I guess we'll find out."

Qhuinn raised his eyebrows in question. "Is that a promise?"

"Do you want it to be?" Blay replied, not knowing know how much more of this
temptation he could take before he ran over and slammed Qhuinn against the wall. He
needed him like he needed blood to survive. Blay bent over and as best as he could with
boxing gloves on, he awkwardly removed his shirt, tossing it to the side of the room. He
started jogging in place and swinging his arms to loosen up.

Qhuinn's eyes moved up and down Blay's body, the smile fading from his face. "You
have no idea." They held each other's stare for a few silent moments.

"Ready, John?" Blay finally called out. John sat dumfounded; his bright blue eyes were
as big as saucers. What the fuck? He mouthed. In the midst of he and Qhuinn's alluring
exchange, Blay had mindlessly forgotten that John was even in the room.

Blay chuckled at John's expression as he strolled towards him. Qhuinn smiled, walked to
the stereo and started flipping through his attached iPod, settling on AC/DC's Back in
Black. Blay and John took a few practice swings before they really got into it, Blay being

the first one to land a shot right in John's ribs. Fucker, John mouthed. He got Blay back
with a quick blast to the jaw. After an hour of going back and forth, their paces slowed
dramatically. They were both dead beat with heavy arms. John fell to the ground, flat on
his back. He pulled each glove off one by one and tossed them across the room before he
lifted his hands up. I surrender.

Blay laughed and planted his ass on the mat. There was no way he was going to be able
to take on Qhuinn right now. Speaking of Qhuinn, he was no longer in the room. He
probably grew tired of being a spectator and hit up the weight room.

John sat up and looked around the room, searching for Qhuinn no doubt. He looked back
to Blay. What's doing with you and Qhuinn? And don't tell me to ask him.

Blay looked at John and took a deep breath. What's doing with him and Qhuinn? Hell he
didn't even know the answer to that. "We haven't talked about it."

There is obviously something going on.

"Yeah," Blay mumbled and hung his head.

John clapped his hands and Blay quickly brought his attention back to him. I hope it
works out.

"Thanks, man."

John pulled himself up from the mat and smiled. I'm going to soak. I feel like a wet
noodle. He held out his hand to Blay and pulled him up from the mat. They gave each
other a quick hug and pat on the back before John took off to his quarters.

Blay walked over to the weight room, but it was empty so he ducked into the bathroom
and washed his hands. He leaned over the sink and splashed water on his face and
through his hair before grabbing a towel from the rack. He turned around and leaned
against the sink as he held the towel over his face. Jesus, John had given him a hell of a
workout.

"It's about time."

At the sound of Qhuinn's voice, Blay dropped the towel and looked up. Qhuinn was
standing near the lockers, fresh out of the showers with a towel wrapped around his
waist. He took back his earlier thought. This was the sexiest he had ever seen Qhuinn.
Blay pleaded with himself to remain calm and avoid hyperventilation. "Did you get
scared or something?"

Qhuinn chuckled as he opened his locker. Without any hesitation, Blay dematerialized
behind him, slamming the locker shut before he could answer. Startled, Qhuinn turned
around slowly. "With speed like that, do you blame me?"

Blay walked forward forcing Qhuinn against the lockers. He let the dark scent of his skin
intoxicate him as he leaned in and pushed their lips together. He grabbed his hands and
raised them above his head. Both of them moaning as their tongues moved together.

Suddenly, Blay stopped everything and sat on the bench in front of Qhuinn. Qhuinn
dropped his hands to his side as Blay examined the beautiful body that was standing
before him. His torso was even more spectacular up close and personal. He wanted to
take him right then and there, but that would require a shower first.

"Blay?" Qhuinn whispered, but he didn't answer. Instead he raised a hand and with the
softest touch, he slowly ran his fingertips down the length of Qhuinn's stomach, moving
across every ripple. As he got lower, he wrapped his hand around his hip and gently
pulled him closer.

With both hands, he brushed his fingertips along the pelvic muscles that drove him wild.
He could feel Qhuinn's body tensing beneath his touch, his breathing becoming deep.
"You have the best abs I've ever seen…and these right here…these are phenomenal. I've
always wanted to touch them." He looked up and locked eyes with Qhuinn. "You don't
mind do you?" With deep breaths, Qhuinn shook his head slowly.

"Cat got your tongue." Blay smiled, leaning forward to press his lips to Qhuinn's soft
skin. He slid his lips along the pelvic muscles until they met in the middle, the middle of
the perfect V and pulled the towel off, draping it across his legs.

Qhuinn's huge, diamond hard cock was staring him in the face. His own dick was
twitching in his pants. Jesus Christ, he had always wanted to do this. He would not allow
himself to get nervous. He grabbed the erection in his hand and brought his mouth
forward. As he looked up into Qhuinn's eyes, he lightly twirled his tongue around the
head.

"Oh my god," Qhuinn moaned, his hands weaving through Blay's hair.

Blay opened his mouth wide and wrapped his lips around the length of him. He slowly
moved back and forth as he suctioned around the erection. Qhuinn's deep breathing and
moans filled the room which only turned Blay on more causing him to go deeper and
faster. With his other hand, he grabbed onto Qhuinn's twin weights and massaged them as
he continued to take him all in.

"Holy shit, Blay." Qhuinn held onto Blay's shoulders as his moans grew louder. With a
growl, he pulled out of Blay's mouth, grabbing the towel from his lap and wrapped it
around his dick as he came. With his eyes squeezed shut, he backed against the lockers
trying to catch his breath.

Blay stared at him, feeling smug. He had just given Qhuinn a fucking orgasm and it was
everything he dreamed it would be. He stood up, forcing Qhuinn to gradually open his

eyes. He cupped both sides of his face and tenderly kissed his lips. "Maybe next time you
won't be so scared." He dropped his hands and headed for the door.

"Blay?" Qhuinn called out, breathless. Blay stopped and turned. "You're very talented,"
he said with one side of his mouth pulled up into a grin.

Blay chuckled and walked out. He needed a fucking shower and sleep, pronto.

Chapter 13

Qhuinn was still feeling light headed as he made his way down the corridor to his
bedroom. He couldn't, nor did he want to, get the image of Blay going down on him out
of his head. It wasn't even about the blowjob; it was the way he felt inside. He felt
different. He remembered the look in those smoldering blue eyes when they locked on
his, the passion behind them. Those gorgeous eyes slammed into him like a fucking brick
wall. The moment had changed everything, changed him.

Qhuinn took a deep breath and shook his head as he walked into his bedroom. Fritz was
standing in the closet hanging up his recently laundered clothes. He turned when Qhuinn
closed the door behind him.

"Sire, how are you this evening?" The old man asked with a gentle smile.

"Not bad, how bout yourself?"

"Splendid, thank you," he replied, bowing his head. "I'm sorry to disturb you. Will you be
needing anything before I leave?"

Qhuinn sat on the edge of his bed. "You aren't disturbing me," he paused. "Fritz, I wanted
to say I'm sorry about the mirror. I would have cleaned it up myself."

The butler turned his head to where the mirror once hung. The first time Qhuinn had
returned back to his room after the incident, the broken glass and bloodstains were no
longer there. A new, unscathed mirror hung in its place.

"Indeed, it was no problem. If I may, I'd like to ask you to refrain from destroying
anymore antique furniture in the future."

"It won't be an issue." Qhuinn chuckled. "How pissed are you really, Fritz? Come on,
you're letting me off too easy."

"Would you like anything else while I'm here?" he asked in reply. Qhuinn smiled and
shook his head. Just once, he would love to see Fritz get pissed off and blow up at

someone. Instead he was standing at attention like he was in the fucking army or some
shit.

"Actually there is something. Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you may, sire." God, Qhuinn hated all this butler lingo.

"I mean, like off the clock. Can you take a break or something?" Qhuinn gestured for him
to sit in the chair. "Have a seat." Fritz hesitated, but he turned and took a seat. He waited
for Qhuinn to speak.

Qhuinn hung his head and sorted through his words. He wasn't exactly sure how to
approach the subject, but he knew he wanted too. He needed some advice and it wasn't
like he had a real father figure in his life. The butler seemed like a good candidate. After
all, he knew the guy wouldn't run his mouth.

"Have you ever had a mate?" Qhuinn finally asked, making eye contact with Fritz.

"Years ago, but my shellan is no longer with us."

"Did you ever do anything nice for her…like…I don't know." Qhuinn paused. He
sounded like a stuttering fool. What the hell was happening to him?

"Are you asking me how to impress a lady, sire?" Well not exactly. Blay was most
definitely not a lady. No, he was all male. Nor was he someone that Qhuinn had to
impress. For some strange, mind-boggling reason, Blay liked him just the way he was. He
did however want to do something nice for him, something to show him exactly how he
felt about him and he definitely wanted to show him in more ways than one.

"Not impress, just…well…oh god, I don't know how to do this shit." Qhuinn stood and
paced around the room, his hands moving from his hips to his hair and back to his hips
again.

"Perhaps I can be of better assistance if I had more information."

Qhuinn took a deep breath and sat in the chair across from Fritz. He leaned forward to
rest his elbows on his knees and collect his thoughts for a moment, his eyes fixed on the
floor. "I want to do something special for Blay," he spoke softly. Qhuinn suddenly felt
vulnerable.

"Blaylock?" Fritz asked, kindly. Qhuinn looked at him and nodded. "Would you like to
get him a gift or would you like a special evening with him?"

He would definitely be spending an evening with him. That wasn't something he could
wait much longer on. He had to have Blay. "Maybe both."

"Very well. I would suggest you think of something you both have fun doing and plan
something along those lines." Sex. It was the only thing that came to Qhuinn's mind. The
night would end with them having sex, he was going to make sure of that. It had to be
special though, yeah; with Blay it was going to be special. "As far as a gift, I recommend
something simple and from the heart." Qhuinn nodded, still thinking about sex. This
sexual tension between them and most likely the lack of sex he was having period, was
really starting to get the best of him. His fucking nuts were on fire. You would think that
after having the best orgasm of your life, that wouldn't be the case, but for god's sake it
was even worse.

"Thanks, Fritz. I appreciate it and thanks for your lack of judgment." Qhuinn needed him
to leave; he was going to have to take matters into his own hands for now, literally.

Fritz stood immediately. "It was my pleasure. I am honored that you asked."

The second Fritz shut the door, Qhuinn wrapped his hand around his dick, closed his eyes
and let the mental images of that "eye-fuck" Blay had given him come flooding into his
mind. It only took him a couple minutes to blast one out and when he did, he bit down so
hard on his bottom lip that he drew blood. How the hell was he going to manage waiting
two more days? He could try and bail on going out tomorrow night, but John wouldn't go
for that. Fuck, sometimes he felt like killing John for the fun of it. Focus, he had to focus.

Qhuinn jumped in the bed and turned on the TV. The first thing to flash across the screen
was a commercial promoting a new Xbox game. Now that was something they had fun
doing. Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea.

Chapter 14

Blay woke up well rested and feeling like himself again. Standing in his closet, he pulled
on a pair of leathers and a long sleeved Under Armor shirt that fit him like a second skin.
He glanced over at the clock. It would still be another thirty minutes before the shutters
came up, so he'd wait before he strapped on his weapons. He carried his shitkickers with
him to the sitting area and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels two or three
times before settling on The Terminator. He slid his boots on, leaving them unlaced and
slid down in the chair, relaxed.

A few minutes later Blay heard a knock at the door. "Enter," he called out without
moving.

"Enter? Are you the fucking king now?" Blay looked at Qhuinn and chuckled. He was
gorgeous, as usual. He looked like a predator in all black, decorated with his weapons of
mass destruction. Qhuinn handed Blay a sandwich and sat in the chair across from him
while he crammed the last of his own sandwich into his mouth.

"Thanks. I'm starving."

"Figured you would be," Qhuinn replied with a mouth full of food.

Blay smiled. "You going with the faux hawk look?" Qhuinn's silky, black hair was flat on
his head, except for a spiky part down the middle.

Qhuinn reached up and smoothed it down with his long fingers. "I haven't even brushed
my hair today."

"It's cute," Blay teased.

Qhuinn lifted an eyebrow. "Cute?" He stood and slowly stalked over to Blay, placing one
hand on each of the armrest of his chair. "Three year olds are cute, Blay," he said softly
before leaning in to press their lips together. It was short kiss and not nearly as long as
Blay would have liked, but he'd take what he could get at the moment.

Qhuinn drew back and grinned. "Get your shit together and meet us downstairs."

Blay smiled and watched Qhuinn strut out of the room. "You're sexy," he blurted out.

Qhuinn turned with a smirk on his face as he grabbed onto the doorknob. "That's a lot
better than cute," He paused with his eyes fixed on Blay. "I'll see you soon."

When he left, Blay finally took the first bite of his sandwich. He swiftly finished eating,
strapped on his weapons, grabbed his trench and headed for the door.

Since Qhuinn drove like a bat out of hell, it wasn't long before they were parking the
hummer in the back of Screamer's. The place sucked, but they didn't have the option of
going to ZeroSum anymore. Not since Rehv turned the place to ashes. Once they parked,
they walked down a couple blocks hoping to catch a few lessers in the back alleys. Sure
enough, the faint stench of baby powder filled Blay's nose.

"This way," Blay motioned for Qhuinn and John to follow him. They hadn't walked two
steps before a god damned lesser threw himself out of a window, landing on Blay's back
smashing his face into the pavement. Blay quickly wheeled around to kick the son of
bitch off of him, but he was already gone. Qhuinn had taken the liberty of breaking the
fucker's neck and now he and John were squaring off with two more. Blay leaned against
the wall and watched as they finished them off.

"Well that was fun." Qhuinn laughed as he stood over the three lessers. "John, text Butch
for cleanup." He turned and walked over to Blay. "Are you ok? Your face is bleeding."
Qhuinn lifted a hand to Blay's face, but he pushed it away.

"I'm fine. I could have handled it," Blay said, sounding irritated.

"I know you could have, but he had you pinned on the ground and I had a clear shot at
him. You expected me to just stand there."

Blay didn't answer and instead took a deep breath. He told himself that if the roles had
been reversed, he probably would have done the same thing. "It's cool; let's just go get a
beer." He didn't feel like arguing with Qhuinn right now. Not to mention, his face was
burning.

When he pushed off the wall, Qhuinn's hand came down on his shoulder. "Blay?"

"I said it's cool." Blay pushed by him. "Did you get a response from Butch?" He asked
John.

He'll be here in two.

"Sweet, let's roll." They walked in silence to that shit hole Screamer's with Blay leading
the way. He turned to Qhuinn as they walked in. "I'm going to clean-up. Grab a table."

Before Qhuinn had time to respond, a first class hooker grabbed onto Blay's arm. "Oh
baby, you're hurt. Let me take care of you."

Qhuinn stepped in front of Blay. "Get the fuck out of here, bitch," he growled. The whore
quickly backed up before she turned and rushed off the other side of the bar.

"Was that really necessary?" Blay asked, but Qhuinn stormed off to the tables with John
following close behind. He didn't know what the hell was going on with Qhuinn, but he
was going to have to get a fucking grip on himself.

Blay examined his face in the mirror, trying to ignore the sex fest going on in the nearest
stall. He got scratched up pretty good. He turned the water on, ducking his head in the
sink and splashing his face. When he rose and looked back in the mirror, he jumped and
quickly turned around. "Saxton, what are you doing here?"

"It's a public place, Blaylock." Saxton was standing before Blay wearing a navy blue suit
with a red tie. It was definitely not Screamer's attire. Was the guy stalking him now?

"I didn't picture this as your kind of place." Blay hoped that Qhuinn wouldn't come check
in on him. He had a feeling that would be a fucking disaster.

"I'm not so sure it's your kind of place either, but I know you make exceptions for your
precious Qhuinn."

Saxton took all of about two minutes to piss Blay off, but he tried to remain calm. "What
is it that you want exactly?"

"You are ignoring my calls."

Blay leaned his ass against the countertop, patting his face with the paper towel. "We
broke up, if you can even call it that. I think maybe you took this relationship to be a little
more than it really was."

Saxton stepped forward and Blay wished he could move back without the sink blocking
him. Saxton's hand reached out and touched his arm. "You do realize he'll hurt you? It's
the only thing he knows how to do?"

Blay was fuming. He shook Saxton's arm away and stepped past him towards the door.
He grabbed on to the door handle to walk out and paused. He took a deep breath and
turned back around. "You don't know anything about him," he said quietly. Saxton
chuckled. Blay's grip on the door handle was so tight he felt like he could rip the door off
the hinges. "Why don't you take that monkey suit to your part of the neighborhood?" Blay
opened the door and walked out. He kept his sight on Qhuinn who was signing back and
forth with John. When he slid into the booth, he looked back towards the bathroom then
around the bar room, but he didn't catch a glimpse of Saxton.

"Jesus Christ, is there a psychiatric ward for vampires?" He hadn't meant to say that out
loud.

"What did you say?" Qhuinn asked. "What took you so long?" He stared at Blay, waiting
for an answer.

Blay knew he shouldn't say anything about Saxton, but he was so pissed off right now
that he could care less. "I had a little company in the bathroom. Saxton followed me."

"What!" Qhuinn moved out of his seat and Blay grabbed his arm.

"Sit the fuck down, he's gone."

"No, I'm going to find that son of bitch."

Blay stood face to face with Qhuinn and raised his voice. "And do what Qhuinn? Are you
just going to leave John here while you go out and try to be the fucking hero? Last time I
checked you were his guardian, not mine. Truthfully, I'm getting sick and tired you
treating me like I'm some pussy who can't take care myself. If you're going to act this
way, then I'll just have to start going out with the others." Blay paused. "I gotta get out of
here." He pushed by Qhuinn and walked towards the door, snatching a pack of cigarettes
that were sitting on a table on the way out. When he got outside, he leaned against the
wall and popped a cigarette in his mouth. Qhuinn was two steps behind him, grabbing the
cigarette before Blay had a chance to light it and threw it on the ground.

"I thought you quit that shit."

Blay rolled his eyes. "Fuck off, Qhuinn." He popped another cigarette in his mouth and lit
it. The first drag burned his lungs.

"No, I'm not fucking off. We need to talk about this."

"I'm don't feel like talking right now, so fuck off." Blay refused to look at Qhuinn. He
took another drag.

"Well I do. Look, I know I've been acting like a crazy, possessive freak, but I can't help
it. I have no idea what is happening to me. I just can't stand the thought of you getting
hurt."

Blay couldn't hold the quiet treatment anymore. He threw the cigarette on the ground and
put it out with his boot, then turned to Qhuinn. "You are so fucking worried about me not
getting hurt, that you don't give a shit about what you do to yourself. You don't pay
attention and one day you'll get your own ass killed. So what happens then? When you're
dead, how bad do you think I'll be hurting then? Pull yourself together, Qhuinn." Blay
leaned back up against the wall. "I'm ready to go. If you two want to stay then I'm just
going to ghost out of here."

They stood silent while a few pedestrians walked by, then Qhuinn walked closer to Blay.
"I'll get the Hummer. Get John, would you?"

Blay let his eyes meet Qhuinn's. He hated the sadness in those beautiful mismatched
eyes. He wanted to pull him in his arms and apologize, but he didn't. "Sure," he replied.
Qhuinn headed down the sidewalk and Blay watched him until he was out of sight. He
leaned his head back against the brick wall and sighed. Their first night back on the
streets had turned into a complete bust.

Chapter 15

Blay was right. He needed to get a grip on himself. Qhuinn cursed himself senseless as he
walked the dark streets of Caldwell. He couldn't stand when he upset Blay, yet it seemed
to be something he did on a regular basis. All he wanted to do was protect him from all
the bullshit that seemed to surround them wherever they went, but for some reason it
always backfired on him. And what the fuck was up with Saxton? The fucker just
couldn't get the message. Maybe he was going to have to etch it in his brain for him. Just
as the thought crossed his mind, he happened to glance into the window of some upscale
martini bar he was passing and caught a peak of Saxton sitting at the bar.

"Well fuck me, looks like it's my lucky day," Qhuinn said aloud.

Qhuinn walked up to the door where he was immediately stopped by some bouncer half
his size. "Can I help you, sir?" He was a cocky little bitch. Qhuinn wouldn't think twice
about putting him in his place.

"You can move out of my fucking way before I have to physically move you myself."
Qhuinn watched the guy slowly back away from him with wide eyes. He'd have to
remember to erase his memories on the way out. "Thanks, prick."

Every eye in the place turned and watched as Qhuinn strolled past them. He planted his
ass on the vacant stool next to his cousin who looked at him through the corner of his
eye. Saxton picked up his martini and took a sip before speaking. "It's so sweet of you to
join me, Qhuinn."

Fuck the small talk; Qhuinn was just going to cut to the chase. "Don't let me catch you on
the street because I will fucking slaughter you." Qhuinn kept his voice low.

Saxton glanced around to see if anyone was watching and took another sip of his martini.
"I still can not understand what it is that Blaylock sees in you." Saxton turned and looked
Qhuinn up and down. "You are a fucking disgrace." A growl rumbled in Qhuinn's chest.
"Easy boy, let's not bring anymore attention to yourself. I know you wouldn't want to
cause a scene."

"I came to deliver a message. I hope you heard it loud and clear." Qhuinn stood from his
stool.

Saxton chuckled like an evil stepchild. "Message received, cousin. I'll be looking forward
to it." Qhuinn turned without another word. "Qhuinn, before you leave. Tell me
something, does he scream my name when you make him come because that was my
favorite part."

Qhuinn took deep breaths. He had to keep himself under control. Turn the fuck around
and leave, he thought to himself.

"Oh you haven't gotten that far I see." Saxton laughed. "I guess I should have known
you'd be a selfish lover."

Qhuinn stepped forward, slamming a hard hand on Saxton's shoulder. He leaned down,
placing his lips at his ear. "I'm going to fuck you up so bad that you are going to wish you
were never born." He pushed off of Saxton and stepped away.

"I think you got it wrong Qhuinn. You are the one that should have never been born.
You're the defect of the family, not me." Qhuinn's stomach was in complete knots. He
couldn't look at Saxton anymore. He turned and walked away, erasing everyone's mind
on his way out. By the time he was outside, his entire body was shaking. When he finally
climbed into the Hummer, he leaned his head forward and tried to calm his shaking body,
but it wouldn't stop. His knuckles were white from the grip he had on the steering wheel.

He jumped when the passenger side door opened.

Blay was looking at him. "What's going on?" He couldn't find his voice to answer.
"Qhuinn, are you okay?" Blay shut the door and walked around to the driver's door and
opened it. "Move over. Let me drive." Qhuinn couldn't release the grip on the wheel. He
literally felt like he was having a panic attack. Blay laid his hands on top of his. "Qhuinn,
relax." His other hand came down softly on his shoulder. "Relax." Slowly, his body
became less tense. He released his grip and slid over to the passenger's side while Blay
climbed in and started the engine. John was already settled in the backseat.

Qhuinn rested his head against the window and they rode home in complete silence, with
not even the sounds of the radio. He let the hum of the engine soothe him. It wasn't long
before they were pulling into the mansion's gates. "I need to talk to you when we get in,"
he mumbled to Blay.

Qhuinn was the first one out of the car, walking quickly to the house and up to his room.
He could feel Blay on his trail. He threw the door open, pulled his jacket off and threw it
on the bed. Blay took his jacket off and folded it neatly across the chair. Qhuinn grabbed
Blay by the shoulders and pushed him back onto the bed. He immediately fell to his
knees and went for Blay's zipper.

"Qhuinn." Blay went to sit up, but Qhuinn's hand flew up, pushing him back down on the
bed. Qhuinn pulled on Blay's leathers until they were past his hips and his hard dick was
exposed. He took a deep breath while he slid his hand up and down Blay's shaft. He had
never actually done this before, but he was going to try his best for Blay. The moans
coming from Blay gave him all the courage he needed. He was so fucking sexy. Qhuinn
leaned forward and pushed Blay's dick all the way to the back of his throat before he
suctioned his lips around it. Oh my god, he tasted incredible.

Qhuinn began working his mouth back and forth, twirling his tongue around as came
back up. Blay's hands were fisted in the sheets and his moans were getting louder. Shit,
he was going to nut in his own pants just by watching Blay get off. He slid Blay's dick
out of his mouth and held it up while he ran his pierced tongue along the bottom of his
shaft. When he reached his nuts he took both of them in his mouth and gently sucked.
Suddenly, Blay pulled the sheet over his dick and came.

"Holy fuck, Qhuinn," Blay moaned in between his heavy breathing.

Qhuinn didn't waste anytime. He climbed on top of Blay and straddled his hips. He
reached down and pulled the dagger out from Blay's chest holster and brought it to his
mouth.

"What are you doing?" Blay urgently asked.

Qhuinn nicked his lip then leaned forward and forcefully kissed Blay, his tongue moving
wildly in his mouth. Blay took his bottom lip into his mouth and sucked hard. Quickly he
pulled away and ran his now elongated fangs along Qhuinn's neck. Qhuinn's lips came to
Blay's ear. "Drink from me," he whispered.

The initial break in the skin made him jerk, but when Blay started taking pulls from his
vein his whole body went limp. Blay had his arms wrapped around him while he lied
loosely across his body. Qhuinn squeezed his eyes shut as the tears welled up in them and
his breaths began trembling. Then he couldn't hold it anymore. He just started crying,
something he'd never done before.

Blay heard him and stopped drinking. He licked the wounds and grabbed Qhuinn's face.
"Are you okay? Qhuinn, I didn't mean to upset you this badly."

Qhuinn shook his head. Blay had never upset him. He gazed into those hypnotizing
sapphire eyes as he sobbed. The tears ran down his face and dripped onto Blay. He leaned
forward and pressed their foreheads together. "I love you," he whispered through his tears
then buried his head in the crook of Blay's neck.

Blay's hands ran through the back of Qhuinn's hair as he held him tight. "I love you too,"
he said softly.

Dressed in their fighting gear, with enough weapons to wipe out an entire city between
their bodies, they held each other as Qhuinn sobbed uncontrollably in Blay's arms.

Chapter 16

Blay's shirt, saturated with Qhuinn's tears, felt cool against his shoulder. He could not
believe what was happening, absolutely could not believe it. Qhuinn's sobs had not let up
for sometime now. He had no idea what had shook him up this much, but witnessing him
in this state was heartbreaking. Blay continued to rub his back. Finally, he could hear his
sobs turn to deep breaths. The puffs of air from Qhuinn's parted lips brushed across his
neck. "Qhuinn, are you okay," He asked softly.

Qhuinn nodded against the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry." His quiet voice was uneven.

"What's wrong?" Blay asked. He was truly worried that he was the cause of this
breakdown. "I know I shouldn't have lashed out at you."

"No, it's not you." Qhuinn shook his head, his face still buried in the crook of Blay's neck.

"Okay, well what is it then?"

Qhuinn pushed up and rolled off of Blay. He then sat up on the edge of the bed, resting
his elbows on his knees and using the palms of his hands to wipe his eyes. Blay stood,
pulling his leathers back up at the same time. He grabbed the sheet that he used as a
towel, walked to the bathroom and threw it in the laundry. He quickly made his way back
to Qhuinn who hadn't moved an inch, his face still covered with his hands. He took his

weapons off, setting them down on the bed before he sat next to Qhuinn and placed a
hand on his back. "Are you going to talk to me?"

