Chapter Eight

Paris Hotel, Las Vegas

Sunday, 6:00 PM

Quinn woke up on a bed in a hotel. He recognized it immediately as Bella's suite. Despite the curtains being pulled tightly closed he caught a glimpse of sunlight at one edge. Checking his watch confirmed he'd been knocked out for most of the day. If he wasn't careful, he might wind up getting caught up on his sleep.

Beside him on the king-sized bed lay a strange brownish grey wolf. No, there was something very familiar about the animal.

It smelled exactly like Madeline.

Maddie was a wolf? And somehow, he'd never noticed.

He must really be slipping. Had there even been any clues? Normally he'd recognize Valàfrn wolves by their scent or the feel of their magic. But she'd camouflaged her scent. And she had never once used magic in front of him.

But she hadn't said she was human, had she?

He'd just assumed she was. The vast majority of the world was made up of humans. That made it a safe guess.

Maddie had been living with Bella for how long? Not long after he'd taken Deven in, Bella had joked about finding her own pet to adopt. Bella wasn't one to abuse others, but maybe she had taken her in for the wrong reasons.

No, it didn't matter why they'd been living together. Maddie wasn't one to be taken advantage of. She was strong and downright willful. She wouldn't stay beside Bella if it wasn't what she wanted.

The wolf's legs moved as if she were running in her dreams. It probably meant she'd be waking up soon. Should he feign sleep and let her keep her secret or wake her up so they could have an honest discussion?

Before he could decide, she rolled over, shifting into human form during the motion. For a single heartbeat she'd been naked. Then clothing formed and covered all that beautiful brown skin.

And her dark eyes met his and held for a long moment before she broke the connection so she could sit up beside him.

He held out a hand to help her, but she sat up on her own. "How do you feel? Any lingering effects?"

"What happened?"

He was a little encouraged that she didn't recognize Bella's powers in action. "Bella knocked us both out."

"She can do that?"

"Yes, although she hasn't used the power on me in a very long time." And it seemed she'd never used it on Maddie either.

"Seems kind of unfair to have a cheat skill like that. Wait… Can you do that too?"

"This from the girl who has drugged me unconscious twice." He could use the same power but only to a much lower level. If a person had good mental defenses or was just plain bull headed, he couldn't even make them drowsy.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

He chuckled. "You don't sound sorry."

"Maybe a little sorry." She looked him over. "So, you've been knocked out three times in forty-eight hours. Are you going to be okay?"

"There are almost no lingering effects." He was a little embarrassed by the way his body seemed to be so much weaker than before. As if his magic was fighting itself and leaving him almost defenseless.

She was looking at him critically. "Shouldn't you be stronger than that? Why did it work so well on you even though you're how old?"

"Never mind my age."

"Seriously, shouldn't you be able to resist mild toxins?"

"What you made isn't so mild." He was trying to avoid admitting that he was in a weakened state. But she was a smart girl and probably would catch on eventually.

"It works well on less powerful vampires. I actually wasn't sure it would work on you at all. Bella is the only other old one I've encountered, and she wouldn't let me test it on her."

"I should hope not." He held back a laugh while picturing that conversation with Bella. "You can't go around knocking people out for no reason. It's crazy that you don't seem to see it as a problem."

"I think it's crazy to pass up perfectly good research opportunities that might reveal information needed to keep me among the living."

He shook his head in disbelief. The action left him seeing tiny dancing spots before his eyes. The dizzy spell only lasted a few seconds before passing.

"I knew it. You are not alright."

He wasn't but would be before long. "It's nothing a little food won't fix."

"If that's all you need, I don't mind helping a little."

A lot of thoughts rushed through his mind at her offer. The first was a flash of desire that came with a far too detailed image of what feeding from her vein could be like. And hard on the heels of that was the memory of what wolf blood could do to a vampire. It was the fastest path to the darkest kind of blood madness.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Do you understand what you're offering?" Another thought crashed through his mind like a runaway locomotive. "Have you been feeding Bella?"

Her mouth dropped open. "Hell no. Why would I do that?"

"But you'd offer your blood to me?" For a moment he felt humbled and blessed.

And then she interrupted. "Don't be a jackass. I have no intention of being a meal for you or any other fucking vampire. What I meant was that I'd call for room service."

