Page 80 of Havenfall Harbor
Griffin and I both move to tighten our hold on her in case she might be having another seizure. Thank fuck she just coughs a few more times and falls still. Eventually, her eyes fan open, slowly at first until she starts blinking rapidly. I can see the confusion in her gaze. She makes a move like she might sit up, but winces and reaches for the side of her head.
I spin around in a half crouch, a snarl already on my lips when I hear the sound of feet rushing in our direction.
I tilt my head to the side, recognizing the face before me, but not caring. Paul skids to a stop, his arm outstretched behind him to stop whoever else is with him. “What happened?” He tries to peer around me.
My hands are again tipped with claws, coarse white fur covering my fingers and knuckles, and running up over my forearms. I feel Griffin’s presence behind me, but I don’t dare look away from the threat before me. I trust him implicitly to take care of Quinn—hell, his blood probably just saved her life.
“What the fuck happened?” Griffin moves to my side with Quinn draped across his arms. She has blood smeared all over her face as if she’s a deranged vampire. “Why the fuck am I paying you?” He leans forward and roars.
Quinn shrinks into his body, drawing his attention away from the small group of security officers that has formed.
As head of security, it’s my job to keep everyone safe, but I failed Quinn. I should be giving instructions to the team, finding out how she was injured, but I can’t. Not when I don’t know if one of them had something to do with this.
Griffin
I’m dangerouslyclose to spilling blood, lots of blood. If I didn’t have Quinn in my arms, I probably would have already bled a few of these people in an effort to get answers they might not even have.
Evan shakes out his hands, the beast receding. “Quinn Shaw was injured.” He pauses, his head tilting to the side. I can see him grinding his teeth and the tic of his jaw. “I want to know when and how the fuck this happened.” Evan takes a menacing step forward. “If I find out someone did this to her…there will be no mercy.” Evan darts his eyes to Quinn, his lips pinched as if he wants to say so much more. I completely fucking agree. If I find out someone I let into my home did this to her…I can’t let the full thought form, the things racing through my head right now are borderline barbaric.
Because I don’t trust myself to walk past the group, I turn on my heel and head in the opposite direction. I don’t want to take her through the school, so I march to the stairs that lead down to the grounds. My steps are swift, but I take care not to jostle her too much. Her heart is beating slowly but steadily. I know my blood is working its way through her system, repairing and restoring.
The tiny bit of her blood I took to make sure the exchange was even lingers in my mouth, coating my very soul with her taste. The moment my teeth sank into her flesh a bond was forged, one I was forced to form without her permission to save her life.
I look down at the woman cradled in my arms, hoping I haven’t done the very thing that will make her hate me. If I would have just given her my blood instead of taking some of hers in exchange, we could have risked her becoming a scion. The danger would have been rather low, considering she was injured and in desperate need of the blood, but it still wasn’t a gamble I was willing to take. I take a deep breath, knowing I would do it all over again even if it means she is upset with me.
Quinn Shaw was mine from the moment she walked into Havenfall. If she knew the lengths I’m willing to go to in order to make sure that’s true, she would probably run far and fast. But now I can find her, no matter what. I just made sure of that.
Chapter 24
Quinn
“I don’t know!”I pinch the bridge of my nose. This is the fifth time I’ve said these exact same words. I woke cuddled up to Griffin’s chest about thirty minutes ago. As soon as he and Evan deemed me fit to function, I went straight to the shower.
The side of my head is still tender, but if the blood I washed out of my hair is any indication, it’s not nearly as sore as I would have expected. In fact, I feel pretty damn good for someone who was knocked upside the head.
Sans my own clothes, I’m rocking another of Griffin’s shirts. This one is a light gray. Sitting, it’s large enough to covers my knees, standing, it falls to mid-thigh. I’m currently sitting and should probably stay that way, considering I didn’t put my undies back on.
Griffin is perched in front of me, his ass on the coffee table, while Evan is next to me on the couch. They’ve both been asking me what I remember. Unfortunately, I haven’t been much help.
“Let’s start at the beginning again.” Evan’s voice is reassuring.
I sigh then start speaking again. “I left after waking up so I could take a shower.”
“Why didn’t you just shower here?” Griffin’s holding himself rigidly. He’s barely moved a muscle since I sat down, it’s a little eerie.
“I didn’t have any clean clothes, plus I had things I needed to do—laundry, get my door fixed,” I say with exasperation. Isn’t it obvious? I have to let him and Evan return to their lives, and I do too.
Evan rolls his hand, telling me to continue. “Anyway…” I swiftly cut my eyes to Griffin for interrupting me again. “I didn’t think about not having a key to the new lock, and I locked your door when I left. So, I was locked out.” I lift my hands in the air before letting them slap back down against my legs. “I decided to get something to eat.”
“Why didn’t you go to the dining hall?” Evan inquires, encouraging information out of me. Last time when he asked this, I avoided the question and told him I changed my mind. Now I’m a little more frustrated, so I hit him with the truth.
“I ran into Noah…”
“Noah?” Griffin unfurls a bit, as if he might stand up.
“Yes,” I grit out through my teeth, “but he was acting weird, keeping like six feet away from me, and I realized I really needed that shower. I was a sweaty mess when I woke up and I woefully underestimated the senses of supernaturals.” I tilt my head and give him anare you happy nowlook.
Griffin reaches up and runs his hand over his face, tugging on his chin. Evan clears his throat. “So what did you do then?”