Qhuinn's long, slender fingers moved from his face into his hair. His hard jaw flexed. "It's
everything," he said in a low voice. When Blay heard a light gasp from Qhuinn, he
wrapped his arm around his shoulders and held him tightly. The tears were flowing again.
"You're all that I have, Blay." He pressed the side of his face against Blay's chest. "Please
don't ever leave me." His words muffled by his sobs.

Blay hid his face in Qhuinn's hair. "I won't...you know I won't."

They stayed in that position for a few minutes before Qhuinn took a deep breath and sat
up. He wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands again, but this time he let them drop
into his lap and looked at Blay. Blay was afraid to say anything. "I'm fine," Qhuinn
reassured him, taking another deep breath.

Blay felt gutted as he examined Qhuinn's face. His beautiful eyes were red and swollen,
the circles under them a deep shade of purple. The cut he made on his lip was already
scabbing over. He looked like he had been beaten to hell and back. Blay wrapped his
hand around the back of Qhuinn's neck. "Tell me what's wrong."

Qhuinn hung his head. "I saw Saxton."

Blay sighed internally. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"I should have," he chuckled lightly. "I just warned him."

Blay knew that something else happened for Qhuinn to react the way he did. Never once
since he has known him has he ever seen him get this emotional about anything. He still
couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What did he say to you?" Blay hoped he wouldn't
trigger another round of tears.

Qhuinn, still with his head hung low, sighed. "I should have never been born. I'm the
defect of the family. I'm a fucking disgrace," he paused. "I won't repeat what he said
about you. I'll throw up." He stood up and started removing his weapons. He walked over
and threw them on top of his dresser before pulling his shirt off and throwing it on top of
the weapons.

Blay stood up and walked over to him, holding onto his shoulders. He could hunt Saxton
down and kill that motherfucker himself for saying those things. "None of that is true."

"I don't give a fuck what he says about me." Qhuinn pulled away, sitting back on the bed
to unlace his boots. "I hate that you were with him. I fucking hate it."

Blay squeezed his eyes shut. He hated it too."If I could go back, I…"

"No," Qhuinn interrupted. He was suddenly standing in front of Blay, placing a finger
under his chin. "You aren't going to feel guilty. I shouldn't have said that." He dropped
his hand.

Blay examined Qhuinn's face for a second time. "You really need to feed."

Qhuinn turned and started digging through his dresser drawers. "I'm good."

"No your not. I should call Layla."

"Blay, I'll be okay."

He was so damn hardheaded. "Would you like me to call another Chosen since you are
trying to avoid Layla? You can't go forever without feeding."

Qhuinn set both hands on top of the dresser, closed his eyes and took a deep breath before
turning back to Blay. "I'll feed tomorrow. Just not tonight, okay?" Blay nodded in
agreement. "I'm going to shower and get some sleep," Qhuinn continued.

Blay turned and grabbed his trench coat from the chair and then his weapons from the
bed. "Sleep well," he said softly as he gazed back into Qhuinn's eyes. Even when he
looked like he had gotten the shit beat out of him, he was still the most beautiful creature
Blay had ever laid his eyes on.

"You too," Qhuinn whispered. When he started for the door, Qhuinn's hand grabbed onto
his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Blay…uh, I…what happened earlier," he stuttered.
He paused and sighed. "I didn't want it to happen that way. I'm sorry."

Blay shook his head. "It's all right."

"No it's not," Qhuinn quickly rebutted. He moved in closer and placed his hands on the
either side of Blay's neck. "I meant what I said. I love you, Blay."

Blay had waited for so long to hear those words only to have come to the realization that
he would probably never hear them from Qhuinn. The first time Qhuinn said the words;
they were quickly pushed to the back of his mind. His only concern was to hold him and
ease his pain. But right now with Qhuinn staring at him with those piercing mismatched
eyes, the very eyes that solidified that it was none other than Qhuinn, the love of his life,
saying those three little words, completely melted his heart. Was he dreaming?

Blay swallowed hard, trying to find his voice. "I love you," he breathed, his voice barely
a whisper.

Qhuinn smiled a real, genuine smile. "I don't know why, but I'm happy as fuck that you
do." This made Blay chuckle.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Blay was all of a sudden feeling dog-tired.

Qhuinn nodded, "Tomorrow." He wrapped his arms around Blay's neck and embraced
him. "Thank you."

Blay wished he wasn't holding his stuff and thought for a minute to just let it drop on the
floor, but Qhuinn drew back before he could. Instead, he leaned in and kissed him lightly
on the lips. "Have a good night."

"You too, Blay."

Chapter 17

"I think that'll do it, Fritz." Qhuinn stood in the middle of the theater looking at the big
screen as Fritz iced down a 12-pack of Coronas behind the bar.

"Blaylock will surely enjoy the evening you have planned for him," Fritz responded.

Qhuinn hoped so. He smiled at the old man and then made his way down to the first row
of seats. He flopped down in one of them, mindlessly bobbing his knees up and down.
"Hey, thanks for helping me out." None of this would have been half as nice without his
help.

"My pleasure. I will make sure the pizza is down here within the next hour." Fritz began
slicing the bowl of limes that he brought down for the Coronas.

Qhuinn stood and made his way over to the bar, pulling out a small black box from his
pocket. It was a gift that he picked out for Blay. It was the one thing he did without the
help of the butler. "Check these out." He opened the box and set it on the bar. Inside was
a pair of diamond cufflinks. "Do you think Blay will dig these?"

Fritz chuckled. "Skull and crossbones, they are lovely."

"I think they're dope." Qhuinn smiled, turning the box so that he could look at them more
closely. He was proud of himself. "He's into this fancy kind of shit." Qhuinn shrugged,
snapping the box shut and sliding it back into his pocket. "Well I'm out. Thanks again."

Fritz smiled and nodded. He looked more than pleased to be helping Qhuinn. "Have a
great time."

"You're the best," Qhuinn called out over his shoulder as he exited the theater. He strolled
down the hallway with his black hood up and his hands in his pockets. He paused in front
of Blay's door suddenly feeling nervous. Why was he nervous? "This is ridiculous," he
mumbled to himself before he pulled a hand out to tap on the door.

"Enter," Blay called out from inside the room. Qhuinn rolled his eyes. There he went with
that 'enter' shit again.

Qhuinn opened the door and briefly held his breath when he got a good look at Blay
propped up on his bed reading a book. Tucked into his dark blue jeans, he wore a pastel
blue button down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, putting his muscular
forearms on full display. His perfectly tousled red hair and striking sapphire eyes topped
off the look. He was a poster child for Gucci. In fact, he could see the name embossed
into the leather of his brown belt as he got closer. Stunning, Qhuinn thought to himself.
"What is it with you and this 'enter' nonsense?" Qhuinn asked after he started breathing
again.

Blay laughed. "I knew it was you."

Qhuinn stretched out next to Blay, letting his nostrils fill with his amazing scent. Christ, it
was intoxicating. He smiled slightly when he noticed Blay glance away from his book to
make sure he didn't have his shoes on the bed. "What are you reading? Twilight?" He
chuckled.

Blay grinned and shook his head before he shut the book, turning to set it on the
nightstand. "It's the new John Grisham novel."

"Lovely," Qhuinn replied with a lack of enthusiasm. He could feel Blay studying his face,
no doubt taking note that he hadn't fed yet. He really did need to feed. He was thirsty for
it and he looked like shit, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to drink from anyone else.

Blay reached up and pulled the hoodie off of Qhuinn's head. "Did you sleep okay?" he
asked.

Qhuinn shrugged. "I slept a few hours." Wanting to get off the subject, he quickly
reached over and grabbed Blay's hand. "I have something for you." With his free hand, he
reached into his pocket and pulled out the black box. He turned Blay's palm up and
placed it in his hand.

"What's this for?" Blay looked at the box then back to him.

"Well I'm taking you on a date, so I figured since I was picking you up I couldn't show up
empty handed and I wasn't going to bring you roses." He smiled.

Blay still looked confused. "You're taking me on a date? You didn't have to get me
anything."

Qhuinn sighed. "I know I didn't have to. I wanted to. Now open the damn box."

"Okay…chill." Blay opened the box and a smile crossed his face. "These are cool," he
chuckled. "Thank you." He pulled one of the cufflinks out of the box to have a closer
look.

Seeing his face light up made Qhuinn ecstatic. He leaned over and kissed Blay's temple,
then rested his chin on his shoulder. "The skull is encrusted with real diamonds too, the
eyes are black diamonds."

"They're really great. Thanks." Blay smiled at Qhuinn.

"Your welcome. So are you ready?" Qhuinn wheeled around and stood to his feet.

Blay snapped the lid shut on the box and laid it on top of his book that sat on the
nightstand. "Sure. Do I need to change?"

"Absolutely not. You're fucking hot as hell." He didn't intentionally mean to say that out
loud, but oh well. It was the fucking truth. Jesus, he could jump on top of him right now
and not have any second thoughts about it, but he wanted the night to be special for Blay.
A lot better than last night, that was for damn sure.

Blay laughed. "Well okay then." He got up and walked towards the door. When Blay got
closer, Qhuinn reached out and weaved his fingers loosely through Blay's. He was quiet
as he led them down the hall thinking about how relaxed he felt with Blay, how normal
everything seamed. It was something he could get used to. He turned his head to Blay
who looked at him at the same time and smiled. How did this perfect male become his?
He definitely did not deserve him.

"You really didn't have to do this?" Blay interrupted his thoughts.

They stopped right outside of the theater room. "Would you stop saying that?"

"I just don't want you to think you have to be any different. I know this date stuff isn't
your thing."

Qhuinn turned Blay's body to face his, resting his hands on his shoulders. "What are you
talking about? You don't even know what we're doing." He let his palms slide along
Blay's arms until he reached his hands, taking them into his. "I am trying to do something
nice for you, so I'd appreciate it if you would quit protesting." Qhuinn paused. "Now if I
was taking you to some lame jazz club, then you'd have reason to argue, got it?"

"I like jazz," Blay grinned.

"Yeah, I know…and it's lame." They both laughed.

Qhuinn walked forward, forcing Blay to back up against the wall. He pressed their bodies
together, still holding on to each of his hands. His parted lips came down on Blay's neck

where he lightly brushed across his skin until he reached his ear. He could feel Blay lean
further into the wall. "You smell so fucking good," Qhuinn whispered in his ear, then
continued dragging his lips across his cheek until he met his mouth. He ran his tongue
along Blay's bottom lip, and then slipped it into his mouth, sliding it across the tips of his
fangs. Blay's hands dropped from his and grabbed onto his hips, pulling him closer.
Qhuinn threw his hands up on the wall behind Blay, pushing against him harder, feeling
the pressure of Blay's erection rubbing against his. Blay's hands moved from Qhuinn's
hips around his lower back and underneath his hoodie, his fingers kneading into his back
muscles as their tongues moved wildly together in perfect unison.

His hands fell from the wall, grabbing the back of Blay's head. He pulled his lips away
and mashed them into his neck, passionately leaving a trail of kisses down to his
collarbone where he used his chin to push the collar of his shirt away.

The tips of Blay's fingers slid into Qhuinn's jeans. Blay's touch on his bare skin was
making Qhuinn go crazy. There was no way they were going to make it inside of that
theater and if they did, they'd be on the floor in a matter of seconds. Of course,
considering it had been weeks since he'd had sex, added up with how bad he wanted
Blay, he'd probably erupt in a matter of seconds as well. He wouldn't, however, be
opposed to round two…or three…or four. He just wanted Blay and he wanted him now.

Blay leaned his head down and sucked on his neck, making a circular motion with his
hips. Qhuinn moaned as he moved his bottom lip against the side of Blay's face. "I want
you," Qhuinn said breathlessly against the skin.

"You can have me," Blay whispered.

Qhuinn quickly pushed away and looked into Blay's eyes, both of them panting. He
looked at the door thinking about what he had in store for their date then back to Blay. It
could wait, right? He asked himself. "Yeah," he breathed. He grabbed Blay's hand,
pulling him. "Yeah, let's go."

They got to Blay's door first. Qhuinn let go of his hand and basically knocked the thing
off the hinges to get inside. When they got inside, Blay started walking towards the
bathroom. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Qhuinn replied, fell backwards on the bed and sighed. He listened for any
sounds of running water, but heard none. Once the minutes starting piling up, he
wondered what the hell Blay was doing in there. He got up and walked to the closed
door, laying a hand against it. "Blay? Are you alright?" He spoke softly. Blay didn't
answer, but he could hear his deep breaths. He tapped on the door with his fingers. "Blay,
I'm opening the door."

Blay's head hung low over the sink, his hands pushing against the countertop. Was he
having second thoughts? Qhuinn took a deep breath. "If you don't want to do this, we
don't have to."

"No I do, believe me I do," Blay responded without lifting his head.

"What's wrong?" Qhuinn asked. Blay turned around and sat on the edge of the counter,
their eyes met. Holy shit, his eyes were glowing the brightest fucking blue Qhuinn had
ever seen. "Your eyes…they're…you're beautiful." Blay took a deep breath and closed
them. "Don't close them," Qhuinn said immediately and moved to stand in front of him.
He placed his hands on Blay's shoulders.

Blay's glowing eyes slowly opened back up and locked on Qhuinn. "I've waited a long
time for this," he said quietly. They stared into each other's eyes for a few silent
moments. "I'm just nervous."

Qhuinn could hardly find his voice to speak. "Blay," he whispered. He lifted a hand to the
side of his face. "I am too."

Blay slowly stood and wrapped an arm around Qhuinn's waist, leading him back into the
bedroom. When they got to the edge of the bed, they stood face to face. Blay placed his
hands softly on Qhuinn's hips, looping his fingers through the belt loops. When the sides
of Blay's lips curled into a tiny smile, Qhuinn felt like his heart melted. He was totally
mesmerized by him, utterly in love. He raised his hands to Blay's shirt and slowly started
unbuttoning it. When he unhooked the last button he looked back into Blay's eyes. "I love
you," Blay whispered.

Qhuinn leaned forward. "I love you too," he whispered as he pressed their lips together.

Chapter 18

Blay watched Qhuinn slowly unroll his sleeves one by one, all the while still trying to
fight off the nervousness that was running through him. When Qhuinn was finished, he
pulled the shirttails from Blay's jeans, sliding the shirt off of his shoulders onto the floor.
Blay moved his hands forward and unzipped Qhuinn's hoodie, exposing a white t-shirt
underneath. Qhuinn shrugged out of the hoodie, throwing it on the ground. He then
reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. Blay's eyes skimmed over
his abs. He wanted to be touching him again. He reached out and wrapped his hands
around Qhuinn's waist and pulled him forward, his lips meeting the crook of his neck.
Qhuinn's fingers ran along Blay's arms while he walked forward, forcing Blay to move
with him until he backed into the bedpost. Qhuinn reached around him, gripping the post
with both of his hands, pushing their chests together as Blay sucked on his neck.

Blay could feel the blood pumping through Qhuinn's neck. He wanted so bad to puncture
his skin and let the warm blood flow down the back of his throat. He slid his tongue
across the bulging vein, making his mouth water. All too soon, Qhuinn pulled away from
him, releasing his grip on the bedpost. He moved his hands over Blay's pecs and down
his sides before he turned to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling Blay in front of him.

"I did this all wrong the last time." Qhuinn said without moving his gaze from Blay's
stomach. He sounded as if he was talking to himself.

Blay could only stare down at Qhuinn's perfect face. His hard features appeared to have
softened. He looked completely at ease. Blay wished he could say the same for himself.
His hands were still slightly trembling.

Qhuinn reached up and watched his own hands as he glided them tenderly from Blay's
chest down the length of his stomach. Blay's body became rigid under his touch. The
goose bumps rose on his arms. Fuck, why did he feel so tense? Qhuinn tucked his long
fingers into Blay's pockets; letting his hands hang there. He pressed his lips to the center
of his stomach causing Blay to exhale a nervous rush of air. Then suddenly those
mismatched eyes were looking into his. "Are you okay?" Qhuinn asked him with a little
grin tugging at the side of his mouth.

Blay forced a nod. Qhuinn looked down to kick his unlaced boots off of his feet and
scooted himself back onto the bed. "Come here," Qhuinn said softly. Blay removed his
shoes and crawled in next to him.

Qhuinn rolled on top of him pressing his pelvis forward, their erections rubbing together.
"Relax," Qhuinn breathed out against Blay's lips, his warm breath brushing across his
face. He took Qhuinn's bottom lip into his mouth, running his tongue around his piercing.
His hands wrapped around his back, his fingertips pressed into his skin.

Blay closed his eyes as Qhuinn's mouth left his and moved to his neck, planting kisses
along his collarbone down to his chest. He took his nipple into his mouth, moving the
barbell in his tongue around it a few times and sucked before moving over to the other
nipple. Qhuinn continued kissing and sucking on his skin, all the way down to his waist,
his hands slowly following the same path.

Blay opened his eyes to see Qhuinn pull himself to his knees between his legs and briefly
make eye contact with him. His eyes darted back to Blay's belt where he loosened the
buckle and whipped it off with one quick tug. When he pulled the jeans open, their eyes
met again, but this time they stayed locked on each other.

Blay sat up on his elbows, wanting him closer. As if he knew, Qhuinn came forward and
hovered over him. When their faces met, Qhuinn pressed his body against Blay's, forcing
him to lie back down. Blay weaved his hands through Qhuinn's disheveled, jet-black hair
and continued to stare into his eyes. He was so beautiful.

Blay moved his line of vision over Qhuinn's face. He looked over the red tear drop tattoo
that was inked on his cheek, the slight stubble growing along his jaw line, the piercings
that ran the along the edge of his ears, the small silver ring that looped around the center
of his bottom lip and back to his gorgeous mismatched eyes, outlined with long black
eyelashes. Mine.

"Qhuinn," Blay whispered.

Qhuinn raised his eyebrows. "Hmm?"

"You're mine."

Qhuinn smiled, exposing the tips of his fangs. "You're right. I am yours."

God, how long had he waited for that to be true? I am yours. His insides warmed at the
sound of that rolling off of Qhuinn's lips. Qhuinn leaned forward, kissing him slowly and
for a long time. His tongue moved passionately in Blay's mouth as their hips rubbed
together, both of them moaning against each other's parted lips. He threw his head back
into the pillow, out of breath, as Qhuinn lowered his head to kiss his neck. Blay quickly
grabbed onto Qhuinn's hips forcing him to stop moving before he came in his pants.
Qhuinn chuckled and pushed himself up on his knees between Blay's legs again. He slid
his fingers under the waistline of his jeans and pulled them off.

Qhuinn crawled out of the bed and removed his pants. His naked body was fucking
gorgeous. Blay's eyes closed as Qhuinn slid back in between his legs, kissing and rubbing
his legs all the way back up to his erection. When it came to his hands and tongue,
Qhuinn was one generous male. Blay moaned when those long, slender fingers wrapped
around his hard dick. This was definitely not going to take long, he already felt like he
was on the verge of exploding at any minute.

"Watch me," Qhuinn said softly. His voice was beyond seductive.

Blay looked down at Qhuinn. His blue-green stare was locked on his as he lapped his
tongue around the head of his dick. Christ, that fucking tongue ring was like his cocks
own personal massage therapist. Blay's mouth dropped open, his breathing was heavy
and deep and his hands were fisted in the sheets. Qhuinn's eyes never left his as he took
his shaft into his mouth and bobbed his head up and down. Blay squirmed around and his
knees raised slightly, his moans filling the room. Qhuinn began stroking his own dick and
moaning while his tongue ring continued to knead along Blay's shaft. In a rush, Blay sat
up and grabbed the back of Qhuinn's head, growling while he came into the back of his
throat. Qhuinn's lips continued to slide up and down his shaft, swallowing all of Blay's
juices. Blay was completely winded when Qhuinn finally slid his lips from his dick and
kissed his way back up to his neck. "You taste good," Qhuinn whispered into his ear.

"Oh fuck," Blay breathed.

"I want you to take me." Qhuinn stopped kissing him and looked into his eyes.

Holy shit, this was actually about to happen. The lost nerves started trickling back, but
before they completely took over, Blay rolled Qhuinn off of him onto his side. He closed
his eyes and pressed his lips to Qhuinn's forehead, holding them there for a few moments
while he breathed in his scent. He laid his hand on Qhuinn's shoulder and gently pushed

him over to his other side. Blay reached behind him, pulling a bottle of lube from the
drawer of his bedside table. He squeezed a few drops in his hand and rubbed it along his
dick before he came forward pressing his chest to Qhuinn's back. He wrapped his arms
around him and ran his lips along his shoulder blades. The muscles in his back flexed
when Blay lowered his hand to Qhuinn's cock, stroking it slowly a few times before
sliding his palm along his favorite pelvic muscles. Blay grabbed his own dick and rubbed
the head against Qhuinn's balls and along the crack of his perfect ass before he found the
opening. He took a deep breath and slowly slid into Qhuinn, both of them grunting. Blay
paused without moving for a few seconds, soaking in the feeling of being inside of
Qhuinn, before he started thrusting his hips back and forth.

Blay squeezed his arms around Qhuinn's chest, while Qhuinn's hands came around,
gripping his thigh. He buried his face in the crook of Qhuinn's neck, his elongated fangs
begging to puncture the skin. Blay's pelvic thrust became quicker and harder, while
Qhuinn worked his ass against him. He reached down and grabbed Qhuinn's dick, his
strokes in sync with his hips.

Blay couldn't take it anymore; he had to taste his blood. He slid his fangs along the artery
and bit down. Qhuinn growled and grabbed a hold of the hand that was stroking his dick.
Together they moved back and forth. Blay took a deep pull of the vein and the sweetest,
purest, richest blood flowed along his tongue and down his throat. It tasted better than the
finest, aged port wine available. He felt like he would never get enough of the feeling he
was having. Every ounce of his body, inside and out, craved Qhuinn. For the first time,
he felt like he would murder anyone who laid a hand on him. All those times he thought
Qhuinn was losing his mind and now he felt exactly the same way. The smell of dark
spices flowed over Qhuinn. Blay marked him as his own.

Blay took one last greedy pull from Qhuinn's vein, moaning while he came for a second
time. He licked the wounds on his neck and rolled over on to his back trying to catch his
breath. His heart was literally pounding out of his chest. Qhuinn fell back next to him,
grabbing onto his hand. He weaved their fingers together and brought them to his chest.
Both of them stared at the ceiling until their heavy breathing subsided.

"You're a good lay, Blay." Qhuinn chuckled, finally breaking the silence.

Blay turned his head to look at Qhuinn through his hooded eyes. "Are you Dr. Seuss
now?" He grinned.

Qhuinn laughed before his face grew serious. He rolled over on to his side, still holding
their hands to his chest. "It's so much better when it means something."

Blay nodded in agreement. "It was incredible," he mumbled.

"I smell like you," Qhuinn said as he sniffed his arm.

"Good." Blay hoped every male or female in the world took that as a warning. Qhuinn
chuckled, rolling back over and stretching. Blay felt his stomach rumble. "I'm fucking
starving."

"You down for some cold pizza?"

"Hell yes."

Chapter 19

"Can I borrow some shorts?" Qhuinn asked Blay.

Blay pulled on a pair of black nylon pants and a tight black tank before he tossed a pair of
athletic shorts to Qhuinn. Red wasn't his usual choice of color, but they would do. He
slipped them on with his white t-shirt. They walked barefoot down the corridor, back to
the theater. Qhuinn laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" Blay asked.

"Oh nothing. Just déjà vu." He smiled at Blay, draping his arm across his shoulders. Only
this time, he knew they would make it inside. He could smell Blay's hunger and would
make sure he was well fed. He squeezed his arm around Blay's neck and playfully rubbed
his fist against his scalp. Blay jokingly landed a few light punches in his side. They both
laughed.

When they reached the door, Qhuinn opened it wide for Blay who paused just inside the
door, his eyes fixed on the Xbox screensaver that was floating around the big screen.
"This was our date?" Blay asked, glancing back over his shoulder at Qhuinn.

Qhuinn nodded and walked over to the bar, grabbing two Coronas from the ice and
popped the tops off.

"That's bad ass."

"Yeah, I thought it'd be pretty sweet."

"What games do you have?"

Qhuinn smiled again, he was thrilled to see how excited Blay was. "Halo and Guitar
Hero." He reached over the bar, handing Blay a beer. "Here."

Blay sat on one of the stools and took a swig of the beer. "Thanks."

"My pleasure." And it totally was his pleasure. Nothing pleased him more than to see
Blay happy. It made him sick to think about how much of a jerk he'd been to him over the
past few months. He shook his head at the thought. Christ, he was a fucking idiot.

"What are you thinking about?" Blay asked softly. When Qhuinn looked up, Blay's blue
eyes were piercing through him.

"About how hungry you are," he lied and reached into the pizza box. He put three pieces
on a plate and slid it across the bar to Blay.

Blay immediately picked up a slice and bit into it. Qhuinn watched him chew slowly.
Once he swallowed, he turned his attention back to Qhuinn. "I don't know if I've ever told
you this, but you are a terrible liar. You know it's not easy to get away with lying to a
vampire." He flashed his fangs and took another bite, chewing just as slowly. This time
he kept his eyes on Qhuinn.

Qhuinn looked away and fixed his own plate. "It's not anything I haven't told you before."
He mumbled and came around the bar to sit in the stool next to Blay. He rested his
elbows on the bar and gobbled down his first piece of pizza in three bites. He didn't eat
his food nearly as delicately as Blay.

"Refresh my memory."

He dropped his forearms on the bar, turning his head to look at Blay. "I don't like that I've
hurt you," he said quietly and went back to his pizza. They ate in silence until both of
them finished what was on their plates. Qhuinn was glad that Blay didn't press the issue.

Qhuinn leaned over the bar, grabbing the pizza box. He set it down between them and
they polished off what was left in the box. Blay leaned back with his hand on his stomach
and sighed. "I'm full."

Qhuinn chuckled and ran his eyes over Blay's flexed bicep. "I wish I had arms like
yours," he blurted out.

Blay assessed his own arm and shrugged, looking back to Qhuinn. "You have great
arms."

"Not like yours. The cut in your tricep is ridiculous," he said as he reached over and
traced it with his forefinger. "And your shoulders are massive." He dropped his hand,
resting it on his knee.

"Well thanks, but if you want to talk about body parts, then I wish I had your abs."

Qhuinn smiled, remembering the time in the locker room when Blay had let him know
about the particular liking he had for his abs. He tried as best he could to hide his arousal
from Blay, but succeeded about as well as he had with the lying.

Blay grabbed his stool and had him turned around in a matter of seconds. Damn, the
vampire worked fast. Before he knew it, Blay was standing between his legs with his
hands fisted through his hair, their mouths crushing together. Qhuinn opened his mouth
and moaned against Blay's soft lips. Blay pulled tighter on Qhuinn's hair, forcing his head
back. For Qhuinn, the pain from Blay's forceful hands was a total turn on. He wanted him
so fucking badly, he could literally scream.

