Page 78 of Taming His Vampire Mate

* * *

Quinn bolted past us the moment I opened the dungeon door, moving in a blur that knocked Jeremy and me both to the ground.

There was a split second to react, and I used it to pull Jeremy closer, taking the brunt of the fall. He might’ve been less breakable than a human, but he was still mortal—and the floor was concrete. Hitting his head wouldn’t have been especially healthy for him.

I was so startled, I didn’t even try to stop Quinn.

Jeremy and I hit the ground hard. My shoulder blade slammed into the concrete first, and I felt a bone snap on impact.

Breath hissed between my teeth as pain enveloped my shoulder, radiating across my back. But Jeremy was securely tucked in my arms, warm and solid on top of me, pressingme down deliciously, his clean-grass scent everywhere—far too reminiscent of the first night we’d met.

With my good arm, I pushed him off.

The bones in my shoulder knitted together a moment later, and I shoved myself to my feet.

Simone and Poppy stood frozen in the center of the dungeon, staring at the open doorway where we’d fallen. To their credit, only a handful of seconds had passed.

I looked past them to find Quinn’s chair empty, shattered silver chain scattered around it. Silver saps a vampire’s strength and speed—no one could have broken free of it without help.

The chain lay in three pieces.

Impossible.

“Fuck,” I said succinctly.

Jeremy climbed to his feet, and I gave him a quick once-over to make sure he wasn’t injured before darting after Quinn.

* * *

“This isn’t what I had in mind for the evening’s activities,” Jeremy sighed, gesturing at the shipping containers towering around us. “We’ve been at this for hours.”

“This isn’t a date,” I retorted. “I hope you’re aware of that.”

“I never said it was.” He shot a bemused look in my direction. “Still, remind me to take you somewhere nice eventually. A place with fewer rats. And no murderous vampires.”

I glowered in his direction, which felt like answer enough. He didn’t look nearly as put off as he should have.

“You’re adorable when you’re trying to be scary. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Anyone who dared wouldn’t try it again,” I replied hotly. “And no one’s forcing you to be here. Don’t you have other, better things to do?”

“Not really.”

“You’ve got a pack to run,” I reminded him, my annoyance fading far too quickly. “Surely they’re wondering where you are.”

I didn’t know much about wolves—they kept to themselves more than any other race of supernatural creatures. But I did know they valued pack above almost anything.

“They’re not,” Jeremy muttered. “And trust me, no one there really wants me to come back.”

Then his mouth snapped shut, and he gave me a worried sidelong look, as though wondering how much trouble he’d just gotten himself into.

“And why is that?”

“I still don’t understand why the witch couldn’t just hocus-pocus the vampire back to her. Or at least give us an exact location. The warlock in my pack can cast locator spells.”

“She tried,” I reminded him. “The best she could do was a general area.” He’d been right there when she’d done her casting, which made his question almost as annoying as searching Seattle’s massive shipping yard for a feral newborn vampire. “Her magic’s being blocked somehow.”

“Hmm.”