“Clint likes to give Julian nicknames,” Quinn explained when Clint walked into the kitchen. “Like Hulk Hogan, Billy Idol, Draco Malfoy, and Eminem. Now Dennis.”
“Dennis who?” Devon asked.
“The Menace,” Julian ground out from between his clamped teeth.
Quinn was unable to suppress her laughter anymore, and the others joined in.
“I like that guy!” Devon announced.
Julian glowered at him, but he couldn’t hold onto his irritation when Quinn’s twinkling eyes met his. It had been so long since he’d seen so much merriment coming from her. He took hold of her hand and lifted it to his mouth to kiss the back of it. He would do everything in his power to make her laugh like this every day for the rest of their lives.
“You kind of deserve it,” Cassie said to him. “You do love tossing around your own nicknames for everyone.”
“That you do,” Quinn agreed.
“But you love it, Dewdrop,” he said.
“Maybe I do, Dennis,” she teased and rose to kiss him.
He brushed back a strand of her silken hair and ran his hand around to cup her nape. “Would you like to own the murder bar?”
Her smile slid away as her brow furrowed. “I could never afford this place.”
“I can,” he said. “And it’s us now. It will be for an eternity. Don’t forget that.”
She hastily brushed away the tears filling her eyes with the back of her hand. “Us,” she murmured.
“Yes.” He turned her away from the others. “We are interwoven, Quinn, mated. It’s a deeper bond than marriage.”
“I know. I understand, but I’ve been taking care of myself for six years now.”
“And now you have me to be here for you, and I’m going to make every single one of your dreams come true. When all of this is done, all you will know is love and security, even if I have to destroy every other vampire to ensure that happens. I swear you will have peace, Quinn.”
Her hands flattened against his chest as she searched his gaze. “We will have peace.”
He drew her a step closer to brush his lips over her full mouth. Lust shot through him when he caught the scent of his blood within her. “I know how much you enjoy working here and this place. If you want it, it’s yours.”
“We can’t stay here. The townspeople would eventually realize we haven’t aged in a while,” she said. “I feel like owning the murder bar, on top of being the eternal youth couple, might have them all lining up outside with pitchforks and torches.”
“In a few years, we’ll have to leave here, but we could return again after a while. We could find someone to run the bar for us while we’re gone.”
“And what if the vampires agree to your plan? Won’t we have to travel often to lead over them?”
“Not necessarily. Like the bar, we’ll recruit others to run certain areas while we’re gone. It could be tricky, but we can figure it all out.”
She glanced around the bar, her brow furrowed. “And what of your search for other Hunters and Guardians?”
“I’m done with searching. If they’re out there, they’ll be more likely to come out of hiding if they feel it’s safer for them. I’ve found everything I was looking for, and more than I ever expected, with you.”
“So have I, with you,” she said. “I’m not ready to be out of a job, but I’m also not ready to be a bar owner. I think maybe it’s time to move on, to see a little bit more of the world at night.” She rested her hand against his cheek. “Besides, I think things are complicated enough in our lives without throwing the murder bar into the mix.”
“If you change your mind, I’ll buy it from Clint tomorrow.”
“I love you.”
“Good, because you’re stuck with me for a long time.”
“Wouldn’t have chosen anyone else.”
“Neither would I,” he replied truthfully.
And he wouldn’t have. She was everything he could have asked for in a mate and so much more—strong, assured, and willing to do whatever had to be done in order to ensure they both survived. She’d calmed the monster within him, but she also accepted his sometimes brutal nature and was willing to unleash her own savagery when it became necessary. She was a fighter, a survivor, and she was his.
“Get to painting, Dennis,” she said with a wink and handed him the paintbrush he hadn’t realized she’d slipped from his hand.
CHAPTER 6
One month later
Quinn kept her face impassive as she watched the growing crowd of vampires gathering before them. No matter the indifferent front she put on, being so close to so many vamps again had her completely on edge. She kept her power turned on and honed into those around her in case she needed to unleash it on the vamps should they decide to attack.