Qhuinn slid his hands under Blay's shirt, sliding them over his pecs. He could feel them
twitching under his touch. Blay pulled away. He yanked his shirt over his head, then
grabbed Qhuinn's and did the same. Jesus Christ, the guy was on fire. Not wasting any
time, Blay buried his face in Qhuinn's neck, sucking and licking. Qhuinn's dick felt like a
ticking time bomb waiting to explode. He grabbed Blay's waist and pulled him against his
erection, squeezing Blay's hips between his thighs. He let his hands travel down to his
ass, pushing him forward even further.

Blay's hands were still tangled through Qhuinn's hair as he moaned against every inch of
his neck. From the sounds he was making, you would have thought he was enjoying the
most decadent chocolate money could buy. Suddenly, Blay's arms were under his
armpits, forcing him to stand. Blay continued kissing Qhuinn's neck, then chest, then abs
and then slowly fell to his knees, sliding his tongue over the pelvic muscles. It didn't
seem right to have Blay on his knees before him, it should be the other way around, but
Qhuinn couldn't make himself put a stop to it, not after the warmth of Blay's mouth was
covering his entire cock. Qhuinn fell back against the bar, grabbing Blay's face in his
hands. He ran his fingers along his cheeks, feeling the indentions made from the suction
he had on his dick.

Fuck, he couldn't take it anymore. He reached down and pulled Blay from the floor,
spinning him around. He pinned him against the bar in the push up position and slid his
pants from his hips until they fell around his ankles. Immediately he plowed into him.
Qhuinn's growl was so loud, he had no idea what kind of reaction Blay had. He started
pumping his hips back and forth like he was a goddamn freight train. Qhuinn leaned
forward, wrapping an arm around Blay's waist and buried his face in his back. He could
feel Blay's skin vibrating against his lips as he moaned.

Qhuinn slowed his pace, now penetrating Blay with hard, deep thrust. He rubbed the
length of his arms until he reached his hands, weaving their fingers together. He leaned
all of his weight on Blay, steadily pumping in and out. He quickened again as he felt his
orgasm approaching and with one last driving force, he wrapped his body around Blay,
squeezed his hands and growled at the point of his release.

Qhuinn slowly pulled his dick out of Blay. He missed the warmth of being inside of him
already. Blay turned around, grabbed his face and kissed him forcefully. Jesus Christ, he
wanted more. Qhuinn wouldn't object to that. He pulled away, grabbing Blay's hands and
he led him over to the chair. He leaned forward and kissed his neck. "I need to be inside
of you again," he whispered. He sat in the chair urging Blay to sit on his lap.

Qhuinn pushed himself further down in the seat as Blay sat on his dick. His head flew
back against the headrest at the moment of penetration. Blay's arms were flexing as he
held himself up on the armrest, twirling his hips as he rode Qhuinn. "Oh, fuck," Qhuinn
called out. He reached around and stroked Blay's erection. Blay pressed his back into
Qhuinn's chest, his head falling back onto his shoulder as they moved against each other.
Qhuinn wrapped his other arm tightly around Blay's chest, his dark spices completely
saturating him from head to toe, inside and out. Qhuinn never knew his scent could be so
strong.

Blay leaned forward and pumped his ass up and down even faster. Qhuinn moved his free
hand down to Blay's waist and watched his dick move in and out. Son of a bitch, he was
about to blow again. He leaned his chest into Blay and erupted, his growl echoing off the
wall. Blay wasn't two seconds behind him. His body stiffened as he came, every muscle
in those gorgeous arms flexed against the armrest.

Blay drug himself from Qhuinn's lap and laid flat on his back in the middle of the floor.
Qhuinn leaned back in the chair with his legs stretched out in front of him watching
Blay's chest rise and fall. Blay lifted his lids and looked at him, his stunning eyes were
glowing again. Qhuinn was completely captivated. "I fucking love you."

Blay let out a light chuckle. "I love you, too."

Qhuinn lifted one side of his mouth into a grin. This date had turned out much better than
he could have ever imagined. "Are you ready for me to dominate you in some Guitar
Hero?"

Blay pulled himself up on his elbows. "You don't stand a chance," he said with a smirk.

Qhuinn hopped up from the chair and yanked his shorts back on. "Well let's go rock star."
He walked closer to Blay, standing over him. "Hey, you can put a sock on your dick and
be Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers."

Blay laughed loudly. "Yeah, I think I'll pass on that idea."

Qhuinn stuck out a hand and helped Blay from the floor. He gave him a quick peck on
the lips then ran up to the top of the theater steps, grabbed the guitars from the back of the
room and cranked the Xbox to life. By the time Qhuinn came back down, Blay had pulled
his pants back on. He smiled as he handed him one of the guitars. "I'm sure if John were
here, he'd beat the both of us."

"No doubt," Blay replied. "But since he's not, I'll go ahead and take over the leader
board."

Qhuinn continued to smile at Blay. This was just like old times. "We'll see about that, big
guy," he paused, "Do you want another beer?"

"Sure."

Qhuinn tried to step around Blay. "Qhuinn," Blay said softly, stopping him in his tracks.
He leaned over and set his guitar down in one of the chairs, then threw his arms around
Qhuinn who returned the embrace. "You have no idea how much today meant to me."

Qhuinn turned his head slightly and gently touched his lips to Blay's cheek. "I know that
it meant everything to me."

"Thank You," Blay whispered. Qhuinn thought he heard a hitch in Blay's voice. He
pulled away, taking his face into both of his hands. Sure enough, those beautiful sapphire
eyes were filled with tears. "You were worth the wait."

Qhuinn leaned forward and tenderly kissed Blay, squeezing his eyes shut to prevent his
own tears from forming. Blay pulled away and held him tight for a few moments before
he let go and grabbed his guitar, slinging it over his chest. "How about that beer?"

Qhuinn smiled and headed for the bar.

Chapter 20

Blay was laying in the dark across from Qhuinn, watching him sleep through his night
vision. He on the other hand hadn't slept a wink. He thought for sure after last night he
would have fallen asleep in an instant. After three rounds of sex and five hours of Xbox,
he was exhausted. Once they settled into bed, Qhuinn had tossed and turned for hours
keeping him wide awake. Finally, he was in a deep sleep and had been for the past hour.
Blay wouldn't dare move and wake him.

He peaked over at the clock on his bedside table. Four o'clock, he thought to himself.
There was still a few more hours until nightfall. For Blay, that meant only a few more
hours until the Chosen would arrive. He had yet to mention that minor detail to Qhuinn.
He went back and forth with whether or not he should call Layla or someone else, but in
the end he decided Layla would be best since she already knew the situation. One way or
another he was going to get Qhuinn to feed, he didn't care if he had to strap him down
and have Layla drip her blood into his mouth.

He brought his focus back to Qhuinn who resembled a child in his sleep. With all of his
features relaxed, his face looked so soft and smooth. His hands were balled up against his
mouth and the black strands of his hair were splayed across the pillow. He looked
peaceful. Blay fought the urge to reach out and touch him just to make sure he wasn't a
figment of his imagination.

Blay turned his head to check the clock again when the candle next to it suddenly sparked
a flame, startling him. He jerked his head back to Qhuinn who was glaring at him with
his eyes halfway open, a slight grin peaking around the fist that covered his mouth.

"Did I wake you?" Blay asked softly.

"No," Qhuinn mumbled and rolled over on to his back. "Come see. I want to hold you,"
he said as he lifted his arm allowing for Blay to scoot into his embrace.

Blay draped his arm across Qhuinn's torso and rested his head on his chest with Qhuinn's
arm coming back down around his back. Blay closed his eyes while Qhuinn's fingers
moved in tiny circles along his lower back.

"You didn't sleep very well," Blay said.

Qhuinn didn't say anything right away. For a second, Blay thought maybe he had fallen
back asleep. "I haven't been," he finally replied in a low voice. Of course, Blay knew it
was because he hadn't fed in a long time, his body becoming more and more anxious for
blood.

"I know what you're thinking, Blay."

Blay laughed under his breath. After a few minutes of silence, he finally decided to ask.
"Why won't you feed?"

"I never said I wouldn't."

Blay lifted his head and met Qhuinn's eyes. "Can you just answer the question?" He
pushed himself off of Qhuinn and propped himself up on his elbows. "We can't keep
avoiding this subject," he continued.

Qhuinn stared at him, his eyes sparkling in the illuminated room. "You don't have to be
mean," he smirked.

Blay shook his head and smiled. "I'm not trying to be mean, but I would like to have a
serious conversation about this. If we're going to be…" He paused.

"Together." Qhuinn finished the statement for him, the smirk on his face becoming wider.
"And why are you saying if? We are together." Some sort of relief rushed through Blay.
If this was all a dream, he prayed that he would never wake up from it. "Unless you're not
sure you want to be?" Qhuinn asked.

Blay rolled his eyes. Now if that wasn't the dumbest, fucking question he'd ever heard he
didn't know what was. He looked Qhuinn dead in the eye with a serious expression.
"Don't you think we should sort this out?"

Qhuinn's face grew somber as he looked away. Blay dropped from his elbows and
stretched his arms out above his head. He buried his face in the covers and breathed out a
lungful of air. As expected, Qhuinn was going to be difficult about this. As the silence
grew long, Blay ran through all of the things he could say to Qhuinn. What could he
possibly say to break through that hard head of his?

"I've never been normal," Qhuinn said softly, interrupting his thoughts. Blay turned his
head to the side so that he could look at him. Qhuinn stared at the ceiling. "My whole life,
that's all I ever wanted…to be normal. Besides the fact that you deserve a lot better than
me, that's part of why I fought my feelings for you for so long." Qhuinn glanced at Blay
and chuckled lightly before fixing his eyes back on the ceiling. "Being in love with a
male is not normal; it's not accepted by the glymera. It would just be another thing that
made me different. "Qhuinn paused.

Blay stared at Qhuinn. He wasn't sure what to say now, wasn't sure how the topic of
feeding got turned to this. Before he could speak, Qhuinn turned his head, reaching over
to grab one of his hands. His blue-green stare was piercing through him. "The truth is,
Blay, for the first time I do feel normal. Being with you is the only thing that's ever made
me feel that way. I've avoided the whole feeding thing because it pisses me off. Your
blood is strong. If a female drank from you, it would give her what she needs, but for me
it's no different than drinking water. It's not fair."

Blay sat back up on his elbows, not losing hold of Qhuinn's hand. "I know how you feel,
Qhuinn. Obviously, I'm not normal either, but…"

"You're perfect," Qhuinn interrupted.

Blay smiled. "And I think you're perfect." For the first time, Qhuinn didn't disagree with
him. He smiled back. "As I was saying, we can't change anything. That's how we were
created, so we might as well find a way to deal with it."

"I know," Qhuinn sighed. "But it still pisses me off."

"It doesn't take much to piss you off," Blay laughed. "Besides, you are looking at this all
wrong. There is nothing sexual about it. We've seen each other feed thousands of times."

Qhuinn smiled slyly. "Yeah, but you've never seen me feed as a bonded male. I'm telling
you, it's some fucked up shit."

"I think I can handle it."

"We'll see."

Blay glanced at the clock. "I guess we will because Layla is going to be here in the next
hour." He braced himself for Qhuinn's reaction. Besides his raised eyebrows, his
expression never changed. "I figured it would be easier since she already knows."

Qhuinn laughed. "Anyone who comes near us is going to know. Our scents are all over
each other. It's not like it'll be our little secret for very long."

"True," Blay shrugged.

"Layla," Qhuinn sighed, looking back to the ceiling.

Blay pushed himself up and took Qhuinn's face into his hands. He pressed their mouths
together, Qhuinn immediately parting his lips. He grabbed the back of Blay's head,
holding him tightly. Their lips and tongue moved gently together. As much as Blay
craved to go on kissing Qhuinn all night, he knew they needed to get ready for the
Chosen's arrival. He slowly began pulling away, delaying the separation with soft pecks
against Qhuinn's lips, nose and forehead. Finally, he pressed their foreheads together and
looked into his eyes. "Just so you know, I love that you are different," he whispered.

Qhuinn kissed him lightly. "I'm going to feed, but I can't promise that I'll be able to watch
you."

"That's fair enough," Blay nodded.

"And you're not going anywhere near her neck," Qhuinn said firmly.

Blay leaned over, sliding his lips across Qhuinn's vein. "Of course not," he breathed
against his skin. He could feel Qhuinn swallow hard. Blay sat up and rolled off the bed,
smiling at Qhuinn.

"You're a fucking tease." Qhuinn shook his head and stretched his long body across the
bed, his erection pitching a tent under the sheets.

Blay laughed as he made his way to the bathroom. "Go get ready," he called out over his
shoulder before shutting the door behind him. He leaned his back against the closed door
and sighed. This was going to be interesting.

Chapter 21

Qhuinn's hands pressed hard against the marble countertop, the blow dryer falling to the
floor. Christ, he was lightheaded. He dropped his head and took slow deep breaths. When
he felt like he had his balance, he lifted the dryer up by the cord. Leaning over was not an
option. Moving very slowly, he turned it off and laid it down. He grabbed the hair gel,
squirted some in his hands and ran it through his hair. He paused when he met his own
reflection in the mirror. It was like death was staring him in the face. Quickly, he shook
off the image, tousled his hair and flicked the light off, making his way into the bedroom.

He dressed in the closet, donning a pair of dark A&F blue jeans and a black v-neck. He
pushed his feet into a pair of shitkickers, not bothering with the laces. He was sliding his
black studded belt through the loops of his jeans when he heard the knock at the door.
"Come in," he called out thinking it was Blay. He walked out to find Layla standing just
inside of the door, his hands immediately falling to his side, forming tight fists.

"What are you doing here?" He asked harshly.

Layla slowly backed up, fear showing in her eyes. "Sire, I was called upon."

"Did I call you?"

"No, Sire. I was called upon by Blaylock."

For a slight second, Qhuinn felt like an ass for the way he was treating Layla. After all,
he had led her on and then dumped her like any other whore. But that feeling quickly
faded when he thought of the stunt she pulled with Blay. Fuck that, he still wanted to rip
her head off. He just couldn't fathom how the hell he was going to feed from the crazy
bitch with that thought running through his mind.

Qhuinn guided his hands back to his belt, swiftly fastened it and walked towards Layla
until he was standing five feet in front of her. He pointed a finger her way. "Do not call
him Blaylock and from here on out, unless I call you myself, don't ever step another foot
in my fucking room. Are we clear?"

"Yes…sire," she stuttered.

Qhuinn pointed to the chair next to his bed. "Sit." He walked over to the phone on his
bedside table and dialed Blay's room. "My room. Now," he demanded.

He paced around the room with his arms folded across his chest. He could feel Layla
staring him down, but she didn't have the guts to say a word. Finally Blay entered the
room without knocking and he breathed a sigh of relief. Qhuinn's eyes darted to Layla,
making sure she wasn't gawking at Blay. After all, the guy was striking in perfectly
pressed gray slacks and a white collared shirt. Of course, the look was topped off with his
black designer belt and shoes. Qhuinn smiled faintly when he noticed him wearing the
skull and cross bone cufflinks.

"What took you so long?" Qhuinn asked.

"Qhuinn, it's only been a minute since you called me."

They both turned to face Layla. "The bond is very strong," she spoke up in a low voice.

"Yeah no shit. Now listen, this is what's going to happen."

"Qhuinn," Blay interrupted. "You don't have to be so rude. She's doing us a favor.
Besides, it shouldn't be any different than before, right?"

"The fuck it won't be," Qhuinn said, raising his voice. He turned to Layla. "He will not be
sucking on your neck. I can tell you that right now. And you will not touch him. You sit
there, look pretty and do your job."

"Qhuinn, sit down." Blay pulled his arm until he took a seat on the bed. "Calm down, it's
going to be fine."

"You're going first."

Blay rubbed the palms of his hands over his face and sighed. "I'd rather you go first. If
you get upset and leave, then we are right back to square one without you being fed." His
voice was calm.

"You go first. Chosen, over here." Layla stood and walked with caution as she came up to
Qhuinn, but she was not frightened as she sat next to him. He grabbed her hand, draping
her wrist across his thigh and looked up to Blay. He noticed Blay shudder at the sight of
physical contact between he and Layla, but kept himself composed.

Blay lowered himself to the floor before placing one hand on Layla's forearm and the
other on Qhuinn's knee. "Thank you, Chosen," he whispered as he bowed his head and
sunk his teeth into her wrist. Qhuinn squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the torture to
end. The Metallica tune that he hummed in his head seemed to make time go by faster
than he thought. He only opened his eyes when Blay patted his leg.

"Good job." Blay winked and hopped up from the floor. He took a seat on the opposite
side of Layla.

Qhuinn stood, walking back and forth in front of them. They both sat patiently waiting
for him. Finally, he turned towards Blay and looked him in the eyes. "I can do this", he
breathed under his breath over and over. Blay's expression never changed as he calmly
waited.

"Chosen, can you stand?" Qhuinn asked softly, never losing eye contact with Blay. Layla
stood without questioning. Qhuinn sat on the bed and gestured for Layla to kneel before
him. The slit in her robe parted, revealing her thighs as she took her place on the floor.
"Cover yourself," he commanded in a hard tone.

"I'm very sorry," she apologized as she situated the robe to completely cover her legs.

When Blay's hand came down on his back, he brought his attention back to him. "It'll be
fine," Blay whispered. Qhuinn nodded and took a deep breath. He turned to Layla,
grabbing her arm. Immediately, his elongated fangs began to throb, his mouth watering
out of control as he brought her wrist to his mouth. He quickly punctured the skin and

began sucking. The frenzy began as the blood rushed down his throat. Fuck, he was
probably going to drink her dry. Both of his hands gripped tightly around her arm, he was
barely aware of Blay sitting next to him as the moans of satisfaction escaped him. Then it
hit him, the smell of lust was bouncing off of Layla, but he couldn't pull away. He was so
thirsty.

"Layla, stop," Blay said, his voice uneven. Qhuinn continued drinking greedily.

It all ended so quickly that Qhuinn didn't even realize what happened. When he looked
up, Blay had Layla pinned up against the wall and her piercing screams filled the room. It
took him a moment to bounce back to reality before he rushed over, trying to peel him
away from her. Blay's body was trembling, his hands squeezed around her shoulders as
he shook her. He used all of his strength to pull him away, but Blay was not wavering.
Her scream was cut off when Blay's hand wrapped around her throat.

"Blay, let go!" Qhuinn yelled as he continued pulling on his arm.

Suddenly, the door flew open. Vishous, Rhage and Butch rushed in. Rhage and Butch
each grabbed a side of Blay and pulled him away from Layla, dragging him to the other
side of the room. Qhuinn watched him as his back slid down the wall, falling like a rag
doll to the floor with his legs stretched out in front of him. He rocked back and forth
squeezing the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Rhage and Butch stood over him in
disbelief.

Qhuinn glanced at Layla who was being examined by V and then crossed the room,
squatting down to one knee in between Blay's legs. "Blay, look at me." Blay continued
rocking, his breathing still unsteady. He reached out and grabbed his hand from his face.
"Look at me." Qhuinn rested his other hand on his shoulder to stop him from rocking.
Blay raised his head and their eyes met. Oh God, the look in his face, broke Qhuinn's
heart. "She's fine." Qhuinn briefly looked over his shoulder. "Look, she's over there with
V. She's okay."

When his attention came back to Blay, he was looking around the room. Qhuinn followed
his line of vision. Rhage and Butch were standing over them, staring with wide eyes.
Vishous was leaning against the wall next to Layla looking not at all surprised. "Can we
get some privacy?" Qhuinn asked nicer than usual, but they didn't budge.

Finally, Vishous pushed off of the wall and walked towards them, laying a hand on both
Rhage and Butch. "Let's go gentleman." He gave Qhuinn a quick nod, while they
reluctantly turned and walked out of the room. Vishous wrapped an arm around Layla
and guided her out, closing the door behind them.

"I could have killed her," Blay whispered.

Qhuinn reached up and cupped the side of his face. "But you didn't. I wouldn't have let
you." Blay shook his head and looked down. "Blay, it's okay."

"No it's not."

"I told you this bonded male shit was no joke."

Qhuinn moved next to Blay against the wall, taking his hand back into his. He didn't
know how long they sat there in silence, but he would stay there by his side as long as he
needed. Qhuinn never took his eyes off of Blay, whose head was rested on the wall
behind him, his eyes shut. He didn't open them until the knock at the door made them
both jump.

The smell of Turkish tobacco filled the room. "You doing alright?" V asked, staring at
Blay.

"How is she?" Blay asked.

"She's good. A little bruising, but she'll be fine by tomorrow." Blay's eyes squeezed shut,
his lip briefly curled above his teeth. "Don't give yourself such a hard time," he paused,
"Look, we are meeting in Wrath's study in about ten minutes. You boys need to be there."

"I guess everyone knows by now?" Qhuinn asked.

Vishous adjusted the Red Sox hat on his head and smiled. "What did you expect? If the
teenage girl in the house knows, surely everyone else is going to know, true." V
chuckled, referring to Rhage. Qhuinn and Blay simultaneously took a deep breath and
sighed, making the three of them laugh. "I wouldn't worry about it. Phury is a little
uptight that you ruffled up one of his Chosen, but it's all good. If anyone of us were in
your place, we would have done the same thing, him included. So, don't sweat it." He
turned and walked out.

Qhuinn reached over and wrapped his arm around Blay's shoulders, pulling him closer.
He kissed the top of his head. "It'll be fine. I promise." Qhuinn hoped he wasn't making a
promise he couldn't keep.

"What are you talking about? I'm not worried at all," Blay said sarcastically. They
chuckled.

"You look very handsome. I didn't get to tell you that earlier."

Blay sat up and smiled. "Thanks," he paused, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Did you drink enough?"

Qhuinn nodded and smiled. "I was getting a bit greedy at the end anyway." Blay leaned
over and kissed him softly. Qhuinn was sure that Blay felt a little better knowing that he

didn't deprive him in the process. "How did you get through this just fine and I didn't?"
Blay chuckled.

"Enter Sandman," he replied.

"Huh?" Blay asked.

"I didn't watch and I was humming some Metallica, Enter Sandman, in my head. Worked
pretty good, you should try it next time."

Blay laughed. "Maybe I will, but next time…no Layla."

"Damn straight," Qhuinn gladly agreed. "Are you ready to get this over with?"

"About as ready as I'll ever be."

Qhuinn stood and helped Blay up from the floor. He pulled him into his arms and hugged
him tightly before he wrapped his arm around his waist and led him to Wrath's study. He
let go of him just as they made it to the door, took a deep breath and followed Blay in.
Every eye in the room turned to them, but his eyes darted directly to Wrath. The king was
blind, but Qhuinn could feel his hidden eyes burning through him.

"Glad you boys could…" Wrath stopped. "Jesus Christ, the bonding scent is powerful.
Everyone out, I need to speak to these boys alone."

Chapter 22

"On second thought, no, no, everyone stay," Wrath said, waving his hands. He leaned
back in his seat and rubbed his chin. Blay could feel the skin on his neck vibrating from
the heavy pulse beating underneath.

"Oh I'm dying to hear this." Blay turned his head to look at Rhage who was beaming
from ear to ear. What had Vishous called him, a teenage girl? That was a pretty good
description. "I must admit I'm surprised. Qhuinn, I had no idea you swung that way, but
judging from those tight jeans that are always hugging your ass."

"Nice to know you've been checking out my ass. Does that make you queer?" Qhuinn
asked Rhage in his usual defensive manner.

"Well he is pretty," Vishous chimed in.

Rhage chuckled, "And you were a lot prettier before that mockery of a goatee popped up
on your face."

"Enough!" Wrath slammed a fist on his desk, making Blay jump. "This is not a laughing
matter. For God's sake, if I didn't know better I would think Fritz installed some bonding
scented air fresheners in this room." Wrath shook his head.

"My guess is the marking that they left on each other is mixed with their own bonding
scent, making it a stronger smell than for instance, your scent on Beth," Vishous
suspected.

"Well your guess is usually right, my brother." Wrath said softly.

Blay looked around the room. Phury and Zsadist were leaning against the wall in the far
corner of the room. Phury looked pissed and Zsadist, well Zsadist looked like he could
care less about what was going on. Tohr, who was looking more and more like his old
self everyday, was sitting in the opposite corner from the twins. Vishous and Butch
shared a tiny couch next to Wrath's king-sized desk, both of them with their legs
stretched out in front of them and arms folded across their chest. John Matthew stood on
the other side of Qhuinn, the only one in the room who wasn't staring in their direction.

"What happened to the lawyer?" Zsadist asked. His interest was unexpected. Everyone
turned to Z, all seeming to be just as surprised as Blay was by his question.

Butch spoke up before Blay could answer, not that he knew what his answer would be.
"Isn't he your cousin, Qhuinn? That's ballsy of you, moving in on your…"

"He was Mine first," Qhuinn growled.

Butch held up his hands in defense. "Easy, bro. Just asking a question. No need to bite
my head off."

Blay stared at Qhuinn. He looked like he was about to blow up, his jaw moving from side
to side as if he was grinding his teeth. Blay didn't like all the attention anymore than he
did, but Qhuinn was going to have to learn some self control one of these days. Qhuinn
turned his attention to Wrath. "Can we just stop with the fucking show and tell and get on
with it?" Blay cringed and squeezed his eyes shut. Did that really just come out of
Qhuinn's mouth?

"You might want to shut that lip of yours, son," Wrath replied to Qhuinn, muted chuckles
filled the room.

Blay took another deep breath, remembering that he was the reason they were in this
meeting to begin with and yet he hadn't said a word since they entered the room.
Knowing that he couldn't very well let Qhuinn continue speaking on their behalf, he
mustered up some courage and lifted his hand. "May I say something?" He asked.

Wrath sighed and nodded. "Go on."

Blay took a quick look at Qhuinn and then brought his focus back to Wrath. "I just
wanted to say that I take full responsibility for what happened with the Chosen, but with
all due respect, my Lord, I…" he paused, glancing at Qhuinn again, "we…would like to
keep the details of our relationship private. I think everyone would agree that they
wouldn't want their relationship scrutinized. Qhuinn was really rude about it, but it does
feel a bit like show and tell right now. No offense."

The room was eerily quiet while Wrath collected his thoughts. Blay wasn't afraid to admit
that the king scared him shitless and he was not looking forward to his response.
"Well…" Wrath broke the silence. "First of all, Qhuinn, you need to let Blaylock here
teach you some manners." A few chuckles broke the tension in the room and everyone
seemed to relax, everyone but Qhuinn and Blay of course. "I can respect your request and
I'll expect everyone else to do the same. There will be no more talk about whose dick is
swinging which way. Are we clear?" Wrath asked, raising his voice.

"Yes, my Lord," everyone responded in unison.

"Hollywood?"

"My Lord?" He answered.

"Are. We. Clear?" Wrath asked, emphasizing each word.

"We are," Rhage replied with a smirk.

"Good. Now back to the matter at hand." Wrath sat back in his chair and plopped his
shitkickers on the desk, crossing them at the ankles. "This is going to be a problem." He
shook his head. "I can't have you out fighting together."

"We'll be fine. Nothing is going to happen," Qhuinn said in a surprisingly calm voice.

Phury pushed off of the wall and moved closer. "Are you kidding me? You just saw what
can happen when a bonded male loses it. Let one thing happen to Blaylock and you won't
be able to control yourself, likely getting one or both of you killed in the process."