"Ah…" She'd made her stance on the subject perfectly clear, and he should be glad for her good sense. So, why was he regretting her line in the sand? Why had the temptation been so damn tempting? It was more than just his hunger or even the magic in her wolf blood. No, it was more about the way her slender neck would feel against his fangs. The way she'd cling to him as his pheromones soaked into her body. The way her long lashes would flutter as she drowned in his pleasure.

She was off the bed and backing toward the door. Her fingers were wrapped around the hilt of her still sheathed knife.

He knew what she'd seen in his expression. The predator in him, the darkness in his heart, had called out to her. He closed his eyes and fought for control. And after a few slow breaths he had it once again.

"Do you have your shit together now? I'm just asking because we still have a goal in common and I don't want to have to kill you."

He smiled a little. Up to this point she'd been polite, even a little careful around him. This new, outspoken version of her was better, way better. It felt honest, as if he was finally meeting the real Madeline Jacks.

"Well?"

"I'm sorry about that moment of... shall we call it an indiscretion? Yes, I am in control, and you are in no danger from me or my various hungers."

She relaxed a little. "Should I call for room service? I'm assuming you have enough control to avoid killing our delivery boy."

"No, thank you. I really am fine."

She looked like she was about to object and then changed her mind. "Fine. Whatever you say." She settled onto a plush seat near the door. "What should we do about Bella?"

It was a good question. Why had Bella even reacted like she had? It wasn't like any of them were on bad terms. Or at least he wasn't. It might have been a while since they'd had a chance to sit down and talk, but he was still her family. And supposedly so was Maddie. Why would she use her power to knock them out? "Did she have any reason to strike out at you?"

"No. What about you?"

"No."

"She didn't hurt either of us. I figure she had something she wanted to do that she thought we might prevent. Her actions make sense if she wanted to keep us out of the way. It probably has to do with her brother. I bet she already knows where he is."

It made sense but might not be the only possibility.

"Let's just say that she does and do a walk through on it. So, she knows where Georgie is and plans to meet with him, maybe talk him into giving up, or hiding, or leaving, or at least to stop killing people. She sees the two of us together and assumes that we intend to stop her. Maybe catch or harm her brother."

"She knows what my agency does even if she doesn't know that we've been looking for Georgie."

"I think she knows at least some of it even though I'm not sure how."

"She can connect to others through dreams. Maybe she put herself to sleep so she could reach out to Georgie."

"Say that again. She can do what?"

"Bella can control her dreams and use them to talk with or consciously influence people she knows. She tries to not use the power very often because when she does, it keeps her from getting any rest. Even if she hesitates to use it, she is very good at making it work."

"I'm having a hard time picturing this power. I've never heard anything about such a bizarre possibility."

"I'm sure I'm not going to explain it well at all, but I can at least give you an example. This one time that Georgie and I had a disagreement, our fight was right before a play that she wanted us to see together. The night before the play I had a horrible nightmare where I was put through a dozen different awful events and only Georgie could save me. And every single time, he did save me. And all through it I kept thinking that he was my brother, and I should forgive him for anything. When we woke up, we made up immediately. She had given him a similar experience."

"Sneaky of her."

"But karma can be cruel." Bella's karma that day had kept him and Georgie laughing for weeks. "After going to so much effort to get us to make up, she was exhausted and ended up sleeping through the play."

"And you think she was using this power?"

"Probably."

"We should wait here for her. Now that I know where she is and that she's safe, I don't need to chase after her."

He nodded and leaned back against the headboard. The idea of hunting down Georgie or what he might be forced to do in order to stop the killings… It tore him up inside. If there was even a single chance of Bella guiding the situation to a nonviolent ending, he was all for it.

"Answer this… If Georgie is out there killing people for fun or whatever, are you going to forgive him? And if so, will it be because you care more for him than human lives or will it be because Bella tinkered with your brain?"

She really knew how to ask the tough questions. It shouldn't be all that difficult to decide, and yet… he didn't have an answer. Logically he could easily see what should be considered right and wrong. As well as from the point of view regarding the agency, how to deal with the situation should be clear. But when he calculated the connections and the past, he found himself trying to see the motives and find justifications for Georgie's actions.

"Not willing to answer?"

"Not sure I can." He needed to change the topic. "Speaking of choices and ideals, how exactly did you come to be living with Bella? I'm not sure how I should feel about her living with a vampire hunter."