"I agree," Blay blurted out.

Qhuinn's head swung around. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"It's true, Qhuinn. We've already discussed this before. You need to focus on John."

Blay looked away for a moment before Qhuinn grabbed his arm, forcing him to look
back. "That's bullshit. I don't have a problem fighting with you and keeping my eye on
John," Qhuinn yelled.

Blay yanked his arm away. "Would you just," he paused and rubbed his palms over his
face then dropped them to his side, locking eyes with Qhuinn, "for five minutes…would
you just shut the fuck up."

Qhuinn stared at him, stunned to say the least. He threw his hands up in a gesture. "Fine.
Whatever. I don't give a shit." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Blay sighed immediately regretting what he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." Qhuinn
didn't respond.

"Lover's quarrel," Rhage laughed.

"Jesus Christ, Hollywood. Sounds like you are the one that needs to shut the fuck up for
five minutes or do you just like hearing yourself talk?" Wrath paused. "I guess I already
know the answer to that question." He shook his head. "Now here's the way it's going to
play out and I don't care who likes it and who doesn't. Qhuinn, you have a job to do and
that's what you will continue doing. Blay will go out with the others. That's the end of
this discussion. As far as the feeding, Phury what's the deal?"

"You will no longer feed together and if anything happens, like the incident today, then
you will only feed if I am present to watch over the Chosen," Phury explained.

Like children, Blay thought to himself. He was sure Qhuinn would have something to say
about that, but he didn't.

"And Qhuinn, I mean it, don't forget why you are here in the first place. Understood?"
Wrath added.

"Yes, my Lord," Qhuinn mumbled.

"You're all dismissed."

Qhuinn was the first one out of the door, brushing by Blay on the way out. John draped
his arm across Blay's shoulders and led him out. Blay stopped in front of Qhuinn's door
and turned to John.

I'm here if you need to talk. I know how hard headed Qhuinn is. I'm going to miss you out
fighting with us, but I get it. John signed.

Blay clapped a hand on John's shoulder. "Thanks buddy." Of course John got it. Qhuinn
was his fucking shadow. Honestly, he was going to hate not going out with Qhuinn and
John, but having them alive was more important.

Good luck with that. John nodded towards Qhuinn's door and laughed silently. Blay
smiled and opened the door.

Qhuinn was stretched out on his bed, on the side that wasn't covered with a mound of
clothes. His arm was draped across his eyes and one of his boots twitched from side to
side. When he reached the bed, he easily pulled Qhuinn's unlaced boots off of his feet and
tossed them on the floor. He kicked off his own shoes before climbing in the bed next to
him. Even though they were in Qhuinn's room of mass destruction, he still couldn't stand
to have his shoes on in the bed.

He extended half of his body on top of Qhuinn and laid his arm across his stomach,
nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck. Qhuinn didn't move. "I'm sorry," he
whispered. He leaned forward and pressed his lips along Qhuinn's jaw. "I love you." He
still didn't respond. "How long are you going to ignore me?" He smiled against his skin.
"You are so stubborn."

Qhuinn moved swiftly and before he knew it, Blay was on his back with Qhuinn
straddling his hips. "I don't think it's funny," Qhuinn said and started unbuttoning Blay's
shirt.

"Do you see me laughing? I just said I was sorry."

"FYI, I'm still going to be distracted even if you're not with me. I'm still going to be
worrying about you."

Qhuinn's hands ran down Blay's chest and his dick immediately reacted. "We'll go out on
opposite nights, so you'll know I'm here while you're out. Then when I'm out, you can
just drink a lot of tequila and play pool until I get back," he chuckled.

Qhuinn grabbed the end of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. Blay immediately
wrapped his hands around Qhuinn's hips. He ran his thumbs back and forth, tracing his
favorite pelvic muscles. Qhuinn leaned forward, planting kisses along his neck. "Will you
worry about me?" He whispered in between kisses.

"Of course I'll worry about you, but I know you can take care of yourself."

Qhuinn quickly sat up. "Is that what this is all about? You believe I think you can't take
care of yourself?" His voice remained calm as he traced a finger along Blay's bottom lip.

"No," Blay grunted, pushing his hips up against Qhuinn's ass. This was such an odd
conversation to be having during foreplay. Right now all Blay wanted was Qhuinn and he
wanted him bad. The rest of the shit could wait.

Qhuinn raised his eyebrows. "You want to fuck me?" He smirked.

Blay's breathing sped at the thought. He rubbed his hand across Qhuinn's tight abs. "Yes,
like this, so I can see your face."

"You want me to ride you…like a bitch?" The smirk was still on his face. Against his
better judgement, Blay decided to put him in his place.

"Well you are acting like one." Blay grinned.

Ironically, Qhuinn just laughed and continued rubbing his finger along Blay's lips, very
slowly. "I'll be your bitch, Blay, but first I'm going to need these lips around my dick. Are
you going to do that for me?" He paused and moaned. "I think you should." His voice
was so low and seductive. Blay couldn't help but press his dick into Qhuinn again. "Don't
worry, you'll have your turn, big guy," Qhuinn teased.

With their eyes locked, Blay reached for Qhuinn's belt and loosened it. Qhuinn raised to
his knees and moved closer. Blay wrapped his arms around his back and yanked him
forward so that he could run his tongue along his ab muscles. Qhuinn had to grab onto the
headboard to hold him steady, a light moan escaping him. Blay sucked hard on the skin,
leaving marks that would fade in a couple hours. "Fuck," Qhuinn breathed, pulling on
Blay's hair with one of his hands. Blay looked up and those gorgeous mismatched eyes
were staring at him while he loosened Qhuinn's jeans enough to free his dick.

Both of Qhuinn's hands came down and weaved through Blay's hair, gently massaging
his scalp. Blay moved forward, licking his balls lightly before taking them into his
mouth, gently sucking. He slid his tongue all the way up the bottom of his rock hard dick,
licking circles around the head and fondling his balls simultaneously.

He teased him by only pulling the tip into his mouth and sucking, rubbing his tongue
along the slit, causing Qhuinn to whimper. Finally, he opened wide and closed his mouth
around his shaft. Qhuinn's grip tightened in his hair, guiding Blay's mouth back and forth.
The more he sucked the more Qhuinn pulsed his pelvis until they fell in rhythm together.
"I think you were born to suck my dick," Qhuinn panted. Blay reached around and
squeezed his ass cheeks while Qhuinn fucked his mouth even harder. "Oh God, I'm
almost there."

Qhuinn slammed into Blay's mouth with one last push and the warm flow of his orgasm
shot down the back of his throat. He swallowed, loving the taste of Qhuinn in his mouth.
Qhuinn slowly pulled out and hopped off of him. He reached into his bedside drawer and
balanced a bottle of lube on Blay's stomach. He quickly removed his pants and just as
quickly removed Blay's. Qhuinn picked up the bottle and lubed Blay's erection with a few
long strokes, his grip feeling so good wrapped around his dick.

Blay examined Qhuinn's face. The dark circles under his eyes were gone, the coloring in
his cheeks was back to normal and his blue-green stare was just as beautiful as always as
he turned his head and their eyes met. One side of his mouth curled up into a grin and
Blay smiled back.

"Get up here," Blay said softly, reaching out and grabbing Qhuinn's hand. Qhuinn lifted
his leg, straddling his hips again. He held on to Blay's erection and slowly guided it down

his crack until the head rested over his hole. He gradually lowered his ass, Blay's cock
entering an inch at a time, until finally he sat down hard, both of them gasping. Blay's
knees came up to support Qhuinn as he started rocking.

Qhuinn moved up and down faster, his hands rubbing Blay's chest, squeezing his nipples.
"Does this feel good?"

"Fuck yes," Blay replied.

"Give it to me harder," Qhuinn demanded.

Blay bit his bottom lip and bucked his pelvis up in unison with Qhuinn's movement,
squeezing his hands around his hips. Together they moved harder and faster, their panting
and moaning growing louder. Qhuinn's mouth hung open. "Fuck me, Blay, harder," he
grunted.

Blay fucked him harder, as hard as he could with Qhuinn's ass slapping loudly against his
thighs. Seeing Qhuinn ride him had to be the most amazing thing Blay had ever seen. He
watched his dick go in and out of his tight ass, listened to the heavy breathing coming
from his mouth, the moaning and the grunts, the soft whispers of his name. It was made
even more beautiful when Qhuinn stared into his eyes, grabbing his own dick and
stroking it furiously.

"Oh shit," Blay called out, his body stiffening all around Qhuinn. The orgasm rippled
through him as he erupted inside of Qhuinn. At the same time, Qhuinn's warm cum shot
across his stomach and he fell forward.

Blay's arms and legs fell against the bed, his heavy eyes closing. He was nearly asleep
when Qhuinn rolled off of him; the rise and fall of his chest finally back to a normal pace.
"Blay, come to the shower," Qhuinn said softly.

He grunted, not opening his eyes. He wasn't sure if it was the sex or the combination of
the sex and his earlier feeding, but he was completely done for. "You can't move?"
Qhuinn asked with a chuckle. Blay shook his head.

Qhuinn climbed over him and Blay was able to grab onto his arm, even if there was no
strength behind it. "Where are you going?" He mumbled.

"To get a towel, unless you want to sleep with dried up jiz all over you," Qhuinn laughed.

He came back with a wet rag and wiped down Blay's stomach before he crawled back in
the bed with him. Blay rolled over and intertwined their legs, wrapping his arm around
him. Qhuinn's hand rested on his forearm, his fingertips tracing lines against his skin.

"Blay?"

"Hmm?" He moaned.

"I tried to stay mad at you, but I couldn't. Not even when you called me stubborn."

"You are stubborn," Blay muttered.

"I know." Qhuinn laughed quietly and reached up to Blay's face, brushing his fingers
along his cheek.

"Blay?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you, too."

Blay chuckled. "I know."

Chapter 23

A shrieking, repetitive sound was humming in Qhuinn's ears. "No," he grunted, rolling
over, pulling the pillow over his head. He didn't have the slightest idea how long he had
been asleep, but it wasn't long enough. The irritating sound kept getting louder and
louder. He sat up in a daze, looking around the room until he realized the sound was
Blay's phone ringing. He threw himself back on the bed.

"Hey, wake up, your annoying as fuck phone is ringing," he groggily said to Blay,
pushing on him. Blay was flat on his stomach, arms stretched above his head, dead to the
world. "Ugh, turn the piece of shit off." He punched him lightly in the side, nothing that
would cause him pain, but something that would wake his ass up.

Finally, Blay lifted his head, his bloodshot, blue eyes squinting at Qhuinn. "What the
fuck?"

"Would you answer your phone," Qhuinn complained.

Blay hopped out of the bed, sighing and rolling his eyes at Qhuinn. "Sorry, I didn't hear
it." Qhuinn watched as Blay bent over, digging through his pants pocket for his phone,
his tight ass all up for grabs. Blay stood back up and faced him, flipping his phone open.
By this time it had finally stopped ringing. "You didn't have to punch me, idiot."

"Oh please, that did not hurt." Qhuinn rolled over, his back towards Blay and buried his
head back in the pillows.

"Hey, Mom," Blay said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Qhuinn felt the bed shift under his
weight. "No it's okay; I needed to get up anyway." Qhuinn was glad to hear Blay talking
to his mother. He knew he missed his parents. Hell, he missed them too. Blay's parents
had been a much bigger part of his life than his own family had been. Living here,
working with the Brotherhood, had kept them apart for far too long. Blay got up and
walked towards the bathroom. "I fed last night, so I was really tired," he told his mom.
Qhuinn smirked. That's not the only reason he was so tired.

When his magnificent, naked male shut the bathroom door behind him, Qhuinn rolled
over onto his back, yawning and stretching his limbs. He reached across the bed,
grabbing his own phone from the bedside table. Holy shit, it was four o'clock in the
afternoon. They had slept for fourteen hours.

He checked his text from John. Out 2nite?

Sure. He replied, although he was dreading it. It wasn't that he didn't want to go fighting.
No, he really wanted to go off some lessers, but he wanted Blay to be with them. The
rumble in his stomach interrupted his thoughts. Figuring Blay was most likely just as
hungry as he was, he picked up the land line and dialed down to Fritz.

"Hello, Master Qhuinn," Fritz answered.

Qhuinn rolled his eyes. "Fritz, its Qhuinn, just Qhuinn. Hey, can you bring up some food
for me and Blay."

"Very well, Sire."

"Thank you," Qhuinn said as his stomach growled again. "And Fritz…bring a lot."

"It will be up shortly."

He hung up and wondered what was taking Blay so long. He strolled over to the
bathroom and cracked the door open. Blay was in the shower, his hands pressed against
the marble wall while the water from the four shower heads sprayed on him. He didn't
seem to notice Qhuinn come in. He walked over the toilet to take a leak, keeping his eyes
on an unmoving Blay. He thought for sure he'd see him creeping closer out of the corner
of his eye, but as Qhuinn stood on the other side of the glass door, Blay lifted his head,
but only to let the water beat down on his face.

Qhuinn's eyes trailed over his body, watching the water ripple over the flexed muscles in
his arms. The side shower heads sending streams of water down his brilliant back to his
perfect ass and lastly beading down his thick legs. He was
spectacular…picturesque…and wet. Qhuinn bit his bottom lip and looked down. Yep, his
package was standing at full attention. Jesus, it was amazing what Blay could do to him.

Without further delay, Qhuinn pulled open the glass door. Blay was startled, but only
glanced over his shoulder. "Hey," he mumbled.

Qhuinn pressed up against his back and placed his arms over Blay's, weaving their
fingers together. He kissed the skin between his shoulder blades. "Are you okay?" He
asked softly.

"Yeah." Blay leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the wall, the water now
streaming down between them.

Qhuinn continued kissing Blay's back and shoulders while he slid his arms down around
his waist, rubbing his hands from his chest, down over his abs and back up again. "You
seem tense," he said, grazing his lips across his neck, only pausing when Blay turned his
head to the side.

His lips lifted into a sweet smile that met his striking, sapphire eyes. "I'm
fine…especially now that you are here." His face took Qhuinn's breath away. The way
his damp hair swept across his forehead, the small droplets that sat on his long eyelashes
and the glossy shine on his luscious, wet lips. Jesus, he wanted to bend him over and take
him long and hard, but something was definitely bothering Blay.

"You're gorgeous," Qhuinn whispered against his skin before spinning him around to face
him. He leaned forward and kissed him, slow and tender, their tongues gently brushing
together. "Mmm," Qhuinn moaned as he pulled away and grabbed the bar of soap from
the shelf.

Blay handed him the pouf that hung from one of the shower heads. "Do you really use
this?"

Qhuinn grabbed it from him and lathered the soap. "Yeah, what's wrong with it? It's
better than using a wash cloth every time I shower."

Blay laughed. "It's kind of gay."

"Well last time I checked, I rather enjoyed having a dick up my ass. That doesn't seem to
bother you."

"I didn't say it bothered me, it's just funny," he chuckled and pushed his way out of the
shower.

Qhuinn quickly lathered his body with soap and washed his hair, letting the warm water
beat down on him. When he stepped out, Blay was standing in front of the mirror with a
towel around his waist, brushing a comb through his hair.

"Blay, can you hand me a towel?" Blay didn't move or answer him. "Blay, hand me a
towel." He paused. "Blaylock!" Blay jumped and turned. "Can you hand me a towel?"

"Oh, sorry."

When Blay carried the towel over, he noticed him staring at his abs. Qhuinn couldn't help
but smirk. When Blay looked back to his eyes, something was definitely off. Qhuinn
quickly wrapped the towel around his waist and grabbed his arm before he could turn
away. He placed both of Blay's hands on each of his hips. "These are yours, babe, you
can touch them whenever you want," he smiled.

Blay leaned forward and gave him a quick peck. Qhuinn cupped his face. "What's
wrong?"

"Tell me," Qhuinn pleaded when he didn't say anything.

"I'm going to see my parents tonight," he finally responded.

"Why are you sad about that? I thought you missed your family."

Blay pulled away, walking over to lean against the counter and Qhuinn followed,
hopping up on the counter top to have a seat. Blay folded his arms across his chest and
stared at the floor. "I'm going to tell them, Qhuinn."

"Tell them?" Qhuinn had no idea what he was talking about.

"That I'm gay."

"Oh," Qhuinn sighed.

Qhuinn reached over and draped his arm around Blay's shoulders. "Your parents will
support you no matter what," he assured him. Qhuinn remembered when they took him in
after he attempted to murder Lash. His family risked being shunned by the glymera in
order to protect him and he wasn't even their own flesh and blood. Shit, Blay's sexuality
should be a walk in the park compared to that. And that's when it hit him. Of course,
that's what Blay was worried about. If the glymera learned the truth of his sexuality, they
would shun his entire family. "You're worried about the glymera?" Qhuinn asked, already
knowing the answer.

Blay turned and looked at him. "I am, but I have to tell them. I have to get it out.
Whatever happens…happens…I guess."

Qhuinn leaned over and kissed his cheek. "They love you unconditionally. You are very
lucky."

Blay looked into his eyes. "I know I am."

Qhuinn smiled. "Are you going to tell them about us?"

"Would you mind?"

He shook his head. "No, I want you to. Besides, your parents love me and it might help
your case," he laughed.

Blay chuckled. "I don't know about that. My mother might hate you when she finds out
you're the one that took her chances of having a grandchild away from her." They both
laughed. Qhuinn hopped off the counter and stood in front of Blay, whose hands
immediately wrapped around his hips. Qhuinn looked down and chuckled. "Hey, you said
they were mine," Blay teased.

"They are," Qhuinn smiled. "I'm yours." He leaned forward and brought their lips
together, kissing him briefly. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Not tonight."

Qhuinn nodded. "Okay, well you'll call me if you need me, right?"

"I promise," Blay replied.

"Good," he paused, giving him another peck. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Well it might be cold by now, but I had our meal delivered to the room," he chuckled.
Qhuinn couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he led Blay by the hand into the
bedroom. He couldn't remember a time in his life when he was ever happier than he was
right now. Blay had completely changed his life and he was more than happy to be his.
He was just sorry it took him so damn long to realize that.

Chapter 24

Blay sat in his chair staring at the open book in his hands, the words all blurring together.
His favorite jazz music was blaring through the speakers, filling the room with a beautiful
run of saxophone melodies. Over and over in his head, he rehearsed the lines that he
would say to his mother. Mom, I have to tell you something. Mom, I'm gay. Mom, I'll
never be mated to a female. Mom, I'll never give you a grandchild. Mom… He sighed.
Would he ever be able to do this? Was it worth it?

His saving grace walked through the door and he felt guilty for having that last thought?
His lover shook his head as if he knew what Blay was thinking. His very own leather
wearing, Glock toting, dagger swinging, lethal combat machine walked over to the stereo
and hit the mute button. The black leathers he wore hugged his long, lean legs. The
bottoms tucked into his shitkickers. A black Under Armor shirt stretched across his upper

body, his holster crisscrossed his chest, filled with daggers. His Glock was tucked into
the back of his pants. He was drop dead sexy and he was totally worth it.

"How the hell can you concentrate to read with this lame music turned up so loud?"
Qhuinn asked, sitting down across from him.

Oh, he was even more beautiful up close. Jet-black hair was in disarray on top of his
head. Thick lashes accentuated his unique eyes, one blue and one green. A five o'clock
shadow covered his hard jaw and his full, succulent mouth was parted ever so slightly,
just enough for Blay to see a tiny flicker of silver sweep across the inside of his bottom
lip. Again, he was totally worth it.

"Hellooo…Blay?"

"Sorry," Blay mumbled.

"Are you even reading that book?"

Blay looked down. He snapped the book shut and tossed it on the coffee table. "No, it's
just for looks."

"I see." Qhuinn leaned back in the chair. "You wanna talk about it?"

They stared at each other for a long time. What was there to talk about, really? Finally,
Blay opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it again. Qhuinn raised his eyebrows, but
didn't say anything.

"Do you think you'll ever miss being with a female, you know, and want to be with one
again?" Blay blurted out. He could tell immediately that Qhuinn did not appreciate the
question. His eyes squeezed shut and he shook his head, his lips forming a tight line.

Qhuinn sighed. "You did not just ask me that question," he said firmly. Suddenly, he
stood. "Get up."

When Blay didn't move, Qhuinn reached down, grabbed him by the collar and forced him
to stand. Blay coughed when his back was slammed against the wall, hardly catching his
breath before Qhuinn's mouth came down hard on his, his tongue moving instantly into
his mouth. Qhuinn's grip tightened even further on his shirt, pulling it towards his chest,
his elbows pushing into Blay's stomach.

Blay gasped for air when Qhuinn's lips left his, his mouth now kissing the spot under his
ear. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" Qhuinn whispered. He pressed his pelvis
forward, revealing the hard- on trapped behind his leathers. "This is what you do to me."
He continued kissing down his neck.

Blay couldn't move, his arms dangling by his side, his weight leaning into Qhuinn who
was still fisting his hands around his collar. Qhuinn's dark spices swirling around him
made him dizzy. He felt like a rag doll pressed against the wall.

Then, Qhuinn's fierce blue-green stare was in his face. "All those females…they meant
nothing to me." He swiftly slung him forward then back again against the wall.
"Nothing," he paused and lowered his voice, "I don't know what else I have to do to
prove to you that I love you and want to be with you and only you, but tell me and I'll
fucking do it. I'll take you as my mate in front of the entire vampire population. I'll have
your name carved into my back. I'll take a beating and bleed for you. I don't want anyone
else and I never will. I'll spend the rest of my life proving it if I have to." They stood
staring at each other in silence. Blay felt like such an ass for even bringing up the subject.

"Do you understand?" Qhuinn finally asked, his voice a soft whisper.

Blay nodded. "Yes." Qhuinn deserved a better response than that, but right now, Blay
couldn't even think straight.

Qhuinn pressed their foreheads together and softly kissed his lips before pulling away. He
released the grip he had on his collar and smoothed out the wrinkles as best he could.
"You'll have to change." Blay simply nodded again. He was happy when Qhuinn
lightened the mood. "Going with the casual look, huh?"

Blay looked down to remember what he was wearing, jeans and a white Polo shirt.
"Apparently," he answered.

Qhuinn reached in his pocket and pulled out his skull and cross bone cufflinks. "You left
these in my room."

"Thanks," Blay said as Qhuinn placed them in his hand.

"Fritz took your clothes." Qhuinn put his hands on his hips and swayed from side to side.
"So, are you ghosting it to your parent's or do you want to use the Hummer?"

Blay pushed by him and returned back to his chair. "I'll just ghost it."

"Good, that's safer," Qhuinn replied, sounding relieved. Blay held in a sigh.

"And yes, I'll call you," Blay said mockingly. He was pretty sure that was going to be the
next thing to come from Qhuinn's mouth. Qhuinn smirked, his head cocking sideways.
Damn, he was so hot. Blay couldn't stifle his grin any longer, in fact, his face lit up with a
smile.

Qhuinn dropped his hands from his hips. "Come here. I want to hug you before I leave."

Blay stood, wrapping his arms around Qhuinn, running his fingers through the hair on the
back of his head. Qhuinn's arms wrapped around his waist and squeezed tight, nuzzling
his face into the crook of his neck.

"I'll miss you," Blay said softly.

Qhuinn picked his face up and smiled. "I'll miss you, too."

Blay leaned forward and pressed their lips together gently, sweeping his tongue along
Qhuinn's bottom lip. Qhuinn held him tighter, moaning into his mouth as their kiss grew
deeper. Their lingering kiss came to a sudden halt when the bang on the door rattled
them. Qhuinn groaned and Blay walked over to open the door, only to find John and
Xhex geared up for fighting.

"Great, she's coming with us," Qhuinn complained.

I really wish you guys would get along. John signed.

"As long as your princess keeps her mouth shut, we'll get along just fine," Qhuinn spat
off in his usual rude manner.

"I think you're the one with the mouth that needs shutting and if you call me princess one
more time, I'll take care of that for you," Xhex replied.

"I'd like to see you try, female."

Oh come on. John signed and turned to Blay. You have no idea how bad I wish you were
coming tonight.

Blay laughed. "They are two of a kind."

"Whatever, we'll be downstairs whenever you decide to grace us with your presence."
Xhex turned and walked off. John rolled his eyes and followed, shutting the door behind
him.

"This should be fun," Qhuinn said as he pulled Blay back into his arms. "Now where
were we?" He brushed his lips along the side of Blay's neck.

"Quit being such a hard ass."

"What are you talking about?" Qhuinn mumbled against his skin.

"That was hardly a way to treat a lady."

Qhuinn chuckled, popping his head up. "And I'd hardly call Xhex a lady." He went back
to kissing his neck. "Mmm…when I get back…I'm going to need another shower," he

paused, planting kisses up to Blay's ear, "and this time I'm going to bend you over and
take you harder than ever before."

"Is that right?" Blay grinned and reached up, dying to run his fingers through Qhuinn's
disheveled hair. He pulled on it slightly, before he leaned over, scraping his fangs along
his throat.

"Oh Jesus, I have to get out of here before I take you right here, right now," Qhuinn said,
in breathless anticipation. Blay moved his lips across Qhuinn's silky skin, up to his ear.
He started backing Qhuinn up towards the door, taking his lobe into his mouth and
sucking. "Shit," Qhuinn whispered.

Blay pushed Qhuinn's back against the wall next to the door, before running his hand
down Qhuinn's shoulder, down his arm, around his hip and then gripped his hard dick all
while licking and sucking on his ear. Blay rubbed the bulge in the front of his leathers
and watched Qhuinn lose control. Right now Blay had all the power and oh, he wanted
him so bad. He wanted to make him come just so that he could see that gorgeous face all
flush and aching for him. It took everything in his power to stop, but he did, completely,
whispering in Qhuinn's ear. "I'll be waiting for you." He took a few steps back and
Qhuinn leaned over, placing his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

Finally, Qhuinn straightened himself and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He walked
forward and grabbed Blay by the collar just as he had earlier and leaned into his ear.
"Sweet Virgin in the Fade, when I get home, I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be
able to walk for a week. That's a promise." He kissed him tenderly on the cheek and
turned towards the door.

"Qhuinn," Blay called out. Qhuinn stopped with his hand on the knob. "Be careful."

"Call me," he said and walked out.

Blay kept his eyes on the closed door. "Holy fuck, he is so worth it."

After changing into a new shirt, Blay put on some shoes and headed downstairs, all of his
nervousness was back in full swing. He walked out to the pool and stretched out on a
lounge chair. He could smell Qhuinn's scent all over him. There was no way his parents
wouldn't know right away and that was definitely not how he wanted them to find out.

Maybe this was taking the easy way out, but he was going to do it anyway. Flipping his
phone open, he took a deep breath and dialed his mom. She answered after two rings.
"Hello, my Son."

"Hey, Mom."

"Are you on your way?" She asked.

There was silence on the line. What was he going to say? How was he going to say it?
"Uhh, Mom, I really need to tell you something?"

"Okay, Son, anything."

"I don't know how to say this or what your reaction will be, but just know that I love you,
okay?"

"Blaylock, I love you, too. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, nothing at all." Nothing was wrong, in fact, for the first time in a long
time, everything was right. "Mom…I'm in love with Qhuinn," he blurted.

Just saying the words made him feel better, but the silence on the phone grew long. If he
didn't hear his mother breathing, he would have thought she had hung up on him.
"Mom?"

"When did this happen?" She sounded devastated.

"I don't know? I've known for a long time." Please let her understand, he prayed.

"Does he know?"

"We're together," he answered, clear and to the point.

She sighed into the phone and he could hear her crying. "Mom? I'm sorry…I know this
isn't what you wanted or expected from me, but I had to tell you. I'm tired of hiding." He
paused for a few moments, listening to her cry. "He makes me happy," he said softly.

"Blaylock, you are my son and I will always love you, but…"

Blay squeezed his eyes shut, the tears welling up in them. He didn't want to hear the
"but".

"We are just now getting our lives back together after the attack. Everything is finally
back in place and now this? The glymera will not stand for it." She raised her voice on
the last sentence.

Blay didn't believe what he was hearing. His mother was not choosing her place in
society over him. No, he refused to believe that. He knew there was a chance she would
react this way, but in his heart, he hoped she would accept him. "I'm sorry you feel that
way," he whispered, the tears now streaming down his cheeks.

"Blaylock…" She began sobbing, heavily. "I just need time to think about this. Just give
me time. I have to go." She hung up.

After what felt like hours, but had probably only been a few minutes, Blay finally
lowered the phone from his ear. He got up from the chair, standing at the edge of the pool
and opened his hand, dropping the phone into the water. He watched it float all the way
to the bottom, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. Completely numb, he
turned around and headed straight for the gym.

Chapter 25

Qhuinn sat in the bar area of Trez and iAm's new restaurant, clicking the backlight of his
phone on and off. He was surprised that he hadn't heard from Blay at all, no missed calls,
no missed texts. He took a deep breath, twisting his neck to the side until it popped.
Drumming his fingers on the bar in front of him, he forced himself to remain calm. He
wasn't going to freak out just yet.

"Why don't you just call him?" Xhex asked, startling him. When Qhuinn looked up, it
was just him and Xhex at the bar. Shit, he never noticed John leave. "He went to the
bathroom," she assured him. He looked Xhex in the face then back to his phone. He'd
give John one more minute before he went looking for him. "Well are you going to call
or just sit there staring at your phone all night?"

"What's it to you?" He shot back.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, sit there and mope, I don't give a fuck."

Qhuinn watched as Xhex swallowed the last of her bottled water. Did he really want to
have this conversation with her? Hell, she hated his guts and she was good at throwing
smartass comments his way. "He thinks I'm over protective," he finally replied.

She whipped her head back around. "He thinks you're over protective," she laughed. "I'd
have to agree with that."

"Well that's why I'm not calling." Qhuinn spoke sharply, taking a swig of his beer. He set
his phone down on the bar and continued drumming his fingers. This conversation was
over. What business was it of hers anyway? Since when did caring about someone add up
to being overprotective?

"I like what you do." Xhex interrupted his mental pouting.

Qhuinn turned his head towards her. "Excuse me?"

"What you do, watching over John, I like it. It makes me feel at ease when he's out
fighting, knowing that you are with him. Not that he can't take care of himself, I just feel
better about it."

Qhuinn smirked. "Is that gratitude I hear in your voice?" Xhex turned her head,
pretending to focus on the TV mounted in the corner of the room, but Qhuinn knew
better. He knew it took a lot for her to say what she just said, especially to him. As much
as he didn't want to admit it, he and Xhex were a lot alike. Like Blay said, two of a kind.

"I like you as his shellan," he blurted before getting up to go check on John. He could
have elaborated by letting her know that it seemed less like a twenty-four/seven gig since
she was around, but he didn't want to boost her ego to much, so he kept it simple. That's
not to say he wasn't pissed off that she and John were allowed to fight together. It didn't
seem fair to him, but whatever.

Qhuinn looked in the bathroom, but John as nowhere to be found. "Tonight is not the
night to be fucking around, John," he mumbled under his breath. He rushed out of the
bathroom, his eyes darting around the room. He looked back to where Xhex was sitting,
but he wasn't there either. "Son of a bitch." His heart started racing. God, he did not need
this right now. He pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial. "I know you can't talk,
bastard, but where the fuck are you," he cursed into the phone.

He walked around to the other side of the wraparound bar, scanning the room frantically
while listening to John breathing into the phone. "Do you see me, asshole?" John
whistled in reply. Finally, he spotted him in the corner with Trez. Qhuinn sat or more like
fell on the nearest stool and breathed a sigh of relief.

This was too much stress for one night. He had to call Blay and get it over with. After
several rings, the call went to voicemail. He hung up and dialed again and again and
again. Blay wasn't picking up. With shaking hands, he sent him a text.

"Would you like another beer?" Qhuinn jumped, his phone falling out of his hand on to
the floor. The little blonde female working behind the bar was looking at him with a
warm smile. She wasn't the typical whore he'd grown accustomed to in places like
Screamer's, in fact, he couldn't smell a trace of lust bouncing off of her.

"No thank you," he replied nicely, thinking how Blay would have been so proud of him.
He gave her a half ass smile before leaning over to pick up his phone. Luckily, the thing
wasn't shattered to pieces. He flipped it open and called once more. After getting the
voicemail yet again, he skimmed through his inbox making sure he didn't miss a text
message. When he found nothing new, he sent Blay another text. If u r tryin 2 make a
POINT, I get it. Now call me back! He slammed the thing down on the bar and buried
his face in his hands, his knees bobbing up and down. He dug his elbows into the wooden
bar and groaned. Blay knew he would worry himself senseless, so why was he doing
this?

"A little twitchy tonight, cousin?"

Oh, this was just getting better and better. Qhuinn dropped his hands, only to see Saxton
sitting right next to him sipping on a glass of Scotch. "I'm really not in the mood, Sax,"
he said softly. He sounded defeated, even to himself.

"Rest easy, I don't want to cause any problems. After all, you are on the one that sat next
to me."

Qhuinn nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. He wished Blay would just answer the
phone. He needed to hear his voice and then he'd be okay. Without giving it much
thought, he picked up his cell and dialed the mansion.

"Yeah." A hard voice came through the line.

"Who's this?" Qhuinn asked, surprised to hear someone other than a doggen answering.

"Zsadist."

"Z, its Qhuinn."

"I know. What do you need?"

"Have you seen Blay around?"

"He was in the training center about an hour ago. I passed him on my way out."

"Did…"

"He didn't look good," Z interrupted.

"Alright, thanks."

Qhuinn hung up, glancing over his shoulder. Xhex had joined John and Trez, the three of
them now seated in the corner booth. He had to get back to the mansion to check on Blay,
but the night was still young and he knew they wouldn't want to leave.

"You wear his scent well." Saxton said, grabbing his attention. His fancy cousin now had
a fresh drink in front of him. "I was obviously wrong about your feelings for Blaylock.
My actions were out of line and I apologize. I've wanted to get in touch with you, but I
figured you wouldn't want to see me."

"You figured right," Qhuinn blurted. He would be absolutely fine with never seeing his
face again. He hated the reminder that Blay had been with him and all of his perfection.
What the fuck was he doing still sitting next to Saxton anyway? After a few moments of
silence, Qhuinn continued. "You knew good and well how I felt about Blay and you
made a move anyway. But that has nothing to do with what you said to me." He paused,
contemplating whether or not he should go on before he turned and looked Saxton in the

eye. "You were the only one in our family that didn't treat me like some kind of outcast or
at least I thought that was the case. You were the only one I trusted and you turned on
me, so forgive me if I have a hard time believing anything you have to say."

"Your ill feelings for me are understandable."

"Are they now?" Qhuinn said sarcastically, rolling his eyes while he glanced back to the
corner booth. He picked up his phone and called Blay one last time. Of course, there was
no answer. He had to get out of here.

"I was jealous of you," Saxton said before downing the rest of his drink.

Qhuinn chuckled. "Riiight."

"It's true. I'm used to males falling at my feet. With Blaylock, he never wanted me, so of
course that made me want him more. He only had eyes for you."

Qhuinn stood up from his stool without responding. He wanted to get to Blay now,
wanted to wrap his arms around him and never let go.

"Basically what I'm saying is that I didn't mean the things that I said," Saxton continued.
"It was sort of a crazy ex-boyfriend moment." He chuckled. "I attacked you in the only
way that I could."

"I have to go," Qhuinn said softly, turning to walk away.

"Qhuinn," Saxton called out. Qhuinn turned back, staring at him intensely. He noticed his
clothing for the first time, so similar to Blay, so put together. "It's good to see you being
honest with yourself. I'm happy for you and really, I'm truly sorry."

Saxton's apology seemed sincere, but Qhuinn really was hurt. For God's sake, the guy
made him cry for the first time in his life. He'd never tell him that, but it was going to
take a lot more than a simple admission of guilt for him to get over it. "Apology accepted,
but I still don't trust you." Qhuinn turned and walked away. He couldn't believe he just
accepted Saxton's apology. Fuck, was he losing his edge? Blay was making him soft and
he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not.

"J-Man, we gotta roll," Qhuinn said as he walked up to the table, interrupting their
conversation.

John checked his watch. Already? It's still early.

"I know. I just really need to get back." Qhuinn and Xhex exchanged looks. He was
counting on her to convince her hellren to get off his ass, otherwise, he was going to pull
some headlock tactics and drag him out.

"Come on, John, I want to get back anyway." Xhex pulled through like a champ.

John shrugged and nodded, but maneuvered his big body out of the booth. You know he's
going to be mad at you.

"He can be mad all he wants. At least I'll know he's okay."

Is something wrong?

"I think so," Qhuinn whispered.

Let's go. Johnsqueezed his hand around Qhuinn's shoulder. He grabbed onto Xhex with
his free hand and the three of them left the bar. Soon, they materialized in front of the
mansion and Qhuinn was plowing through Blay's room in a matter of seconds. Shit, he
wasn't there. He threw his jacket and weapons on the bed and took off for the training
center.

Qhuinn entered the room quietly and looked on as Blay went nuts on the punching bag.
He was stripped down to just his jeans, drenched in sweat and the look in his eyes was
fucking intense. Qhuinn was almost afraid to approach him.

"What's up, Blay?" He finally asked.

Blay glanced up at him, still rolling with the punches. "Why are you here?"

Qhuinn took a moment to gather his thoughts. He considered making up a lie. It was a
quiet night so they turned in early or Xhex was acting like a girl and wanted to come
home, but Blay would know if he was lying. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. You
didn't call me."

Blay stopped, his gloved hands falling to his sides. Qhuinn stared into his empty eyes.
"I'm not a fucking kid. I don't have to check in with you."

Qhuinn couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Really, Blay? Are you really going to do this?
You knew I'd be worried sick, wondering how things went with your parents. I've called
your phone a hundred times. You could have at least picked it up so that I'd know you
were alive."

Blay raised his voice, swinging his gloves around as he talked. "What did you think,
Qhuinn? Oh, you weren't there to hold my hand while I crossed the street, so therefore I
must've gotten killed. Give me a fucking break and get off my back! I survived perfectly
fine without you while you were out fucking all your whores, so what makes you think I
can't now!"

"Cheap fucking shot, Blay." Qhuinn turned around and grabbed a pair of gloves off the
wall, sliding them on his hands. He didn't know what happened, but he wasn't going to sit

here exchanging hurtful words. Blay was taking out his frustration on him, which was
fine, but he wasn't going to listen to his bullshit.

"What are you doing?" Blay asked.

"You want to fight with me? Let's fight.

"I'm not fighting you."

Qhuinn crooked his head to the side, raising his eyebrows. "Are you scared?" He started
dancing around Blay, swinging his arms.

"I'm not scared of you."

"Well quit your bitching and prove it."

Blay started moving in circles with him. Qhuinn raised his gloves to his face, throwing
out a few practice swings. Catching Blay off guard, he tapped him in the jaw. "You might
want to keep your gloves up," Qhuinn grinned.

"Don't tell me how to fight," Blay whined.

"You really are in a pissy mood, you know that?" Qhuinn threw another light punch into
the other side of his jaw. "I told you to keep your gloves up."

"If you're going to punch me, then punch me. Stop hitting like a girl."

That did it for Qhuinn. The second Blay dropped his glove to take a swing, he jabbed him
right in the fucking eye, knocking Blay flat on his back. He sat up, pulling his gloves over
his face and groaned. "Fuck!"

Of course, Qhuinn immediately felt horrible. He squatted down in front of Blay. "Let me
see it," he said firmly. He took his gloves off, tossing them to the side. When Blay didn't
move, he reached up, pulling Blay's hands away from his face, yanking his gloves off in
the process. "Would you let me see it?" Blay dropped his hands and looked at him. Holy
shit, his eye was already black and blue with a tiny cut on the side. Blood trickled down
the side of his face. "I told you to keep your fucking gloves up."

Qhuinn held Blay's chin, turning his head to the side. He leaned forward, slowly licking
the cut on his face. Then gently, he kissed the bruised area around his eye before tracing a
finger down the side of his cheek. "I'm sorry I hurt you," he spoke softly.

When Blay's eyes lifted to meet his, Qhuinn felt relief. There was sadness in them, but at
least he wasn't looking at him with that eerie, blank expression anymore. Blay let out a
short laugh. "I should have known better than to spar with you. You're so quick."

"You weren't focused," Qhuinn paused, taking a seat on the mat between Blay's legs.
"And I wasn't talking about your eye." Blay shook his head, about to say something.
"Don't say you didn't mean it, Blay. Obviously, it still bothers you."

Blay reached out, grabbing Qhuinn's hand. "It doesn't," he said urgently. "God, I don't
know why I attacked you like that." Qhuinn stared at him without responding. "Honestly,
I don't care about the past. The only thing that matters is that you are with me now." Blay
shut his eyes, his voice becoming a whisper. "I need you, Qhuinn…I need you."

Qhuinn wanted to know details of what happened tonight, but they had all the time in the
world to discuss it. Right now, he just wanted Blay to settle down. He didn't like seeing
him like this. He cupped the side of his face and Blay's blue eyes popped back open. "Do
you want to get drunk?"

A smile flashed across Blay's face. Even with his eye busted up, he was still gorgeous.
The way Blay looked at him, the way he needed him, made his stomach flutter. Qhuinn
loved him so much. He'd tell him every minute of the day if it wouldn't make him come
off as completely obsessed, which he was. Oh yeah, there was no denying that. Qhuinn
chuckled at his thoughts and looked away bashfully.

"What?" Blay asked, still grinning.

"Nothing," Qhuinn shrugged.

Blay pulled himself to his knees and crawled closer to Qhuinn, forcing his back against
the mats. He hovered over him, pinning his arms above his head. "You're lying. What
were you thinking about?"

Since he didn't have the use of his arms, Qhuinn wrapped his legs around Blay's waist,
pulling him against his body. "You think you have me trapped?" Qhuinn grinned,
knowing he could easily use his limber body to flip Blay over, reversing the hold…not
that he wanted to. He quite liked having Blay on top of him. Although, it could very well
lead to a little wrestling action and the possibility of rolling around on the mats with him
was enticing.

Blay nuzzled his face in the crook of Qhuinn's neck, planting kisses up to his ear. "What
were you thinking about?" He asked again.

"How much I love you," Qhuinn admitted. Blay touched their noses together, a trace of
his bonding scent flowed from his body. "Kiss me," Qhuinn whispered.

Blay leaned forward, pressing their lips together. With Qhuinn's arms still pinned above
his head, Blay tightened his grip around his wrists, deepening the kiss. Qhuinn locked his
ankles, squeezing his legs tighter around Blay.

Suddenly, Blay popped his head up at the sound of someone obnoxiously clearing their
throat, but remained in the same position. Looking to the side, Qhuinn saw that it was
none other than Vishous and Rhage. V proceeded with opening his locker and pulling out
some equipment, while Rhage stood gawking at them. "Jesus, Blay, do we need to get the
cop in here so you can file a domestic violence report."

"Maybe later," Blay laughed then turned and started kissing Qhuinn again. He didn't take
Blay as one to participate in PDA, even if it was to mess with Rhage. But Qhuinn was
more than happy to play along.

"Get a room," Rhage called out.

Blay stopped kissing Qhuinn and smiled. "I want to get drunk…utterly wasted, but I
think we need a shower first."

Qhuinn lifted his eyebrows and grinned. "I like the way you think."

"Yeah, I feel kind of…dirty," he said, seductively.

Qhuinn moaned. "Lucky for you…I like it dirty."

"Catch me if you can," Blay teased before jumping up and running out of the room at
vampire speed. Qhuinn stood up to see Rhage staring at him. He had to laugh at the guy's
expression. It was priceless.

V glanced at Rhage and chuckled, clapping his hand on his back as he pushed by him.
"Speechless, Hollywood? That's a first." He nodded his head towards Qhuinn. "Don't
forget to scrub behind your ears."

Chapter 26

Blay was looking in the mirror, checking out the damage when Qhuinn stormed in. He
walked directly to the shower, turned the water on and pulled his shirt over his head. Blay
turned and watched him pull the shitkickers from his feet. When Qhuinn stood upright,
Blay smirked at him.

"You got me good," he said, pointing to his eye.

"You asked for it."

Qhuinn cleared the space between them in three long strides. Grabbing onto Blay's arms,
he pulled him to the shower and pushed him in, both of them still wearing their pants.
Blay leaned against the wall, as Qhuinn paused in front of him in deep thought. He ran

his hands through his wet hair while the water flowed down his chiseled body causing his
heavy leathers to hang extra low on his hips. Blay couldn't take the distance any longer.
He reached out, slipping his fingers behind Qhuinn's waistband and jerked him forward,
but Qhuinn threw his arms out, placing his hands on either side of Blay's face. His eyes
sparkled in the lowlight of the bathroom and his blue-green stare was strong.

"Is something wrong?" Blay asked after a few silent moments.

Qhuinn's lips puckered in concentration. "The whore thing…we have to talk about it."

"Do we have to talk about this now?" Blay didn't really see this as the perfect time and
place to discuss something like that. To be honest, he never wanted to discuss it. The
second the words left his mouth he had regretted it. He hoped his apology in the training
room would have been enough, even though he had been lying. It did still bother him. He
didn't know why, but it did and it was obvious that Qhuinn saw right through him.

Qhuinn nodded. "Yes, we do. I can't have sex with you until we clear this up."

"Maybe we should have discussed it before we got in the shower," Blay suggested.

Qhuinn's gaze dropped to Blay's chest as he lowered one of his hands, running his fingers
down the length of his torso. He stopped at the top of his jeans, pulling the button and
zipper loose. "Right here is fine," Qhuinn said with a lowered voice, his eyes lifting back
to meet Blay's. "How did it make you feel?"

Jesus, one touch from Qhuinn and he was already turned on. And he wanted to have a
serious conversation? Yeah, right. Blay glanced down, wondering why Qhuinn had
pushed them in the shower without removing their pants. That wet leather was going to
be difficult to take off, but damn him if it wasn't the sexiest thing in the world. Qhuinn
was an incredibly hot…wet…sex…God.

Qhuinn tucked his finger under Blay's chin and lifted his face. "I left our pants on because
I wanted to talk to you. If you were naked I would have already had you bent over by
now." Qhuinn smirked, leaning forward against Blay's neck and breathed in deeply. "Not
that it's really any easier. I can smell your blood…your lust for me," he paused and
reached down to grab the throbbing erection in his jeans, "your aching need." Blay
gasped and Qhuinn quickly pulled away, pushing himself in the opposite corner of the
shower. He crossed his arms and smiled. "So the sooner you talk, the sooner you get
laid."

"You are such a fucking tease." Blay expressed his annoyance.

Qhuinn's expression grew serious as he stepped back in front of Blay. "How did it make
you feel?"

There was a long pause. Blay really thought about the question, brought himself back to
those days, the days when Qhuinn would screw anyone who would give it up...anyone
but him. Qhuinn had denied him time and time again. When he thought about how it
made him feel, he could only think of one word to describe it. "Heartbroken," he finally
admitted.

Pain crossed Qhuinn's face as he lifted a hand to Blay's chest, placing it over his heart.
"Go on," Qhuinn whispered.

Blay stared into his eyes, those beautiful mismatched eyes. In a soft voice, he started
talking. "Before I came out, it didn't bother me as much. I enjoyed watching you and
what I felt then was mainly jealousy. Afterwards though, after you knew how I felt, it
was harder. I grew more and more jealous and even resentful. It felt like you were
rubbing it in my face that I couldn't have you. And then, the girl at the tattoo shop." Blay
shook his head. "I couldn't take anymore. Even if you couldn't reciprocate the feelings I
had for you, you were still my best friend, but you didn't seem to care at all about how
that would make me feel." Blay shrugged.

"Blay, I know this sounds ridiculous, but I thought I was doing you a favor. I thought that
if you hated me, you'd realize that you deserve so much better. And that's not an excuse, I
really felt that way. I told you I was a damn idiot. Truly, I hate that I hurt you, but if we
are going to make this work, we have to get past it. I can't have you holding it over my
head every time we have an argument."

Blay couldn't help but chuckle. Here they were still standing in the shower with their
clothes on, having a deep heart to heart. It was a good thing the mansion had multiple hot
water heaters; otherwise, they'd be standing in ice cold water by now.

"What's so funny?" Qhuinn asked.

"You sound so grown up," Blay replied with a smile. Leaning forward, he cupped
Qhuinn's face and gently kissed his lips. "I forgive you." And as simple as that, he did.
Maybe that had been the problem all along. Maybe he'd never truly forgiven him.
Hearing Qhuinn actually acknowledge what he'd done, why he'd done it, see and hear his
sadness and know that he was sincerely sorry, allowed him to just let it go…for good.

"And you really mean it?"

"One hundred percent." Blay dropped his hands and wrapped them tightly around
Qhuinn's waist, pulling their bodies together. "Now…can we have some hot shower sex?"

"Oh fuck yes." Qhuinn growled, baring his fangs. His long fingers slid into the back of
Blay's jeans, gripping his ass and his mouth went straight for his neck. "Can I do anything
I want to you?"

Blay thought about that for a minute, not sure whether he should blindly agree. After all,
Qhuinn was a bit more daring than he was, but those luscious lips trailing up his neck and
wrapping around his earlobe made the decision for him. "Yes," he breathed.

Qhuinn stepped back, grabbing Blay's left hand while he reached behind him. Blay's eyes
grew wide as he heard the metal clicking and even wider when it appeared in front of
him. He watched Qhuinn snap the first hook of the handcuff around his wrist before
looking up to see the smirk on his face. They held eye contact while Qhuinn fastened the
other side around his right wrist. "Feeling adventurous?" Blay asked.

Qhuinn kept silent, reaching around to his other back pocket and pulled out another set of
handcuffs. "Very," he replied. He linked the two sets of cuffs, clamping one side around
the chain on the pair already fastened around Blay's wrists. Qhuinn then forced him to lift
his arms over his head, snapping the other end around the showerhead.

Blay closed his eyes, focusing on the touch of Qhuinn's strong hands slowly grazing
down his arms, and then proceeding further down his sides and around his back, his
fingertips pressing into his skin. When he lifted his lids, Qhuinn was staring at him. His
dripping black hair swept across his forehead, hanging over his squinted eyes, half of his
bottom lip pulled between his teeth. Blay gazed at his lips, so smooth and kissable. He
leaned his head forward, but Qhuinn pulled away and shook his head. "I'm in charge," he
whispered.

"What are you going to do, tease me to death?" Blay asked.

"No," Qhuinn answered, gently pressing their lips together. "I'm going to please you to
death." He deepened the kiss, clutching the back of his neck.

Blay didn't know if he'd be able to handle this. He wanted to touch him, needed to touch
him. Qhuinn's lips moved from his and continued along his jawline. His grip wrapped
around Blay's jeans, his long fingers tugging at the wet denim. His tongue shot out across
his rapidly pulsing vein and further down to his chest where he took his nipple into his
mouth, circling the sensitive area with his tongue ring.

Qhuinn stopped to pull Blay's pants all the way off, his hands immediately darting back
up to his chest while his mouth moved across his stomach. Blay was now burning with
complete desire, his muscles trembling under Qhuinn's touch.

His head dropped back as Qhuinn's tongue brushed across his scrotum, the handcuffs
rattling against the metal of the showerhead. He quickly fixed his eyes back on Qhuinn
who was on his knees in front of him sliding the ball of his tongue ring along the bottom
base of his dick, twirling it around the head, and then back down the side and back up the
other side. Blay's hips jerked when Qhuinn took the head into his warm mouth with a
hard suck, pressing the ball into the slit. Qhuinn looked up into Blay's eyes and eased
away. "I'm going to suck you off, but don't even think about fucking my mouth. I'm in

control right now. Understood?" Qhuinn's raspy voice did not sound demanding at all. It
was only pure seduction.

Blay nodded in agreement, looking on as the best set of DSL's he'd ever seen wrapped
around his cock. Oh yes, Qhuinn definitely had a perfect set of dick sucking lips. He had
his eyes closed as he bobbed his head back and forth, stroking him with his mouth at an
even pace, the barbell in his tongue massaging all of the right areas. Sweet Scribe Virgin,
Blay was so thankful for that piercing.

As Qhuinn's pace sped up, Blay bit down on his bottom lip to stop from thrusting his hips
forward, his breathing becoming short and rapid. For a brief moment, he forgot that he
was handcuffed. On reflex, he jerked his arms down, so hard that he swore the metal
cuffs broke skin. Jesus, if he wasn't careful he was going to rip the showerhead out of the
wall. "Shit," he cursed.

Just as he felt himself reaching climax, Qhuinn released him from his mouth. Fuck, this
was torture. "I'm so close," he panted.

"I'll decide when you come," Qhuinn said, rubbing and kissing his way back up to his
feet. "Turn around." He guided Blay around until he was facing the wall and pressed his
body up against his back. Qhuinn's lips touched the nape of his neck, his hands reaching
around the front of him, squeezing his pecs. Gradually his arms dropped, wrapping
around Blay's waist, pulling his body out further from the wall.

"I thought you said you weren't going to be a tease," Blay said softly. He wanted his dick
buried back in the warmth of Qhuinn's mouth. He wanted to erupt like he never had
before. He was so fucking close until Qhuinn abruptly decided to stop.

Qhuinn, obviously ignoring the previous statement, gently eased his palm up and down
the length of his back. "Your back muscles are brilliant." And then his hands were
squeezing his ass, sending a chill through Blay's body. "Actually everything about you is
brilliant." There was a long pause where only the sounds of running water, Blay's heavy
breathing and Qhuinn's hands moving over his skin filled the shower.

Qhuinn broke their contact and Blay could hear him removing his leathers. "Do you like
being in restraints?" Qhuinn asked.

"I haven't decided yet," Blay replied. Right now he just felt a bit awkward.

"I want you to like it. What can I do to make it better for you?"

A cool gel dripped down his back and then Qhuinn was touching him again, lathering the
soap all over his body, the suds running down his legs. Qhuinn pressed their naked bodies
together, his diamond hard dick brushing against his ass. Blay rolled his hips, grinding
against him, but Qhuinn grabbed onto him, holding him steady. "Stop that," he mumbled.
He leaned forward, kissing the flesh behind his ear. "What do you want me to do to you?"

Fuck the living shit out of me with that gigantic, beautiful cock of yours. "Touch me."