She stalked across the room and rested one knee on the bed right beside him. "No, wait a second. We got pretty far off topic. Let's get back to the important question. Can you eat human food? And should I order room service for two or just for me?" She straightened and turned to grab the room's phone. "Never mind, I want food and it's on Bella's bill. Speak up if you have any preferences."

"Steak. Medium rare." He did in fact eat human food. More now than ever before. He'd noticed a couple years after taking in Deven that his appetite had begun to change. He'd attributed it to forcing himself to eat with the boy at least once a day. But decades later he had to wonder if it was something else entirely.

"There, it should be brought up in forty minutes or so."

Then again, maybe the change in his appetite might have something to do with his age or some other fact. Maybe he was completely off base on his theory. "Does Bella eat human food now?"

"Not meals, no. But she does have desserts sometimes. Is that strange?"

"No, that is pretty normal for Bella."

She was staring at him with that intense look again as if he was a riddle that she could figure out if she looked close enough. "But you're different?"

"Have you ever encountered other vampires who do more than nibble at food?"

"Can't say I have. Why are you asking?"

"It's probably nothing." He'd hoped her years of hunting his kind might at least provide some answers.

She settled into the chair nearest to the bed. "Now I'm curious. Are you saying that you eat meals regularly?"

He hesitated to discuss it, but since he'd been the one to bring it up, it would be silly to hold back now. "I've done some research into Valàfrn wolves since taking in Deven. I wanted him to know as much as he could about his kind even if he was being raised by me."

"And?"

All he had was a very sketchy theory to go on with and not enough information to prove or disprove it. "Deven thinks of me as part of his pack."

"Clan. But go on."

"Clan, right. And it seems like the Valàfrn magic is something that can sort of be shared among close members of a clan."

"It is something like that." Her voice was quiet as if this was a secret, she wasn't sure she should be discussing.

"Lately I've been wondering if I'm being affected by his magic. If such a thing is even possible. The change in my appetite is the most notable change. I enjoy regular meals and very rarely crave blood."

Madeline was trying to accept what the old vamp was suggesting but the possibility was almost ridiculous. But if he was right… No, he couldn't be. "So far all you'd noticed is a change in your eating habits. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything in particular." It wasn't as if he could ever become a wolf. The basic physiology as well as spiritual and magical natures were too different.

"I know it seems like a stretch, but Valàfrn magic is something that seems to ignore limits. Just the other day I overheard Zeven talking to his human mate about her learning how to shift into wolf form. If you're thinking about logic, that shouldn't be possible." There was a hint of yearning in his voice that surprised her.

"That is not the same at all." But even as she was rejecting the idea, her thoughts were spinning in a different direction. What if it was possible? "Look, the Valàfrn wolf spirit kind of does its own thing. It will naturally share everything with a mate in order to make a pair stronger."

"Doesn't it do something similar with the rest of the clan in order to make the clan strong?"

"Only to a very small degree." She'd been living outside of her clan for so very long that she could barely remember how the magic felt within the clan. But as she thought back, she could remember a little bit of how it felt to be connected to the clan. The feeling had been very subtle, rarely even noticed.

"But the magic is shared between parent and child, isn't it?"

Now he was stretching the concept. "Yes, but only to protect the young who aren't able to control their own magic yet." Why did it matter so much to him? Wasn't his vampiric power enough? Why did he want access to Valàfrn magic too? She wanted to understand him. "Why does it matter to you? It seems like you actually want to be changed by his… by your son's magic. Why would you want that?"

He looked at her with a slightly sad smile. "When we found Zeven and he eventually joined our family, you know what Deven said to me? He said he was glad to finally have someone to run with. The way he said that keeps echoing in my mind. Even after all the years we've been together, I felt like I'd missed an important need of his. If there was a chance that I could be more like him, it would make me happy."

"I've seen vampires who could shape shift before. Does that mean you can't do that?" At his age, surely, he could.

"I can."

"Then isn't that good enough?" it just didn't make sense to her. If he wanted to take wolf form so he could run wild with his son, why did it matter which magic let him do it?

"Using my magic around Deven used to terrify him when he was young. I'm not willing to cause him any more trauma."

She'd noticed that when she'd first started watching Quinn's agency. The old vampire almost never used his magic. She'd figured it was just a quirk from living among humans for so long. But instead, he'd done it to avoid scaring a pup. Some sweet emotion tightened in her throat. "Is he still bothered by your magic? Couldn't you use it around him now?"