Qhuinn scraped his fang over the top of his ear, his hands trailing around his waist,
resting below his navel. "Where do you want me to touch you?" He breathed into his ear,
moving his hand down further until he was gripping his dick. "Here?"

"Yes," Blay breathed.

The soapsuds allowed for Qhuinn's hand to move smoothly over his erection with long,
slow strokes. "Do you like being handcuffed if I'm doing this?" Qhuinn asked, his parted
lips resting on his shoulder.

Blay nodded. Aching so bad for an orgasm, he couldn't even manage to verbally answer
him. Qhuinn stoked him faster while the fingers on his other hand slid down his spine, to
the crack of his ass. He spread the cheeks as much as he could with one hand, circling his
entrance with a fingertip.

"Oh God, you're killing me," Blay panted.

Qhuinn responded by pushing his incredibly long, slender finger all the way in, swirling
it around, all the while fisting his dick with tight short pulls. He slid in another finger and
began pumping in and out. Bless him for being ambidextrous.

Blay let his head fall back on Qhuinn's shoulder, a loud moan escaping his throat. He
could feel Qhuinn's fangs elongate over his vien. If he started drinking from him, on top
of jacking him off and fingering his ass, Blay was going to blow into complete ecstasy.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Qhuinn growled and bit through his skin. Two
deep pulls and Blay's moan echoed off the walls, his stream of come shooting all over
Qhuinn's hand. Qhuinn continued pumping him on both ends all the way through his
orgasm.

Without leaving his vein, Qhuinn used a hand to guide the head of his dick between
Blay's cheeks, plunging into him. He pumped his hips with short, hard blows, his pelvis
slapping loudly against his ass. Qhuinn released his vein, grabbing onto both of his hips,
squeezing them tightly as his thrust came to a sudden halt.

"Put your foot on the bench," Qhuinn demanded.

Blay raised his right knee, placing his foot on top of the bench that was built into the
marble wall in front of him. Qhuinn bent him over further, the cuffs tightening around his
wrist. He winced from the pain. But the pain was forgotten when Qhuinn started bucking
his hips again, burying himself even deeper inside of him.

"Oh, Blay, you feel so good."

Blay turned his head to the side, biting down on his bicep and listened to the sounds
escaping Qhuinn's mouth. Hearing Qhuinn pant his name, softer than a whisper, over and
over again was so beautiful. It was amazing how even though he was pounding into him
with great force, his hands were so gentle. Blay could feel the faint touch of his fingertips
move from his hips and slide delicately up and down his back.

Qhuinn leaned forward pressing his forehead in the middle of Blay's shoulder blades and
with one last hard thrust, his body locked, stiffening around Blay. Holding him tightly, he
grunted against his back as he came hard. Qhuinn kept a tight embrace around him until
their breathing started to slow. "I love you, Blay," Qhuinn said, planting a trail of kisses
down his spine.

"I love you, too…and I'd love you even more if you would free my wrist."

Qhuinn laughed, a puff of air brushing across Blay's back before he pealed his body away
in search for the key. After digging through his pants pocket, he reached up, freeing Blay
from the handcuffs. Blay immediately grabbed his wrist and began rubbing them. Fuck,
they hurt. He rolled his stiff shoulders and twisted his neck from side to side.

"You okay?" Qhuinn asked.

"As long as you're done with all of the abuse for today, I'll be fine," Blay smirked.

Qhuinn smiled, flashing his pearly whites. "Sit." He grabbed Blay's shoulders and pushed
him back on the seat. Well obviously the bossiness was still intact. Blay suppressed a
smile and looked up at Qhuinn, who stood between his legs, grabbing the shampoo bottle.
He squirted a dollop in his hand before setting the bottle down and rubbing his hands
together.

Their eyes met and Qhuinn paused for a second before he brushed his hands through
Blay's hair, gently massaging the shampoo into his scalp. "What happened tonight?"
Qhuinn finally asked.

Blay's heart stung. Up until now, he had been able to forget about it, lost in the moment
with Qhuinn. His eyes darted shut, refusing to cry again. Qhuinn did not say anything
else, just kept on washing his hair while they sat in silence. After a few long minutes,
Blay brought his hands over his face, wiping away the moisture that was building up in
the corner of his eyes.

Qhuinn grabbed his hands, pulling him up to his feet. He led him under the water and
washed the soap from his hair. When the water ran clear, Qhuinn laid his hands on Blay's
sides. "Let's get you dried off and in the bed so I can hold you."

Blay nodded, not wanting to speak with a trembling voice. They stepped out of the
shower and Qhuinn dried them both off before they went to the bedroom. Blay climbed in
the bed, lying flat on his back while Qhuinn picked up his weapons and jacket, placing

them neatly on the chair before he crawled in from the end of the bed, hovering over him.
His silky, soft lips left a path of light kisses along his stomach, across his chest and up to
his neck where the kiss lingered over the puncture wounds.

A small teardrop seeped out from Blay's eye while he watched Qhuinn grab his wrist,
kissing the marks left behind from the handcuffs. He did this with both wrists before he
let his weight ease down on top of Blay, his lips moving as light as a feather over his
bruised eye. Blay held his breath, but against his will a whimper managed to escape.
Qhuinn pulled his head back and they stared into each other eyes. Qhuinn had broken him
before, but here he was now putting him back together again. He rested a forearm on
either side of Blay's face, twirling his fingers through his still damp hair. "They'll come
around. Your parents…everything will work out with them. They'll come around."
Qhuinn tried to assure him.

"I hope so," Blay whispered.

Qhuinn rolled off of him, pulling him into his arms. Blay nuzzled in close, resting his
head on his shoulder and draping his arm across his torso. "I dropped my phone in the
pool. That's why I didn't call you." Qhuinn pressed his cheek to the top of his head, his
hand moving up and down his back.

After a long stretch of silence, Qhuinn grabbed his hand, curling their intertwined hands
against his chest. "On purpose?" he asked.

"Kind of."

"It's okay. We'll get you another one."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I'm sorry I punched you in the eye. Now get some sleep. Maybe in the morning, you
won't look so much like a battered woman."

Blay laughed and closed his eyes, breathing in Qhuinn's dark scent. "I'll tell you
everything tomorrow."

"I'll listen whenever you're ready."

Chapter 27

"I'd like the night off." Qhuinn nervously asked Wrath.

"I thought you were already off. You and John are due out tomorrow night, right?"

The Blind King looked enormous sitting behind his desk and not to mention down right
scary. He eased back casually in his chair, propping his shitkickers up on a stack of files.
Qhuinn looked down at George and lightly tapped his knee. Wrath's seeing eye dog
slowly pulled himself from his comfortable position on the floor and trotted on over to
Qhuinn, nudging his head against his leg. "Hi, George," Qhuinn whispered, rubbing him
behind his ears.

"Looking for a distraction, son?"

Qhuinn didn't understand why he was so nervous. Wrath would either agree or disagree
and that would be the end of it. Hoping for an agreement, he swallowed hard and
answered. "I want to leave the mansion without John."

Searching for an answer on Wrath's face was impossible. The guy showed no emotion.
Finally after a few moments, he cleared his throat. "How long?"

"Just a few hours."

"Where are you going?"

"Um," he paused. Well, he hadn't thought that far ahead. He never actually thought he
would get this far into the conversation without being shot down. "I don't know."

"I'm assuming Blay will be with you."

Wow, out in the city with Blay…alone. How long had it been since they had done that?
Qhuinn nodded. "Yes."

Wrath dropped his feet, leaning forward to grab the phone. He dialed the number and put
it on speaker. "What's doing?" V answered.

"V, my brother, Qhuinn wants to take his boy out on the town tonight. Think you can
keep an eye on John?"

"Sure, I'll babysit. Make sure you get their picture in front of the mantel before they
leave. Captured moment, true."

Wrath chuckled as he hung up the phone and Qhuinn rolled his eyes. Was his relationship
with Blay ever going to be taken seriously? "Five hours...starting now and no fighting.
Do not make me regret this decision."

Qhuinn jumped up from his seat, immediately walking to the door. He wanted to get out
of there before the King changed his mind. "Thank you, my Lord."

Blay was still buried under the covers when Qhuinn made it back to his room. Walking
over, he sat down next to him. Blay's eyes immediately popped open, the look of urgency

flashing across his face. "Where did you go?" He asked in a rush. Qhuinn lifted his
eyebrows in question. His male was scared, but scared of what? Was he worried that he
had left him? Blay sighed heavily and fell back on his pillow, running his hands through
his hair. "I'm sorry. I just had a crazy dream. It was so vivid, I thought it was real."

Qhuinn kept his eyes glued on Blay, reaching over to rub his palm across the red stubble
growing on his face. The sapphire irises staring back at him caused his breath to catch in
his throat, leaving him speechless.

"You're dressed up," Blay said.

Qhuinn forced his stare away from him, looking down to remember what he was wearing.
A black button down tucked into his favorite pair of A&E jeans. He turned back to Blay
and smirked, rubbing his thumb across his cheek before taking his hand back into his lap.
"I had a meeting with Wrath."

Blay chuckled. "So you dressed up for it?"

"I somehow managed to score the night off. Don't ask me how I did it. I just walked in
there, asked to leave the mansion without John for a while and he agreed. He gave me
five hours." Qhuinn glanced at his Rolex. "Technically, that's four and half now, so I
suggest you get out of bed and get a move on it."

"Just like that?" Blay asked.

Qhuinn shrugged. "He asked me a few questions, but for the most part, yeah, just like
that." He smiled.

Blay sat up, the blankets falling to his waist revealing the luminous skin that stretched
over his massive muscles. Qhuinn quickly turned his head as he stood from the bed. If he
planned on leaving this room, his concentration was going to have to be elsewhere.
Memorizing every glorious inch of smooth skin on Blay's naked body, or the curve of
every bulging muscle in his arms, chest, and abs just wasn't going to work. At an attempt
to will his mind from going there, he walked over to the TV, flipping aimlessly through
the channels. He didn't dare turn his head back to Blay when he got out from under the
blankets. One peek at that bare ass and he would have been done for. "Get dressed," he
called out without looking at him.

Half an hour later, Blay strolled out of the bathroom wearing a white button down,
collared shirt and chocolate brown slacks. He looked every bit as stunning as he had been
before with no clothes on. "Where are we going? Am I dressed appropriately?"

"You look fantastic," Qhuinn replied softly. He crossed the room, stopping in front of
Blay. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the new cell V hooked him up with. "Here
is your new phone. I picked it up from V earlier, same phone number." Blay reached out

for it. Qhuinn noticed he was wearing the skull and crossbone cufflinks again and smiled
slightly.

"Thanks," Blay said as he grabbed it from him. His voice carried certain sadness. He
dropped his head, letting out a deep breath. "I called my mom and told her I was in love
with you. She flipped out, said she needed time. I guess I just wasn't expecting her to
react that way."

Qhuinn stepped forward, wrapping his arms around him. Blay's scent ripped right
through him. Making it a brief hug, he dropped his arms, taking Blay's hands into his. It
was an attempt at making it less noticeable that he had been spiraling into this sexual
need since stepping into the bedroom. Due to the vampire sense of smell, there weren't
many emotions you could easily hide and judging from the "fuck me now" look on Blay's
face, lust was one of those emotions. "Four hours," Qhuinn whispered. "We should go."

"If you say so," Blay smirked. "What's the plan?"

"Do you want to go see your mom?"

Blay pulled his hands away, walking over to his dresser. He grabbed his wallet and
pushed it into his back pocket. "I don't know, Qhuinn."

Qhuinn walked over. "She was probably in shock. It might help to see you in person.
What's the worse that can happen?" Blay nodded. Qhuinn grabbed his shoulders. "I'll be
with you. You won't be alone."

"Okay, but I don't want to go right away. I want to take advantage of being out with you
minus a third party." They both laughed.

Qhuinn grabbed his hand. "Let's get out of here."

The two of them rode around Caldwell for an hour. Blay decided he had a craving for a
Big Mac or two, so he pulled his BMW through the McDonald's drive thru and ordered
them each two number ones, large sized with Coke. They had to wait for a refill on one of
the Cokes after the little brunette working the window dropped it on the cement. Blay's
good looks evidently made her nervous. Of course, he just smiled and assured her it was
no problem. Jealousy tingled through Qhuinn's body, but he managed to keep it under
wraps. For God's sake, was he really jealous of the teenage girl working the Mickey D's
drive thru? Get real, Qhuinn. He thought to himself.

"Such a gentleman," Qhuinn mumbled as Blay handed him the bag that held their food.

Blay ignored him. "I'm going to take you to my old secret hangout."

"Secret hangout? When did you go there?" Qhuinn asked curiously.

Blay shrugged. "I use to come here a lot, mainly when I needed to get away from you."
He smiled, taking a quick look at Qhuinn then back to the road. He pulled into a long
drive that was bordered with monstrous trees on either side.

"The park?" Qhuinn asked.

"Yeah, but a specific spot in the park." They drove further into the park and then down a
small side road that traveled up a hill. Blay pulled a U-turn and backed the car up a few
feet before putting the car in park. "We're here."

Qhuinn didn't make a move to get out of the car. Instead, he sat staring at Blay. In the
dark car, with only the moonlight shining in, he was breathtaking.

"The view is a lot better out there," Blay said softly.

"I disagree," Qhuinn replied. "Do you still come here?"

Blay shook his head. "No. The last time was the night I ended things with Saxton. It's a
great place to clear your head," he paused, grabbing two of the Cokes from the cup
holders, "or in our case, a great place for a picnic. Come on." Blay opened his door and
got out.

Qhuinn watched until Blay's ass wasn't in clear view anymore, then grabbed the food and
got out. Blay hopped up, taking a seat on the back of the car. Qhuinn set the food down
and hopped up next to him. Quietly, he dug through the bag and handed Blay his order.
Finally, he looked out in front of him and came to a halt. They were backed up to the
edge of the hill, overlooking the entire city. "Damn," he breathed.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Blay asked, and then took a bite of his Big Mac.

Beautiful was an understatement. Qhuinn had no idea city lights could be so
mesmerizing. It was hard to believe that was the same city where he fought with the
Brotherhood, the same streets where the lessers were trying to destroy their race. It was
so different from the outside looking in, so different up here alone with Blay with nothing
to come between them. They were silent as they ate, taking in the scenery. When Blay
finished, he leaned back against the window, gazing up at the stars.

"How did you find out about this place?" Qhuinn asked while putting their trash in the
bag. He jumped down and walked over to the nearest trash bin. When he got back, he
stood between Blay's legs, resting his arms across the top of his thighs.

"My dad use to take me here when I was young."

"You never mentioned it."

"It wouldn't have been a secret if I had," He smiled and sat up. "Now it's our secret." Blay
leaned down, pressing their mouths together.

Qhuinn closed his eyes as they shared slow, soft kisses, moaning lightly against Blay's
soft lips. When he opened them back up, Blay's blue eyes were looking at him, sparkling
under the night sky. Their eyes stayed locked as the kiss continued a few seconds longer.

"I want us to be mated," Qhuinn said, still staring into Blay's eyes.

Blay pressed their foreheads together, bringing his hands up to rest on either side of
Qhuinn's neck. "Do you think they would let us?" Qhuinn just shrugged, hating that their
bond would be treated differently. "I think Wrath and the Brotherhood would approve,
but I don't think we would have the Scribe Virgin's blessing," Blay continued. "But I do
accept your proposal," he chuckled.

Qhuinn smiled and gave him a quick peck before backing away. He walked over to the
edge of the hill. Blay came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist, kissing
the nape of his neck. "Are you ready?" Qhuinn asked, placing a hand over Blay's arm.

Blay sighed. "No." He laughed. "But if we wait on me to be ready, we'll be waiting a long
time. Since you're on a time limit, I guess I should suck it up."

Qhuinn turned around and took him in his arms, holding him tightly. "We'll be mated. I'll
make sure of it." He could feel Blay's lips curl against his neck and that made him smile.
"Let's go visit Mom and Pop."

Just as they walked around the car, a loud popping sound brought Blay to his knees.
"What the fuck?" Qhuinn yelled, dropping behind the car. Son of a bitch, lesser…and
Blay was shot. How the fuck did this happen?

"Blay?" He called out from behind the car while he pulled his gun from his boot. He
crawled around the back side of the car. "Blay?"

Blay turned his head, coughing, bleeding from his chest. "Oh God, no," Qhuinn
mumbled, quickly grabbing his phone from his pocket. At the same time the lesser ran
out from behind the trees. "Backup, North Park, up on the hill, now!"

The phone dropped to the ground and Qhuinn jumped up with guns blazing. Running on
pure adrenaline, he popped him between his eyes. He yanked the knife from his other
boot, straddling the lesser on the ground. He was going to rip the fucker to shreds.
"Mother…Fucker!" He shouted over and over as the knife pulled in and out of the flesh.
He didn't stop until a powerful hand came down under his arms, pulling him off.

"I'll handle this. Blay needs you," Rhage explained.

Qhuinn whipped his head around to see Z ripping the blood stained white shirt open.
"Blay," Qhuinn whispered.

"We need to get him to the infirmary ASAP," Zsadist said. "Qhuinn, I need your help
loading him."

Qhuinn couldn't move. His sharp, shallow breathing was hurting his chest or maybe it
was seeing Blay lying still and bleeding that was hurting his chest. "Blay," he whispered
again.

Rhage's palm clapped his shoulder. "Get it together, Qhuinn. We need to hurry. You ride
in the back of the Escalade with Blay and I'll drive the car. Now let's go," he demanded.
The pull of his arm finally sent Qhuinn into motion. Rhage and Z picked Blay up, setting
him with ease in the back. Qhuinn climbed in with him as the hatch came down, closing
them in.

Qhuinn examined the wound in his chest and felt for a pulse, only finding a weak one.
"Don't you fucking die on me." He rubbed his finger around Blay's closed eye, only a
light trace of bruising left from the black eye Qhuinn had given him the night before.
"Blay, I'm serious. I can't live without you."

Chapter 28

Rhage or Z must've called and given a heads up because as soon as they pulled into the
underground garage, the hatch flew open. Blay was loaded on a stretcher and whisked off
faster than Qhuinn could blink his eyes. He was frozen, his chest still aching.

"Qhuinn, take a deep breath," Mary said, climbing in the back of the Escalade with him.
She crawled up on her knees and laid her tiny hand on his shoulder. "Take deep breaths."

It wasn't until then that he realized he was having trouble breathing, hyperventilating was
more like it. He followed her orders, taking in long, deep breaths while she rubbed her
hand back and forth over his tense shoulder blades. "That's good, keep breathing." She
was nurturing him and he felt the sudden need to pull away, but he didn't.

Qhuinn's eyes looked Mary over. Her small frame was nudged right up against him, her
grey eyes full of worry. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Blay was dying and she was asking if he was okay. What the fuck kind of question was
that? Of course he wasn't okay. He couldn't even move his legs to go check on him. Blay
could already be dead and he wouldn't know because he was curled up like a girl with
Miss Therapist Lady trying to console him.

"I mean, do you have any injuries?"

He must have been wearing his thoughts on his face. "No," he said in a sharp tone.

She continued rubbing his back as she spoke. "Jane is really good at what she does. He's
in good hands, so you can rest easy knowing…"

"Look, I don't need the therapy session or the mother hen talk, okay," he interrupted,
pushing himself away from her.

Mary sat back on her heels, straightening out her smoke grey sweater that matched her
eyes. "I know it sucks to be alone, especially in a time like this. So I didn't stay to give
you a therapy session or serve as your mother, I came to be your friend. If you'd rather be
alone, that's fine."

She started crawling her way out and Qhuinn immediately grabbed onto the end of her
pants leg. She was right. He didn't want to be alone right now. God, he was such a dick.
"Stay," was all he said. She turned around, sitting next to him, their backs pressed against
the seat. Silently they waited.

It seemed like hours had passed before Vishous appeared in front of them. The scrubs he
wore were covered in blood and the expression on his face was not good. Mary's hand
flew over Qhuinn's and squeezed. "The bullet is lodged just below his heart. He's lost a
lot of blood and he's coded twice already, but we managed to bring him back. Jane is
about to open him up. It's a similar surgery to the one she performed on me." He paused,
running his fingers through his black, wavy hair. "I won't lie to you, it's risky, but we're
going to do everything we can."

"He's died twice already?" Qhuinn asked.

"So to speak, yes. His heart stopped, but we got him back rather quickly."

"Oh, fuck." Qhuinn hurled himself out of the truck, his body hunched over as he threw up
his dinner. "I'm dizzy." V's gloved hand pushed him back, his ass resting on the bumper.
"I have to get back. Mary, why don't you help him to the infirmary? He can lay down in
one of the rooms."

"Sure," Mary replied.

"Don't let him die." Qhuinn pleaded with Vishous.

Eyes, the color of diamonds, locked on his for a few long moments. Without a response,
V turned and walked off. Mary's arm wrapped through his. "Let's get you out of here."

They never made it to the room. As soon as they got to the infirmary, Qhuinn sat down
on the bench right outside the operating room and stared at the door. Mary sat next to him
and not long afterwards, John was there sitting on the other side. Qhuinn leaned forward,
setting his elbows on his knees, his face buried in his palms. The waiting was torture. The

beeping sounds coming from the room was even worse and it became unbearable when
Doc Jane's voice echoed from the room.

"He's coding…he's coding," she yelled.

Qhuinn jumped up and threw the door open just in time to see V pulling the paddles from
the crash cart. As he rubbed them together, he counted. "One, two, three." He pressed
them to Blay and the shock made his body bounce from the table.

"Get him out of here," Jane hollered across the room. "John, get him out now."

V looked over his shoulder, quickly making eye contact before turning his attention back
to Blay. John's arms came down hard on him, dragging him out of the room. He fell back
on the bench, covering his ears, rocking back and forth. "No, no, no, no," he chanted over
and over again, the tears now streaming down his face. "No, no, no, no, no."

When Qhuinn woke up, he was in a hospital bed. Funny, he didn't remember passing out.
He turned his head to the side to see Mary sleeping in a chair next to the bed. He looked
to the other side of the room to see if John was still with him, but it was just him and
Mary. She must have heard him rustling around because her eyes popped open and then
she was quickly standing by his side.

"Hi, you're awake," she smiled.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice sounding like gravel. "I passed out?"

"Not exactly. V shot you up with some kind of tranquilizer."

"What? Why? How long have I been out?" He sat up, throwing the blankets off of him.

"You were having a panic attack." She stopped to look at her watch. "It's been about five
hours."

Then he remembered. His chest tightened and he stared at Mary with wide eyes, a silent
question moving between them. Is he alive?

"He made it out of surgery. He's in recovery, but still unconscious. V said that you could
go in to see him when you were ready."

Qhuinn stood from the bed, looking down at Mary. This precious human stayed with him
for five hours. Without thinking, he took her into his arms. "You should get back to your
hellren," he said as he released her. He felt guilty for stealing so much of her time.

"Rhage was in here for a few hours. He just left right before you woke, actually." She
smiled. "Blay is in the room next door."

"Thank you, Mary." Qhuinn bowed his head to her. "For being my friend."

Qhuinn held his hand on the doorknob, his eyes closed, forehead pressed against the
door…scared. The vision of V holding those paddles to Blay's chest replayed in his mind,
the voltage so high that the shock sent his body jerking from the table. That had been the
last time he laid his eyes on Blay. Surely, opening this door unannounced would not
bring forth those same images, but still, he was petrified to turn the knob.

Slowly, he pushed the door open. His heart fluttered and a chill ran down his spine as he
stepped inside. From across the room, eyes as blue as the ocean stared back at him. John
stood from where he sat next to the bed and glanced down at Blay then back to Qhuinn. I
was waiting until you got here. I knew you wouldn't want him to be in here by himself.
John signed.

Qhuinn backed up into the corner of the room, pressing his hands against the wall behind
him to stop them from shaking. His gaze never left from John.

You don't want to come closer?

Qhuinn nodded slightly and John quickly crossed the room, stopping in front of him. He
stood there for a moment before he brought his palms up to Qhuinn's shoulders. Qhuinn
focused on the flecks of navy in his eyes before he let his forehead fall against his chest,
breathing a trembling sigh. He felt weak in his friend's strong arms, without even enough
strength to hold himself upright. As they separated, Qhuinn blinked away the moisture
welling up in his eyes.

I'll give you some space. I'm here if you need me.

"Thanks," Qhuinn choked out.

You were there for me. It's the least I can do. He clapped him on the shoulder and made
his way out of the room.

He gradually slid down the wall until his ass planted on the floor, his knees in his chest.
He draped his forearms over his knees and hung his head. Still afraid to look up and see
Blay, he listened to him breathing instead. After counting a hundred slow, even breaths,
he lifted his head.

First, he watched his chest rise and fall, another reassurance that he was alive. Then he
saw the IV in his hand, the tube connected to a bag of fluid hanging on the wall behind
him. After that, he followed the wires coming out from under the hospital gown. All of
them connected to a monitor, the lines on the screen moving in sync with his heartbeat.
Thankfully the sound was off. He wouldn't be able to tolerate listening to that beeping
sound again. Lastly, he looked at his face. There were no tubes in his nose or mouth, and
his complexion was just as beautiful as always.

"Blay," he said. After a long pause, his mouth twitched into a half smile. "You remember
when we couldn't wait for our transitions?" He chuckled. "What the hell were we
thinking?"

"I remember the first time I saw you after you changed. You were so fucking hot, I could
hardly contain myself." He paused. "I've always wanted you. Did you know that? You've
always been the only one for me." He smiled and rested his head against the wall behind
him.

After a long stretch of silence, he lifted his head from the wall and focused back on Blay.
"You are going to wake up, right? Please…"

A soft knock on the door startled him before it opened. Doc Jane was all the way to the
bed before she noticed Qhuinn holed up in the corner. "Oh. Hi. How are you feeling?"

"How is he?" Qhuinn replied.

She turned her attention back to Blay. "His vitals are looking good, much better. The
surgery was rough, but he seems to be recovering at a good rate. He needs blood. I'm not
sure when he will wake up to feed, but Phury is coming over with Selena. We're going to
see if we can let her blood run down his throat. Any little bit will help."

"Phury will want me to leave. I don't want to leave," he argued.

She looked at him for a long moment, before adjusting some of the wires coming from
Blay's chest. She then walked over to the medicine cabinet and filled a syringe with a
liquid from one of the bottles, most likely a pain medication. Carefully, she lifted his
hand and administered the med through his IV. Afterwards, she looked back to Qhuinn.

"Why don't you come over here?" She waited, but Qhuinn kept his place on the floor.
"Well, okay. I'll be back when Selena arrives."

It wasn't until another quiet hour later that the door opened again. Phury immediately
looked down at him. The giant warrior towered over him, his mane of colorful hair
falling past his shoulders. He was followed in by Vishous, Doc Jane and The Chosen.
There was no doubt in his mind that V was there to help, just incase he lost his control on
Selena.

"What's doing?" V nodded.

Doc Jane held Blay's mouth open, as Selena used her fangs to break the skin on her wrist.
Phury stepped halfway in front of Qhuinn when she brought the wrist to Blay's mouth.
Qhuinn dropped his head and rolled his eyes. What the fuck? As if he would do anything
to jeopardize Blay's recovery. But whatever, he was willing to be treated like a child for
Blay's sake. Yes, anything for him.

After the feeding, everyone but V left the room. He crossed his arms and leaned against
the wall. "You were losing it. We couldn't work on him and worry about you at the same
time. So it was lights out for you."

"You saved his life. That's all I care about."

V's gaze went to Blay and Qhuinn's followed. "You told me not to let him die. I was
going to make damn sure that didn't happen," V concluded and rushed out before Qhuinn
could thank him.

Evidently, he was still feeling the effects of V's lights out approach. Qhuinn yawned,
curling up on his side and closed his eyes. Maybe when he woke up this nightmare would
be over.

Chapter 29

Blay barely opened his eyes. The light in the room, while very dull, sent a shock to his
pupils. After a few hard blinks, he was able to make the adjustment and open them all the
way. Where was he? He looked down at his body and then everything rushed back. He
had been shot. Judging from the hospital gown and wires coming from under it, he must
have survived. Qhuinn? Had Qhuinn been hurt? Grabbing onto the side of the bed, he
tried to pull himself up, but the wires stuck to his chest were not long enough. He reached
over to the monitor. With an attempt to shut the thing off, he hit a button that turned on
the sound. He listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat for a minute before he started
pulling the wires from his chest. The removal of the last one caused the monitor to flat
line and the alarm was deafening.

A gasp brought his attention to the corner of the room. Qhuinn's troubled eyes were
locked on him. The intake of air was rough against his parted lips as if he was winded
after a long workout. His clothes were the same, only now they were splattered with
black lesser blood. The sleeves of his shirt were carelessly rolled up to his elbows, one
pant leg hooked at the top of his unlaced boot. His usually spiked hair was flat on his
head, making a sweep to the side above his eyes, those beautiful blue-green eyes. Why
was he on the floor? Just as he was about to ask, the door flew open. Doc Jane took a
sudden pause in the middle of the room to catch her breath, her hand pressing against her
heart.

"You scared me," she said, letting out a big puff of air before walking over. She brushed
her hand over Blay's hair. "It's good to see you awake. Are you experiencing any pain?"
She asked, leaning over the bed to turn off the monitor.

"No." He shook his head and shifted his gaze back to Qhuinn, who was still staring at
him although breathing normally again.

Doc Jane rested her palm on Blay's shoulder. "I'll give you guys a minute. Press the red
call button if you need anything." Blay nodded, keeping eye contact with Qhuinn.

"Hey," Blay said after the door clicked shut, his voice low and raspy.

"Hey," Qhuinn replied after a long pause.

"Why are you way over there?" Blay asked.

Qhuinn raised himself from the floor, un-tucking the half of his shirt that was still tucked
into his jeans. His face was full of caution as he approached the bed, his shaking hand
pushing away the hair that had fallen in his eyes. His mouth curled into an obviously
forced smile before he bit down on his bottom lip. He wrapped his palms around the bed
railing, his eyes moving over Blay's chest before he fixed them back on his face.

Blay had to smile at Qhuinn's gloomy expression. "Qhuinn, you don't look so…"

Qhuinn's movement from the side of the bed to the sink was all a blur and the sound of
him dry heaving was enough to make Blay queasy, but he wanted to help him. He started
pulling the railing of the bed, trying to lower it so that he could step out. Qhuinn glanced
over his shoulder. "Do not get out of the bed," he said firmly, his gagging turning to long,
deep breaths.

Blay continued searching for the latch that would drop the rail, but the IV in his hand was
getting in his way. "This is so annoying," he grumbled and pulled it out just as Qhuinn
turned back around. A gush of blood poured out of the opening.

"Damn it, Blay." Qhuinn grabbed his hand, lapping up the blood, his tongue sealing up
the hole. He set his hand down gently, making a sour face. "I can taste the Morphine." He
turned and fixed a glass of water, swallowing it in one gulp. "You are being a pain in the
ass. Believe it or not, there is a reason why all of this crap is hooked to you."

"I'll give you a pain in your ass," Blay smirked.

Qhuinn rolled his eyes and finally, the corner of his mouth curled into a half smile. "I
hardly think you're up for that challenge right now." Qhuinn lifted the sheet off of Blay.
"Especially since you're pissing in a bag." He quirked an eyebrow and laid the sheet back
down. "Are you going to pull that out?"

Blay didn't like the idea of having a tube running through in his dick, but he wasn't about
to risk doing any damage to his goods by yanking it out. "I'll wait," he said softly.

Qhuinn chuckled, brushing his hand across Blay's cheek. His face grew serious again. "I
thought I'd lost you," he whispered. Blay reached up, placing his hand over Qhuinn's.

"How long has it been?" Blay asked, not sure how long he'd be out.

"Just last night."

"Did you kill him?" Qhuinn didn't answer, but the look in his eyes told Blay everything
he needed to know. It was the look he always got after killing someone, or better yet,
something. Only this time it was taken up a few notches. He looked downright evil. "I
love you," Blay said, watching Qhuinn relax.

"No one fucks with you and gets away with it." Qhuinn didn't sound evil at all. He
sounded sad, but at the same time, there were no doubts what so ever that he meant every
fucking word.

Blay smiled. "Is that your way of saying 'I love you, too'?"

Qhuinn laughed a little. "Maybe so."

Rather than giving him the same old lecture about defending his honor or how he wasn't a
pussy and could take care of himself, Blay decided to keep it simple. After all, he was the
one laid up in a hospital bed with a bullet wound in his chest. He couldn't really argue
with that. "Well…" He paused.

"Well?" Qhuinn raised his eyebrows causing the hair to fall back into his eyes. He
shrugged his head to the side, the hair sweeping right back into place across his forehead.

"I guess that makes me lucky to be me," Blay responded.

Over the course of the conversation, Qhuinn's hands had made their way back to the
railing of the bed, his knuckles white from the grip he had on the metal bar. Blay rested
one of his hands on top of his. After a few moments, Qhuinn released the hand from the
bar, gently squeezing Blay's fingers. "I'm the lucky one," he mumbled, his gaze dropping
to the floor.

"Are you feeling okay? You look like you might be leaning over the sink again soon."

Qhuinn brought his elbows up on the railing, his hands weaving through his hair as he
leaned forward and groaned. "I don't know what I'm so nauseous."

"Maybe you should lie down," Blay suggested.

"I'll be…" The door flew open, interrupting him. Blay was shocked to see his mother
running towards him with his father walking slowly behind her.

"Oh honey, thank the Sweet Scribe Virgin you are alive," his mom said frantically. She
squeezed in next to Qhuinn rubbing her hands all over Blay's face. "I have been trying to
call you over and over again and finally I call the main line here and this is what I find
out." She raised a hand and placed it on Qhuinn's bicep. "Qhuinn, dear, you should have
called me. Blaylock, your father and I have been worried sick."

Blay locked eyes with Qhuinn, neither of them saying a word. Of course, Qhuinn looked
like he was about to hurl. Finally, he glanced to the end of the bed at Blay's quiet father,
then back to his mother. "We didn't know you were trying to call," Qhuinn finally
responded.

When Blay looked back to his mom, he could see the tears welling in her eyes. She
wrapped her arm through Qhuinn's and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her other
hand was still touching Blay's face when she looked down at him. "I'm so sorry, honey,
really. I'm so sorry. Your father and I," she paused, taking a quick look at his father who
nodded for her to go on, "we have always known how much you two care about each
other and if being together makes you happy, then we accept that and I just can't believe I
reacted the way I did. It was absolutely ridiculous. You are my son and Qhuinn, you
know I've always thought of you as my own. We love the both of you unconditionally
and I vow to never, ever make you feel like you aren't accepted by me, either of you."
There was a constant stream of tears running down her cheeks, her voice cracking with
every other word.

Blay's father moved to the other side of Qhuinn, placing his hand on his shoulder. "We're
glad you're okay, son," he said, looking at Blay. "We're glad you're okay."

Blay couldn't find any words to say. Just looking up and seeing both of his parents
embracing Qhuinn, all of them staring right back at him, was enough to make him
happier than he'd ever been. He knew deep down that Qhuinn needed their acceptance
and support more than he did. Just as the thought passed through Blay's mind, Qhuinn
lifted his arm around his mom's shoulder, squeezing her closer and kissed her temple.

"I really need to go get cleaned up," Qhuinn said, looking back at Blay.

"Are you coming back?" Blay asked.

"Of course I'm coming back."

Blay wasn't so sure. Qhuinn looked like he would just pass out in the bed once he got
there. Maybe it was selfish of him to want him to come back. He really looked sick and
probably needed the rest, but he couldn't help it. He wanted him here, no needed him
here. "Are you sure?" Blay asked.

Qhuinn paused, before he hesitantly bent over. He kissed Blay's cheek before pressing his
lips to his ear. "What did I tell you about second guessing me?" He whispered. Blay
could feel his lips curl into a smile against his skin.

When Qhuinn stood back up, Blay's mom gave him a big hug, followed by his dad.
"We'll hopefully see you again soon, Qhuinn."

"Definitely," Qhuinn smiled and left.

The time spent waiting for Qhuinn to return passed by rather quickly. Blay's dad finally
figured out how to maneuver the damn bed and was able to help him sit up. The
conversation with his parents was great and it was nice catching up. They never
mentioned anymore about him being gay or his relationship with Qhuinn. It was just
normal, just like it always had been and he knew that they were sincere; they really were
not going to treat him any differently. After another tearful embrace and goodbye from
his mom, Doc Jane came in and finally removed that fucking catheter. She helped him
out the bed and they slowly walked around the room a few times. It didn't take much for
him to feel dizzy, so back to the bed he went. Not long after Phury and Selena left the
room after his feeding, the door opened again. Qhuinn's head peaked around the door
before he stepped in. Blay had still been sitting up in the bed, his eyes becoming heavy,
but he was trying with everything he had to stay awake.

Blay breathed in the freshly showered, dark scent that filled the room. He smiled at
Qhuinn's hair still hanging in his eyes. "Your hair is getting long."

Qhuinn's ran both of his hand through it. "I know. I need a cut."

"Are you feeling better?" Blay asked as he approached the bed. "You look better." Not
that he looked bad before, but the way the white t-shirt was clinging to his chest and abs
looked damn hot.

"I am. The good Doc gave me something to make me stop wanting to puke my brains out
every five minutes. She says I had a nervous stomach," he grinned. "But I was able to eat.
How about you?"

"Well I'm not pissing in a bag anymore, so that's good."

"And judging from the smell of Selena in the room, you've fed." Qhuinn made the
statement rather than asking. "Did Phury stand over you like a bodyguard?" He laughed,
rolling his eyes.

"He actually stood outside. Since you weren't here, I guess."

There was a long stretch of silence where they just looked at each other, but Blay could
hardly keep his eyes open. "You need to sleep," Qhuinn finally said.

"So do you," he mumbled back and forced his eyes to open wide. "Will you lay with
me?"

Qhuinn reached over, pressing the button that laid the bed down. Blay closed his eyes and
he was slowly eased down. "You are going to have to scoot over before you fall asleep."
He then, reached down, lowering the railing. He nestled up next to Blay, laying on his
side and lifted the rail back up. "I don't want you pushing me out," he chuckled lightly.
The lights shut off from Qhuinn's will and Blay reached over, grabbing his hand.

"I wouldn't dare," Blay said teasingly.

Blay yawned and eased his body further against Qhuinn's. He easily started drifting off
and was probably just about asleep when Qhuinn's arm stretched across his stomach. He
flinched under the weight. "Oh, does that hurt?" He asked, pulling his arm back.

"No, startled me." Blay yawned again and Qhuinn laid his arm back across him. They
were squeezed tightly in the bed and even more so that Blay couldn't lie on his side.
Qhuinn's face pressed against his cheek. He breathed in deeply and sighed.

"Blay?"

"Hmm?"

"How was it with your mom and dad?"

"Great."

"Good," he paused, "I'm glad." Blay felt his lips against his skin pressing tiny kisses
along his jaw to ear. "I never want to let you go." Blay turned his head to the side, until
they were face to face. Qhuinn barely brushed their lips together. "I'd never survive
without you."

"You don't have to," Blay managed to mumble. He wasn't even sure if it was audible.

Chapter 30

Qhuinn stepped out of the shower, drying off with a towel before wrapping it around his
waist. For once, he was happy to be staying in tonight. It had been a week since Blay was
shot and the flashbacks from that night were still haunting him. He tried focusing on the
time they spent together before it all went bad, tried to focus on the possibility of being
mated, but those thoughts never lasted long. The second his eyes closed, the flash of
white light from the gun and Blay bleeding on the ground was the image he saw.

Not bothering to shave, he blow dried his freshly cut hair and got dressed before making
his way back to Blay's room. He didn't bother knocking anymore and actually wondered
why they didn't just share a room. After all, when he wasn't out fighting or working out
he was in Blay's room. But when he walked in, he was reminded of how clean and
orderly Blay was and knew exactly why he hadn't moved his stuff in…yet.

"Hey, I'm back," Qhuinn called out as he stretched across the couch in front of the TV.
He reached for the remote, flipping aimlessly through the channels.

Blay peaked out of his closet and smiled. "I'm in here," he said before stepping back in.
Was he wearing leathers? Qhuinn jumped up and went to the closet. Sure enough, Blay
was dressed in his leathers and a tight, black shirt.

Qhuinn came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissed the soft spot
behind his ear. "What are you doing, color coordinating your closet?" He asked.

Blay laughed. "Doc Jane says I'm good to go, so I'm going out with Rhage tonight."

Qhuinn dropped his arms to his side, backing away from Blay. "Are you out of your
mind? It's only been a week."

Blay turned around to face him. When their eyes met, Qhuinn held his breath, placing his
hands on his hips to stop them from shaking. There was no way he was letting Blay walk
out of this mansion without him. "I just told you, the Doc said…"

"I don't give a fuck what Jane says. It's only been a week," he repeated himself, raising
his voice.

"Tell me again where you got your medical degree from," Blay said sarcastically before
pushing by him, walking back out into the bedroom. He sat in the chair, lacing up his
boots. "It really pisses me off that you think I'm going to get hurt anytime I step foot out
the door," Blay continued. "Last week was a freak accident, Qhuinn. We weren't prepared
for a fight. Tonight, I will be. So you can stop being so damn overprotective."

"I'm always prepared for a fight, so that just goes to show you how quickly things can
turn. You haven't had any physical activity for a week and you think you can just waltz
right out there and fight? I'm surprised Wrath is even allowing it." Qhuinn was yelling
now. "Or does he even know?"

"It would be just like you to run in there and tell him." Blay stood and Qhuinn watched
him walk into the bathroom. "So fucking controlling," Blay mumbled under his breath.

Qhuinn stormed off after him, slamming the door against the wall. Startled, Blay turned
around to face him. "Controlling!" He paused. "Controlling! Fuck you, Blaylock!" Blay
flinched at the use of his full name. Qhuinn didn't care. He was officially pissed off. "Do
you have any idea what I went through, what I'm still going through! Every time I close
my eyes I see you laying there on the ground or I see V shooting electricity through your
fucking chest because your heart stopped beating! I haven't slept in days, scared that if I
fall asleep for one minute I'm going to lose you! And if by some chance I do fall asleep, I
end up waking up in a cold sweat from the nightmares. So yeah, I might be
overprotective, but I think I have good reason to be. I'll tie you up and tape your mouth
shut if that's what it takes to protect you. I…can…not…lose…you!"

Qhuinn's whole body was trembling. He could have grabbed Blay by the shoulders and
shook some sense into him. Instead, he turned and went for the door, but not before

punching the shit out of the wall. "Fuck!" He cursed, falling to floor, pressing his back
against the wall. Moments later, Blay was squatting down in front of him. Qhuinn looked
down, massaging his hand.

"Didn't you promise Fritz you wouldn't damage anything else in the house?" Blay spoke
softly. "I'll have to hang something up to cover the new hole in my wall." Blay grabbed
his hand, bringing it up to his mouth and gently kissed the sore knuckles. Qhuinn lifted
his eyes to meet his. All of his frustration melting away with one glance into Blay's
beautiful blue eyes.

"Why didn't you say all that from the beginning?" Blay asked. "Did my heart really stop
beating?"

Qhuinn finally found his voice again. "Three times," he paused, "I've never been more
scared in my life. My own heart might as well have been ripped out of my chest."

"Qhuinn," Blay whispered. "What do you want?"

Qhuinn reached out, laying his hand over Blay's chest. Right in the spot where he could
feel his heart beat pulsing through his own skin. "It's too soon."

"Okay. I won't go out. I'll wait." Blay stood up, holding out his hand to Qhuinn. "Now
come on."

"Where are we going?" Qhuinn asked, grabbing his hand, allowing Blay to help him from
the floor. When they stood face to face, Blay backed him against the wall, his hands
falling on his hips, his mouth at his ear, dropping soft kisses along his jaw line.

"Doc Jane gave me the go ahead for all physical activity." He continued further down,
kissing his neck, sending a shiver down Qhuinn's spine. "No more excuses." Qhuinn
laughed lightly. He couldn't believe it himself that he was able to withstand this whole
week; afraid that being intimate with Blay would hurt him somehow. Blay's mouth was
back at his ear. "Take me to the bed and fuck me, Qhuinn."

Qhuinn didn't waste anytime, his mouth coming down hard over Blay's, his hands
wrapping around the back of his neck. His tongue slid along his bottom lip and into his
mouth as he kissed him fiercely. Blay was alive and safe and wasn't going anywhere. He
wrapped him in his arms, holding him with great urgency, straining to feel closer to him.

Blay mumbled something into his mouth, his hand squeezing between their chests,
pushing them further apart. Qhuinn held him tighter against Blay's resistance, walking
them towards the bed until they fell on top of it.

"Qhuinn," Blay said as their lips parted. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, what's wrong? I want you."

"You're kissing me like it's the last time you ever will."

Qhuinn, lying on top of Blay, wrapped his entire body around him, burying his face in the
crook of his neck. He breathed in deeply, his scent filling his lungs. Blay was alive and
safe, he told himself again. A week ago he thought he would never be here in this
moment ever again with him, something so precious stripped from him so abruptly.

Suddenly, he was rolled over, Blay's hard body leaning over him, the glow of his blue
eyes bringing Qhuinn back to the present. Blay brushed his hand across his cheek. "I'm
gonna be okay. I'm not leaving you," he whispered. "I promised I would never leave
you." Qhuinn was shaking again, desperately trying not to cry. Blay ran his fingers
through his hair, reading his face. "Qhuinn, it's okay to let it go."

With those words, Qhuinn grabbed him around the neck, hugging him tightly. Everything
he was holding in from the moment the gun went off until now came bursting out. He
didn't cry. Thankfully he managed not to do that, but with all of his breath leaving him in
a heavy sigh, he went limp in Blay's arms.

"I'm here." Blay gently rocked them. "I'm not going anywhere."

After a few quiet minutes, Qhuinn loosened his grip around Blay's neck. "I have to stop
this. What the hell is wrong with me?" He said softly as embarrassment washed over him.

Blay pulled his head back, looking down into his eyes. "So you're a little emotional.
There is nothing wrong with that." He smiled.

"A little? I'm starting to feel like a girl. I'm going to start growing tits before long."

Blay's smiled turned into a snickering grin. "I won't tell anyone."

"Damn right you won't." He leaned forward, kissing him gently this time. "Or else I'll
have to kill you myself."

"Considering the possible end of my existence is the reason you are all emotional in the
first place, I can't say that I am afraid of your death threats."

A smirk teased at the corners of Qhuinn's mouth while his gaze surveyed Blay's beautiful
face, but then his face grew serious. "I wish I had your strength."

Blay's head shook slightly from side to side. "You're stronger that anyone I know,
including me."

"Well you need to get out more," Qhuinn laughed.

"I would, but I have this possessive lover that likes to keep me locked in my room and he
isn't afraid to break out the handcuffs."

Qhuinn smirked. "Handcuffs, hmm, we might have to try that again." He pulled Blay
forward, leaving a trail of kisses along his neck, talking slowly and softly against his skin.
"But not tonight. Tonight I want to feel your hands on me."

He made the effort to turn over and pin Blay back beneath him, but Blay's heavy weight
held him there. "No," he whispered. "Let me take care of you." Blay kissed his forehead,
the tip of his nose, then his lips. "You never let me take care of you. Just this once,
please?" That was absurd. Blay took care of him all the time, every minute of the day,
just by being…Blay. He opened his mouth to speak those words, but the finger tracing
his lips stopped him. "I missed these." He paused, sliding his finger into his mouth,
fondling with the metal ball from his tongue ring. "I've definitely missed this," he
chuckled, his face lighting up with that gorgeous smile, a smile that was meant just for
him. Qhuinn was so grateful to never have seen Blay smile like this at anyone else. He
was also grateful Blay didn't know entirely what that smile did to him or else there is no
doubt in Qhuinn's mind, his lover would use it as his secret weapon to get anything he
wanted out of him. "I just want to kiss you," Blay said, just before bending down and
doing just that.

Their kiss was slow and tender and satisfyingly familiar. Qhuinn closed his eyes,
memorizing the feel of Blay's delicate touch as his hand moved down his side and under
his shirt, shivering from the skin on skin contact. The fingers on Blay's free hand weaved
through Qhuinn's, dragging his arm above his head. He held his hand there tightly as he
continued caressing the skin on his sides and chest, gradually easing down his abs to the
top of his pants. Blay unbuttoned Qhuinn's pants. Leaning his own body to the side, he
glided them down slightly, freeing his erection. Qhuinn prayed he wouldn't come just
from the first few strokes, but Blay's tight grip around his dick had him seeing stars. He
held the back of Blay's head, urging him closer as their kiss became deeper.

Blay's hand left him as he unbuttoned his own leathers, freeing his own massive hard-on.
Qhuinn moaned as he thrusted their dicks together. Qhuinn's hips matched his movement
until Blay's hand came back down around the both of them and began stroking then in
unision with short, fast pulls. Fuck, Qhuinn didn't want to come yet, but it was going to
happen and it was going to happen…soon. He forced his lips away from Blay, his head
falling back hard against the bed. Blay's mouth moved straight for his neck and Qhuinn
exploded. He groaned loudly as his warm load shot all over Blay's hand. Blay kept going,
moving faster, the come forming a slick lube between them. He pushed his face against
Qhuinn's shoulder as he came, a quiet whimper vibrating against his skin. After the full
release was over, Blay let his weight fall on top of Qhuinn where they stayed holding
each other, panting.

Exhaustion was taking over and Qhuinn's eyes were getting heavy again, but this time he
did not fight it. Blay rolled off of him, laying a lazy arm across his stomach, nuzzling his
face against his ear. "I won't leave you," he whispered.

"I believe you," Qhuinn mumbled, closing his eyes and falling asleep easily.

Chapter 31

Blay used the tip of his finger to map out the contour of Qhuinn's abdominal muscles.
Using his tongue would have been his first option, but after learning that he was having
trouble sleeping, he settled for the simple touch of his hand, not wanting to wake him.
There was no movement from Qhuinn, not even the slight flicker of his eyelids that
usually occurred while he slept. For three hours, he laid in the same position with nothing
but a light rise and fall of his chest that mocked his slow, steady breaths. He was a
beautiful sight, a sight that Blay could fix his eyes on forever.

Christ, he couldn't begin to imagine how he would have coped had the roles been
reversed, had Qhuinn been the one who's heart stopped beating on the operating table.
Although he was still pissed that everyone failed to mention that piece of information, to
some extent he wished he was still in the dark about it. Clinically, he had died three times
and the very thought made his stomach turn. Even more so when he thought that it could
have just as easily been Qhuinn. So much for pushing the incident to the back of his
mind, he'd probably just set himself up to experience his own nightmares.

Blay snapped out of it when Qhuinn rolled over towards him, draping his arm across his
waist, his face nestled against his chest. Blay fell back against the bed and wrapped his
arms around him. Still half asleep, Qhuinn let out a low grunt as they settled into the new
position. Blay mindlessly moved to tracing the tattoo on the back of Qhuinn's neck.

"I'm going to get the date we are mated tattooed under that one," Qhuinn mumbled.
Blay's finger paused, not realizing Qhuinn was awake. It took him a few seconds to
comprehend what he was talking about. His tattoo, August 18, 2008, was the day he
became John's asthrux nohtrum.

"I'm getting your name carved across my back," Blay replied.

Qhuinn lifted his head to look at him. "I'm doing that too, but I'd rather you didn't."

"And why not?" Blay asked.

Qhuinn lowered his lips to Blay's chest. "Your body is unmarked." He slid his lips further
up to his neck. "I like it that way." Finally reaching his lips, he gave him a quick peck
before he smiled and laid his head back down.

Blay sighed, "You are hopeless."

Qhuinn rolled onto his back, bringing his hands to his chest. "Hopelessly in love," he said
in a mocking tone and then laughed.

Blay's laughter followed. "And not to mention, extremely gay."

Qhuinn leaned over bringing his mouth to Blay's ear and moaned. "Speaking of gay, I
might enjoy the reminder that you're mine while I'm pounding your ass. My name on
your back would be a nice touch."

Blay shook his head and laughed. "Like I said, hopeless." He paused as he sat up on the
bed, pressing his back to the headboard. "But regardless, I may be gay, but I am male. I'll
have my mate's name on my back whether you like it or not. Make no mistake about it; I
am not your bride."

"Mmm, feisty," Qhuinn smirked. "I can respect that."

"Good," Blay said softly. "But let's not jump ahead of ourselves. It's not like we'll be
mated tomorrow or anything."

Qhuinn rolled out of the bed. He used his long fingers to brush his shirt as if the action
would take away the wrinkles. "So, uh…do you want to go spar or something?" he asked,
but the look on his face showed that he was hiding something or at least trying to change
the subject.

"What is it that you are not saying?"

Qhuinn raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean? I just asked if you want to go to the
gym."

Blay stood on the other side of the bed, folding his arms across chest. "Whatever. I know
you better than that. You changed the subject and you are a terrible liar. Talk."

"I'm not sure I like your mood today. Very…demanding."

"If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black then I don't know what is."

Qhuinn sighed. He walked around the bed and took a seat in front of Blay. "Okay, I
talked to Wrath. I asked if we could be mated as soon as possible. He didn't give me an
answer yet, but that's better than a no, right?" Letting his arms drop to his side, Blay
focused on Qhuinn's mismatched eyes. It wasn't a no…but it wasn't a yes either. Qhuinn
reached forward and took his hand. "What's wrong? You said you wanted this and I told
you I'd make it happen?"

"I know." He paused. "It doesn't matter what the answer is, Qhuinn. We're together no
matter what. That's all I ever wanted. I'm just ready for things to be normal."

"Normal? Is that possible?"

Blay chuckled, "You know what I mean. I just feel like we've been on this roller coaster
with bonding, everyone in the Mansion finding out, my parents and then the accident. It's
just too much craziness at one time."

"Yeah, no shit. What happened to the days when we just played video games all day,"
Qhuinn smiled. Blay could only marvel at him. Even with all of his piercings and the
hardcore edge he held so well, the smile on his face reminded him of those carefree days
they use to share. "Hey I have an idea. How about letting me move in? That's a start at
normalcy." Qhuinn interrupted his thoughts. He glanced around his spotless room.
Sharing a room with him was one thing, but dealing with his cleaning habits or better yet,
lack there of, was another. Suddenly, Qhuinn dropped his hand. "I can't believe you have
to think that hard about it!"