"I suppose I could. Honestly, it hadn't occurred to me. Does that mean you don't think it's possible to be affected by his magic like I was suspecting?"

It was a strange question. One that she didn't have a definitive answer for. But perhaps she'd dismissed the change in his eating habits too quickly. "Most vampires I've observed seem to lose interest in human food fairly quickly. All the nutrition they need is found in blood. The fact that you desire food and can digest it does suggest a change. Wolf magic certainly does seek to connect to those individuals that it feels are family. Which ignoring all historical evidence could …" What was she about to say? That a dead human turned into a vampire could be turned into a Valàfrn werewolf? She shook her head. "I can't say it's impossible but from what I've seen in the world I think the magic is too opposing. If such a thing happened it would likely result in your true death."

"Not a very optimistic ending."

"No, it's not. But vampire magic is built from the demonic connection to the Book of the Dead, while Valàfrn magic comes from Norse gods and the power found in nature. I just don't see how those two types of magic could be anything but in conflict." She kept the rest of her thoughts to herself because honestly Quinn and Bella seemed to ignore any of her clichéd expectations. Who knew what they were actually capable of? She sure hadn't been able to figure it out.

"I see." He sounded disappointed.

Wasn't this really about him wanting to be able to use the same kind of magic as some kid he decided to raise? She couldn't imagine any other reason. Honestly, his level of power and ability to use it was probably on the same or higher level as a mature Valàfrn. He didn't have much to gain from mastering a lesser power.

"Our food has arrived."

There was a knock at the door just a moment after his words.

She jumped up and hurried to the door. It only took a few minutes to get the two trays and close the door again. Quinn didn't show any interest in the server. Not even a glance.

But he did immediately join her at the little round dining table. Maybe it was just her suspicious nature, but she felt like she'd have to see him enjoying a meal before she could fully accept that it was true. In all her years with Bella, she'd never seen her even hint at wanting regular meals. And the sweet desserts that she was willing to eat were few and far between.

Settled down across from each other, she watched him closely as he carefully cut into his steak and took his first bite.

She was expecting a look of disgust. Even if he forced himself to eat, would he be able to enjoy it?

His expression only changed a little. But he immediately took another bite. And another. Before pausing to pour his cola into a glass. When had he… he'd used magic to summon a glass and it even had ice in it. "Did you need ice for your drink?"

"Um, no thanks."

"Are you sure? It's no trouble."

"I'm sure."

Raising the glass to his lips, he took a sip. The motion revealed his small sharp fangs. He was the strangest damn vampire she'd ever met.

Watching him was a fascinating pastime. For some reason the tiniest of details drew her gaze. His throat as he swallowed. His fingers tapped the fork twice before picking it up to take another bite. The way his eyes crinkled a little when he looked at her. And the way the intense green of those eyes darkened with some unidentifiable need.

She forced her attention back to her own meal. It was just a burger and fries, but the first bite was almost exquisite in the depth of flavor. Why was she reacting this way? She couldn't be sure of the reason. Her wolf seemed tense… expectant. Almost like there was a potential danger.

"Is your food not to your liking?"

She almost jumped at his low voice. "It's good. How's your steak?"

"Perfectly done." His lips twitched upward in humor. "No one at home can cook steak this well. Deven keeps trying to learn how to grill, but even he can't manage this wonderful flavor."

"I'm pretty good with a grill. Maybe I should…" Her voice trailed off. Was she really about to offer to cook for him? "Is steak the only thing you eat?"

"Not at all. Though it is my preference. And luckily enough most of my family are meat lovers." He took another sip of his drink. "I would love to have you come by and teach Deven how to work a grill properly."

Deven, yeah it made sense that he'd ask her to teach his son.

"More than just the grill if you have time. I think it would be very helpful for him to have more contact with other Valàfrn."

"Sure, I can make some time to visit." She didn't have any reason to decline. And several to make the effort. She'd like to check out with her own eyes and confirm that he and the others weren't being taken advantage of in any way. Honestly though, after taking a little time to get to know Quinn she was beginning to think her suspicions were unnecessary.

The rest of the meal passed quickly with only a little conversation. Cleaning up was easy as well. Quinn took care of it all while she took the few minutes to search Bella's room. Which didn't reveal anything new.

She was considering how to start a planning session with Quinn when the subject of it decided to return.