The knock at the door ended the discussion. When Blay opened it, Fritz was standing on
the other side. "Good Evening, Sire. The King and Queen will see you now."

"King and Queen?" he asked in confusion and Qhuinn was suddenly standing beside him.

"What's up, Fritz?"

"Oh good, you are here also. They have asked for the presence of both of you."

Qhuinn clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks, man." He grabbed Blay's arm and pulled
him through the door. "Let's go." They were silent as Qhuinn basically dragged him down
the hall. It was only a matter of seconds before they were standing outside the King's
study. Qhuinn stopped and faced him. He was smiling as he reached across, tousling
Blay's hair. "Chill out, big guy, you said yourself that it doesn't matter what they say."
Blay managed a smile before they entered.

Both the King and Queen were sitting behind the desk, Beth on Wrath's lap, her long hair
flowing down her back. She smiled at them, looking as beautiful as ever. Wrath, well he
looked like he always did to Blay…intimidating. "Have a seat, boys." They sat next to
each other on the small couch that usually held V and Butch. "I've spoken with my Queen
about the mating ceremony and we've decided that it will take place right here in the
mansion just like everyone else's. I will perform the ceremony tomorrow at night fall.
Beth and Mary have started the preparations."

Beth was still smiling as she hopped off of Wrath's lap. "We have something for you."
She walked over to the small closet. When she turned back around she was holding up
two black silk robes with jeweled belts and daggers hanging from the sides. "Your mating
robes."

"Great!" Qhuinn exclaimed. "Thank you." Blay was quiet, not knowing what to think or
say. Qhuinn reached over and squeezed his hand.

"Are you okay, Blay?" Beth asked, hanging the robes back in the closet.

"Uh, yeah…I'm fine."

"Is this what you want, Blaylock?" the king asked.

Blay swallowed hard. Yes, it was everything he wanted. "It is. It's just…I don't know. I
guess I just didn't think it would be this easy."

"Well I'll tell you this; I've never been a fan of the old laws. As far as I'm concerned,
you've got one hell of a bond going on here. It hits me like a tidal wave anytime you enter
the room together. So to deny a mating between you would be…wrong."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"No problem," he replied. "Now carry on, my Queen and I have business to take care of."
Wrath shot Beth a wicked smile.

"Wrath!"

"Yeah, we're out of here," Qhuinn laughed. "Well it's a good thing we settled that whole
name carving thing because it looks like it will be tomorrow," he said once they left the
room.

"Wasn't anything to settle, I was going to do it no matter what," Blay chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah," Qhuinn grinned. "Let's go hit the gym. Are you ready for a rematch?"

"You're not going to give me another black eye, are you?"

"Not as long as you keep your fucking gloves up." They both laughed.

Chapter 32

Blay and Qhuinn went round after round in the gym. Qhuinn wouldn't say they were
evenly matched, but sparring with Blay was much more of a challenge than it had been in
previous months. Of course, in this instance, Blay's focus was spot on. Last time ended
with him sporting a nice bruiser for a couple of days. After hitting the showers, they were
silent as they dried off and got dressed. Qhuinn watched as Blay sat on the bench in front
of the lockers to put on his shoes. He appeared to be in deep thought.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked.

Blay glanced up from tying his shoe. "Huh?"

"You are awfully quiet. I didn't give you a black eye this time. I thought you'd be happy."

Blay laughed softly as he sat up. Qhuinn straddled the bench, facing him. "What?" Blay
asked, curiously.

"I don't know. That's what I'm asking you."

"What are you talking about?" Blay shrugged. He went to stand, but Qhuinn grabbed his
wrist before he could. "Qhuinn, I was just getting dressed." Qhuinn moved his narrowed
gaze over Blay's face. "Quit interrogating me with your eyes," Blay laughed.

"Would you rather I interrogate you with my tongue?" Qhuinn wagged his eyebrows.
"Because that can be arranged." He grinned.

Blay smiled, shaking his head. "What do you want to know?" he asked, softly. "Am I
tired? Yes. Am I upset about something? No. Am I worried about something? No. Have I
answered all of your questions? I hope so. Did I answer them truthfully? Absolutely."

"Is Blay a smartass? Yes." Qhuinn leaned forward, sliding his nose along Blay's neck. He
closed his eyes, breathing in the musky scent of his freshly washed skin. He brushed his
fingers over the damp hair on the back of his head. "This is where you were sitting when
you sucked me off for the first time," he whispered.

"I didn't forget," Blay replied. Qhuinn could hear the amusement in his voice and knew
he'd be smiling. He was proven right when he raised his head to look at him.

"Are you sure you want to be mated tomorrow?" Qhuinn blurted.

Blay chuckled. "Is that what this is about?"

"I just want you to be sure and you've been weird since we met with Wrath."

"Weird?" Blay angled his body towards Qhuinn. He looked as if he was trying to decide
what he wanted to say or perhaps how he wanted to say it. "Qhuinn…"

Qhuinn's head snapped up, his attention stolen from Blay when John stepped into the
locker room and began signing. I've been looking everywhere for you guys.

"Dude, you have a knack for popping in at the wrong time." Qhuinn groaned. Blay turned
to see who he was talking to.

Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt.

"You didn't interrupt anything," Blay said as he stood from the bench and walked towards
John, draping his arm across his shoulders. "Are you coming?" he asked Qhuinn.

"Just give me a minute. I'll be out soon." Qhuinn watched them leave the locker room. He
got up to stand in front of his locker, pressing his forehead against the cold metal. Maybe

I'm rushing things, he thought to himself. No. He shook his head. Paranoia was quickly
becoming second nature to him. Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and slowly
released it. Suddenly, a hand touching his shoulder startled him, causing him to bang his
head on the locker. "Ouch," he said, palming his forehead.

"I can't believe you didn't hear me come back in," Blay said. He grabbed both of Qhuinn's
shoulders and twisted his body around. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling Qhuinn's hand
away from his face.

"Well at least something beat me up today. That hurt worse than your punches," Qhuinn
teased.

Blay chuckled. "Hey," he said. He grabbed his chin and Qhuinn let their eyes meet. The
corners of his mouth were turned up into a small smile. "I'm sure," he spoke softly. "But
what I want to know is if you are doing this because it's what you want or because you
want to make me happy?" Qhuinn stared into his bright blue eyes for a silent minute,
captivated by how they glittered in the light. "Qhuinn?"

Qhuinn blinked hard, replaying the question back in his mind. "Both," he replied.

Blay dropped his hands to his side. "Well okay then, knock it off. All of your questions
are giving me a fucking headache. Just because I'm not talking or I look like I'm thinking
about something doesn't mean it's always about you," he smiled.

Qhuinn rolled his eyes, reaching into his locker. "You're right. I'm making all this shit up
in my head," he said, pulling his Black Sabbath t-shirt over his head. "Honestly," he
paused, "I think I'm a little psycho."

"You think?"

"Ha-ha, Blay. You…are…hilarious," Qhuinn said in a mocking tone.

"You said it, not me." Blay stepped forward, pushing Qhuinn back against the lockers.
"How does someone as arrogant as you, express so much uncertainty?"

"You're right. I…"

"Again," Blay interrupted. "Just face it. I'm always right."

Qhuinn grabbed on to Blay's shirt and quickly wheeled him around, reversing their
positions. He leaned his chest against Blay's, pressing his forearms against the lockers on
either side of his face. Bringing his mouth to his ear, he whispered, "I should have you on
your knees. You should be begging me to take you as my mate." Blay forcefully pushed
him away, both of them laughing as Qhuinn stumbled backwards. "And by all means,"
Qhuinn continued, "while you are down there, feel free to play with my balls." He
reached over and slammed his locker shut, then brought his hands up to cup Blay's face.

"For the record, I'm only uncertain when it comes to you. I'm an expert when it comes to
everything else." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "But if you ever tell anyone
how much of a girl I can be, I will kick your ass. Are we clear?" Gently, their lips came
together in a slow, soft kiss.

"There's the Qhuinn I know and love," Blay said when their lips separated. "I promise not
to tell," he whispered.

Qhuinn smiled and pulled away. "Good," he said, "now let's go see what the fuck John
wanted. Did he tell you?"

"He said he'd meet us in your room."

"My room?" Qhuinn asked as they started for the door and out into the tunnel leading to
the main house.

"I texted him to come help us."

"Help us what?"

"Move your things into my room, well our room." Qhuinn stopped dead in his tracks,
Blay coming to a halt two steps ahead of him. A ghost of a grin crept across his face as he
turned back to face him. "You didn't really think I'd make you stay in a separate room did
you?"

"Well the way you bitch and moan about how messy I am…yeah, I did."

Blay laughed. Moving closer, he laid his forearms across each of Qhuinn's shoulders.
Qhuinn moved his hands to rest on Blay's hips. "Did I say messy? He grinned. "I don't
think messy does any justice in describing the state of catastrophe that your room is in
because it looks like a bomb went off in there." He dropped his arms to his side,
attempting to step back, but Qhuinn tightened his grip on his hips. "I figured it'll give us
something else to argue about," Blay smiled.

Qhuinn stared at him with a blank expression while he let his hands slide under Blay's
shirt and across his abs. The warm skin felt so soft under his touch and his dick
immediately responded. He flattened his palms across the hard muscles and pushed him
back against the tunnel wall. He continued raising the front of Blay's shirt until his pecs
were bare, lowering his mouth to cover his nipple. Blay's soft moan had Qhuinn pressing
his body harder against his. He kissed his way up to his neck, across his jaw and licked
the skin behind his ear before nipping at his earlobe. "Don't you think we have enough to
argue about?" Qhuinn lifted his arms to weave his fingers through Blay's hair. Blay,
whose hands were flat against the wall behind him, finally reached out and wrapped
himself around Qhuinn, his head falling back. Qhuinn pushed his pelvis forward, feeling
Blay's fingertips dig into his back.

"Qhuinn," Blay breathed. "We should…"

"This is a perfect example," Qhuinn stopped him. He lifted his face, pressing their
foreheads together. "I want to fuck you right here and right now, but you will argue that
it's not really a good idea. Am I correct?" He smiled against Blay's lips.

Blay kissed him. "John's waiting for us."

"But of course," Qhuinn grunted, standing straight. "John…always the cock block." He
grabbed Blay around the back of the neck and drew him away from the wall. "Oh, come
on. Let's go move me into my new home," he said sarcastically. He let go of his neck and
held on to his hand as they walked down the tunnel. "In all seriousness, I'll try to
be…cleaner."

Blay chuckled, softly. "Okay."

"You say that like you don't believe me."

"I don't," he smiled, "but I still want you there."

The rest of the night was spent moving all of Qhuinn's things into Blay's room, only
breaking to eat their meals that Fritz so kindly delivered to them. Qhuinn was ready to
pass out from exhaustion, but Blay insisted that they unpack everything before they went
to bed. Everything had to be in its proper place before he could shut his eyes. His OCD
was going to take some getting used to. They were definitely on two ends of the
spectrum, but Qhuinn had high hopes that they could meet somewhere in the middle. Of
course, that was going to take some effort on his part. If it was up to him, he would have
had the doggen move all of his things, but Blay shot that one down seconds after Qhuinn
suggested it. The guy was far too kind hearted for his own good.

I'm going to crash. John signed. See you guys tomorrow.

"Later," Qhuinn replied.

"Thanks for your help, John, "Blay said. Qhuinn pulled his t-shirt over his head and fell
back on the bed, yawning. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, I'll put my shirt away before I fall asleep," Qhuinn said, balling the shirt up
and laying it over his face.

Qhuinn heard a low chuckle from Blay. The weight of the bed shifted as he crawled in
next to him. Suddenly the shirt was removed from his face and Blay, propped up on his
elbow was stretched out against his side looking down at him. "I'll put your shirt away,"
he said softly, his lustful gaze sweeping over Qhuinn's body.

Qhuinn rolled over towards Blay, dropping a lazy arm across him. "Don't look at me like
that. I don't have the energy to participate in anymore of your physical activities," he
mumbled against his chest.

Blay laughed, "A few hours ago, you were ready to nail me against the wall."

"Let's save ourselves for marriage," Qhuinn groaned.

"We aren't humans," Blay chuckled.

Pressed against Blay, Qhuinn was on the verge of blacking out into a deep sleep, the
warmth of his body, the smell of his skin, the sound of his heart beating all bringing him
a desired comfort. He sighed, "I'll make the wait worthwhile. I promise."

Blay kissed the top of his head. "Yeah, you're good at that."

Qhuinn smiled at that. He nuzzled in closer, willing the lights off with his mind before
drifting into unconsciousness.

The following night came fast. Qhuinn stood in the closet running his fingertips across
the black satin jacket that he would wear for the mating ceremony. It was still hard to
believe that tonight he would be mated to Blay, hard to believe how well Wrath and the
rest of the Brothers had taken the news. Sure, Rhage loved to give them a hard time, or
along with V, use them as the brunt of their jokes, but he knew it was just that…jokes.
While non-conventional, they were still being honored with a traditional mating. This,
more than anything, meant the most to Qhuinn. It was something he wanted not only for
himself, but also for Blay. For once in his life, he really felt as if he was part of a family,
accepted for who he was.

"Thinking of backing out?" Blay asked, leaning against door frame.

"No," Qhuinn grinned, walking over to him.

As he approached, Blay immediately reached out, grabbing his uncovered hips.
"Honestly, how do your pants stay up?"

Qhuinn looked down. The loose black pants he wore were hanging well below his waist.
"My hot ass," he answered with a smirk and Blay laughed. "You better get dressed,
unless you are the one backing out."

"Not hardly."

A knock at the door led Blay to pull away from their embrace. Qhuinn followed him out
of the closet and stood in the center of the room while he got the door. "What are you two
doing together?" Mary pushed her way in. "You know you aren't supposed to see each
other today. It's bad luck."

Qhuinn laughed, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does!"

Blay smiled at Qhuinn over Mary's shoulder. "I suppose we don't need anymore bad luck.
My mom and dad should be here by now. I'll go down and see them." He walked over to
Qhuinn, wrapping his arms around his neck, holding him close. "See you in a little bit,"
he whispered in his ear before stepping away.

"Yeah," Qhuinn nodded, watching Blay grab his own attire and leave. When he turned
back to Mary, she was looking at him with a huge smile. "What's so funny?" he asked.

She giggled, "Nothing's funny. I'm just so proud of you."

"Proud of me?" he asked while walking back in to the closet to retrieve his jacket. He was
pulling it on when he stepped back out. Mary came forward, knocking his hands away.
She closed the front and wrapped the belt around his waist. Qhuinn watched her face, a
small smile gracing it as she smoothed down the front flaps of the jacket with her delicate
hands. "Okay, Mommy, I can dress myself." After Blay's accident, Mary had become
someone that Qhuinn would consider a friend. He had grown used to teasing her about
being a mother hen.

"I know you can. I'm just so…"

"Proud," Qhuinn interrupted. "I know. You already said that."

"Well I am," she pushed against his chest. Her attempted force didn't budge him. She
took a step back and glanced at her watch. "Where is your dagger? It's almost time for the
ceremony to start."

Qhuinn looked into her gray eyes, suddenly thankful that she was here. "I think you're an
amazing woman."

She smiled, "Do you remember when we had our little talk awhile back and I told you
that you were a male of worth?" Qhuinn nodded. "You didn't believe me then. I hope that
you do now. Blay certainly thinks you are."

Qhuinn knew that Blay had changed him, but he wasn't sure he'd go as far as saying he
was a male of worth. He kept that to himself, leaning down to give Mary a gentle hug. He
let her go and walked over to the dresser, grabbing the jeweled dagger that lay on top. He
slid it through the belt that hung around his hips. "I guess I'm ready," he said, turning to
Mary. He spread his arms, "How do I look?"

"Very handsome."

"Thank you."

From the top of the stairwell, Qhuinn could see that the Brothers were already lined up
against the wall, all wearing the same black satin as Qhuinn, their identical jeweled
daggers hanging at their side. He couldn't see Blay, but his parents were standing right at
the foot of the stairs next to Wrath, John Matthew standing at the other side of the King.
Beth, Cormia, Marissa, Jane, and Xhex formed a semi circle around the foyer. Fritz
entered carrying a tray that held a pitcher of water and a bowl of salt. He walked over,
placing it on a small table next to Vishous. Afterwards, he moved to stand on the other
side of John. Lastly, he noticed Bella standing further back with Nalla in her arms. That
was when he saw Blay. He was leaning into Nalla who had a tight grip on his finger. She
was giggling at him. Qhuinn stood frozen, a slight tremor running through his hands.

The room grew quiet and he could feel the gazes that were looking up at him, but he
couldn't pull his own away from Blay. Finally, he too, glanced up and that's when their
eyes locked. Blay slowly straightened his stance. "Beautiful," Qhuinn said under his
breath.

Mary's hand came to rest on his lower back. "Come on," she whispered, urging him to
make his way down the stairs as she followed right behind him. She rushed over to stand
next to Beth when they finally made it down. Qhuinn stayed near Wrath, still unable to
take his eyes away from Blay.

"Come forward, Blaylock," Wrath called out.

Blay did as he was told, moving to stand in front of Qhuinn. Blay reached up, cupping the
side of his face and smiled before dropping his hand back to his side. His touch was
enough to stop Qhuinn's hands from shaking.

"Blaylock, Qhuinn has asked that you accept him as your mate. Will you have him?"

Blay swallowed hard. "I will," he replied.

"Qhuinn, will you prove yourself worthy to be his mate, be willing to put your own life
on the line for his, shielding him from all harm?"

"I will," Qhuinn answered.

"And will you do the same for your mate, Blaylock?"

"Yes," Blay said firmly.

"Tonight is a special mating, one we have never witnessed before within the
Brotherhood. My Queen and I consider this to be a very good mating, a mating between
two bonded males of worth that deserve the same time-honored ceremony as the rest of
us and I feel privileged to have led the ritual." The King placed a large hand on each of
their shoulders. "Soldiers, remove your robes and kneel before the Brotherhood."

Once removing their robes and handing them to Blay's mother, they moved to stand in
front of the Brothers. Side by side, they dropped to their knees, bowing their heads
between their shoulders. Vishous stepped forward, standing directly in front of Qhuinn.
"Qhuinn, what is the name of your mate?"

"Blaylock," he answered. V unsheathed his dagger sending a burn through his nerves as
he carved the first letter of Blay's name into his back. Rhage stepped forward following
the same procedure. Qhuinn squeezed his eyes shut, biting the inside of his mouth
through the pain. One by one, each Brother stepped forward until the carving was
complete. Afterwards, Vishous came forward once again carrying a pitcher of salt water.
Qhuinn balled his fist in preparation. Right before the water was dumped onto his back,
he felt Blay's strong hand reach over and grab his. Qhuinn looked sideways into his eyes,
squeezing his hand tight as the salt seeped into the open cuts. After a few deep breaths,
the throbbing ceased.

All of sudden, nausea rolled through his stomach. The thought of Blay going through the
same painful experience right in front of him wasn't something he was looking forward
to. He weaved their fingers together and bowed his head back between his shoulders. He
couldn't watch. He listened as V stepped in front of Blay. "Blaylock, what is the name of
your mate?"

"Qhuinn."

Blay's grip tightened around Qhuinn's with each letter. It took all the strength Qhuinn had
not to make a sound. Instead, he again bit down on the inside of his mouth, feeling as if
his flesh was once more being torn apart.

When you love someone. You'll sacrifice. You'd give it everything you got. And you won't
think twice. You'd risk it all. No matter what may come.

Zsadist's voice captivated the room and Qhuinn knew that it was over. Since he let Blay
pick out the music, he wasn't sure what song Z was singing, but he felt the words were
appropriate. Blay stood to his feet. Still holding Qhuinn's hand, he guided him up from
the floor. With Z's angel voice dancing around them, Qhuinn stepped forward, pulling
Blay into his arms. Pressing their foreheads together, Qhuinn whispered, "I love you."

***featured song—When You Love Someone by: Bryan Adams***

Epilogue

Qhuinn's steps halted as he came out of the bathroom. His name marked across Blay's
back seemed like an illusion. He strolled over to where he was digging through the
dresser drawer and stood behind him. Blay glanced in the mirror that hung above the
dresser and smiled. "All showered?" he asked.

"Yep. It felt good to wash all of the salt off." Qhuinn replied, rubbing his hand across his
name. "It's already healed."

"Do you like it?"

Qhuinn looked up, meeting his eyes in the mirror. "Of course I do," he said softly.

"It hurt like a motherfucker," Blay chuckled and Qhuinn slid his hands further down his
back.

"Don't remind me," Qhuinn said.

"You could've gotten just Blay, that would have been less painful."

Blay attempted to turn, but Qhuinn grabbed him by the shoulders, keeping him where he
was. He glided his palms down the length of his arms, lifting Blay's hands to place them
on top of the dresser. With his own hands stretched out over the top of his, Qhuinn
whispered, "Blaylock," he paused, kissing the nape of his neck, "don't move."

Qhuinn quickly walked over to the bedside table, pulling out the soft ropes that he stored
away and threw them on the bed, also pocketing the bottle of lube. He made his way back
over to Blay, pressing up against him. "You didn't move. Good boy," he smiled.

Laying his left hand back over the top of Blay's, he dipped the fingers of his other hand
under the front waistband of his boxer briefs. He slowly edged his way further down,
tucking the elastic under his balls and gripped his shaft. Blay was just as hard as he was.
He breathed heavily against his neck and moaned. "Already locked and loaded. I like
that." With a few gentle strokes, Blay dropped his head forward and released a sharp puff
of air.

Qhuinn grabbed him by the hair, lifting his head. They locked eyes in the mirror as he
steadily stroked him. "Watch me," Qhuinn whispered in his ear. He pulled his head to the
side, trailing kisses further down the side of his neck. "You're so hot."

He looked back into the mirror, watching Blay's face as he quickened his strokes. His
mouth was parted, the tips of his fangs peaking out from under his top lip. Qhuinn went
even faster and Blay's head fell back onto his shoulder. He immediately grabbed him by
the hair again, forcing his bright blue gaze forward. "Look at yourself. Look at your
long…hard…thick cock." He brushed his nose across the side of Blay's face, pressing his
lips against his ear. "I want to taste it," he paused, "and I will."

Qhuinn paused, rubbing his thumb across the head of Blay's cock. "Fuck, Qhuinn," Blay
grunted.

"We'll get to that," Qhuinn grinned.

Blay let out a short laugh. "I'm going to come."

"Don't you dare," Qhuinn warned, releasing his cock. He palmed the back of Blay's neck,
pushing him forward. While wrapping his forearm around his waist, he rubbed his
erection against his ass. Blay's arms spread out across the top of the dresser. "You won't
come until I tell you," Qhuinn said, not sounding very serious at all.

Qhuinn backed away from Blay, grabbing the top of his boxer briefs and pushed them to
the floor. "Stand up," he told him. Blay stood straight and Qhuinn spun him around to
where they stood face to face. Their kiss started off soft and tender, but quickly deepened
and Qhuinn wanted to take him right then, but pulled away before it went any further.
"Get on the bed."

Blay smirked, but didn't budge.

"If you want to come, you better start moving…now." With his smirk turning into a
bigger grin, Blay started for the bed and Qhuinn followed. He jumped in the middle of
the bed, lying on his back. Qhuinn crawled in, straddling his torso. Grabbing the rope, he
began tying one end around Blay's wrist. Blay played along, watching him with a smile.
"The rope is soft. It won't hurt your wrist like the cuffs."

"How thoughtful," Blay said in a low voice.

Blay used his free hand to reach over and touch Qhuinn's thigh. He quickly snatched it up
and shook his head before continuing with the other wrist, and then tied the rope to the
headboard. "Do you not like when I touch you?" Blay asked.

Qhuinn leaned forward, giving him a quick peck. "I love when you touch me." He lifted
himself off of Blay, walking to the end of the bed. He discreetly took the lube out of the
pocket of his shorts as he pulled them off, crawling back in the bed at Blay's feet.
Bending over, he placed small kisses at his ankle, working his way up to his knee. He
pushed Blay's legs up to where his feet were flat on the bed, his knees pointed to the
ceiling. Slowly he continued kissing down his inner thigh. Blay's breathing sped. Qhuinn
looked up under his lashes, seeing that Blay had his eyes closed. He popped the top of the
lube, generously slicking his fingers.

Qhuinn's lips wrapped about Blay's dick, his tongue ring swirling around the head just
how he liked it. "Qhuinn," Blay moaned. He opened the back of his throat, taking him all
in. With suction and licks, he bobbed his head up and down. Taking a lubed finger, he
slid it into the crease of his ass, teasing his hole. While he continued blowing him, he
eased the finger in, Blay's back arching, his arms pulling down on the ropes wrapped
around his wrists. "Shit," he breathed.

He moved his lips back to Blay's inner thigh while pushing in a second finger. Licking
the soft skin had his mouth watering, his fangs elongating. Without a second thought, he
bit down on the vein and let the warm, sweet blood run down his throat while scissoring

his fingers, stretching him. Blay cried out as he kept fingering him and drinking from his
thigh. "Qhuinn, please."

Qhuinn couldn't wait any longer; he had to be inside of Blay. He sealed the puncture
wounds with a swipe of his tongue and sat back on his knees between his legs. "Please
what?"

"Please, just fuck me already," Blay said firmly, his eyes burning with lust.

Qhuinn slid the crook of his elbow under the back of Blay's knee, pulling it up as he
leaned in over him. "I'm definitely ready to fuck you." Slowly, he guided the tip of his
dick to his entrance and gradually began inching in until he was balls deep inside of his
lover. Before he moved any further, he touched his mouth to Blay's with his own. "You
feel so good," he whispered against his lips.

The thrust started out slow, but increasingly grew faster, along with their breathing
becoming deeper, both of them panting and grunting. Qhuinn propped himself up on his
elbow, lifting Blay's leg up further, spreading him further to allow him to drive in even
deeper. "Fuck," he called out. Pushing back up on his knees, he grabbed Blay's dick,
stroking his wildly. "Come with me, Blay."

A rope of white semen shot out of Blay's slit, across his chest. Qhuinn fell forward,
pushing his forehead into Blay's chest as he came deep inside of him. He stayed there,
catching his breath before he eased up to meet Blay's face. "We're going to need another
shower," Blay mumbled, his heavy eyes barely open. Qhuinn buried his face against
Blay's cheek.

"Tell me you love me, Blay," Qhuinn said softly, needing to hear the words.

"I love you."

Qhuinn lifted his head to look into Blay's eyes. "Will you tell me again?"

"I love you."

"Again," he whispered.

"Untie me…now," Blay demanded with a small smirk on his face.

Qhuinn smiled. Reaching above his head, he loosened the rope and Blay's arms came
down around him. He quickly flipped him over pinning his arms above his head. "I've
always loved you and I always will." He bent his head down, planting a kiss on the tip of
his nose. "I'm yours."

"Mine," Qhuinn breathed.

"Forever."

Blay smiled the gorgeous smile that Qhuinn knew was only meant for him and he
couldn't help but smile back. "Forever," he agreed.