Claiming Quinn (Other World Series Book Five)

Epilogue

Two months later

“Well, what do you think?”

Silas and the others stared wide-eyed at Gemma.

“Holy shit,” Steve said. “You look fucking hot in that bustier, Gemma.”

She sighed loudly. “Yes, because looking hot is what I’m aiming for.”

Evan touched the sword hanging around her waist. “You sure you really want to be in the queen’s guard, Gemma? It’s dangerous.”

“I’m sure,” she said. “Dacia says I have a knack for it.”

Craig nudged Kyle. “So, are they gonna make you wear a bustier and skirt too?”

As Kyle rolled his eyes, Silas grinned widely. About two weeks after Kila became queen, Kyle asked to join the queen’s guard. It had taken some convincing but Kila eventually agreed. Silas knew the other women were surprised by her decision. After years of doing everything they could to protect the men, it made the women uneasy to have one fighting in the guard. But Kila had stuck to her decision and allowed Kyle to join the guard.

“Where are Angela and Paula?” Steve asked.

“Angela’s with Zeeda, putting her bid in,” Gemma said, “and I think Paula is at the nursery. She and Mina have become friends and she’s been helping Mina with her baby a lot.”

“Angela’s putting a bid in?” Steve said. “I bet it’s for me.”

“Actually,” Gemma said with a grin, “she’s bidding on Lutan and Kyle.”

“What the hell?” Steve laughed. “Kyle, you’re participating in the claiming ceremony tonight?”

Kyle shrugged. “Now that I have a choice in participating, why not?”

Steve laughed again and threw his arm around Kyle’s shoulder. “Yeah, why not, ya man whore.”

“Hello, danen.”

Silas turned and gave Quinn a mock scowl before putting his arms around her waist. “I have a name.”

“Hello, Silas,” she said teasingly before squeezing his ass.

“You know,” Silas said, “I think you call me danen on purpose.”

“Now why would I do that?” She asked sweetly.

“Because you know you’ll get a spanking for it,” he said in a low voice before kissing her.

She returned his kiss and smiled at him. “Sorry I’m late. I was meeting with the queen about the ceremony tonight and it went longer than I thought.”

Silas nuzzled her neck affectionately. “My brother is sleeping with the queen. I could probably have got you out of that meeting, no problem.”

“So there are other perks to sleeping with you than just your big cock. Is that what you’re saying?”

“You love my big cock,” he said cheerfully.

“Aye, I do,” Quinn replied.

“How many of the men are participating tonight?” Silas asked.

“Nearly all of them,” Quinn said. “It’s a little surprising to me.”

“Why?” Silas said. “Now that it’s completely voluntary, what man wouldn’t love having women mock fighting over the right to have sex with them?”

Quinn laughed. “Good point. Do you know who isn’t participating?”

“Who?”

“Lloyd.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Nope. Apparently, he’s smitten with Selda. She gave birth to one of his children - Rardin I think his name is - a few years ago. Now the three of them are living together.”

“Well, good for Lloyd,” Silas said.

“I’m glad most of the men are participating,” Quinn said. “This has been the way of life for many years. It needed to change but the women would find it difficult if it was completely different. It was wise of Kila to come up with this idea.”

Silas gave her a solemn look. “How are things with the two of you?”

“Better than I thought they would be,” Quinn said. “Most of the guilt is on my part. Kila has assured me multiple times that she did what was necessary and has no regrets but I wonder if that will change later.”

“I don’t think it will,” Silas said. “Kila loves you.”

“Aye, and I love her,” Quinn replied. “How was your day?”

“Busy. Naveen coerced me into building new shelves for his medical supplies. He says he’s too old and weak to do it, but, I don’t know – the guy’s like a hundred years old and survived being stabbed in the stomach. I think he’s tougher than he lets on.”

Quinn’s face softened at the mention of the old man. “Aye, he is.”

She pressed a kiss against his mouth again. “I need to speak with Zeeda before the games begin. I’ll talk to you later, all right?”

Silas nodded before stroking her hair back from her face. “Yes. I love you, Quinn.”

“I love you too, Silas.”

END

Please enjoy an excerpt from Choosing Rose, Book Six in the Other World Series.

CHOOSING ROSE

(Other World Series Book Six)

“Crap, crap, crap…CRAP!” Rose banged her hands on the steering wheel of her useless car before climbing out. She slammed the door shut and locked it. A pointless gesture considering the damn thing wouldn’t even start. She hurried across the parking garage toward the elevator.

She ran through the lobby of her apartment building and out to the street. It was pouring rain and she stared up at the dark sky as lightning flashed. She covered her head with her arm and stood at the edge of the sidewalk. A taxi was careening down the street and she waved frantically at it as the rain soaked her long, blonde hair.

The taxi screeched to a halt in front of her and she climbed into the back seat. The front seat was separated from the back with a thick layer of plexiglass and the driver’s disembodied voice floated out of the speakers hanging haphazardly from the ceiling.

“Where to, lady?”

“The Franklin Center, please.”

The driver pulled out into the street and Rose rapped on the plexiglass. “By air, please.”

“It’ll cost ya extra.”

“I know, that’s fine. I’m in a hurry,” Rose said with an impatient sigh.

She clutched at the door handle when the driver flipped a switch and there was a loud grinding noise below her feet. The car shivered wildly and lurched sideways as Rose quickly buckled her seat belt.

“Can this thing even handle air?” She wondered out loud.

“Don’t you worry, lady. Baby might be showin’ her age but she’s still got all the tricks,” the driver replied.

There was another painfully loud grinding sound and Rose made a breathless shriek when the car lurched upward. Her stomach dropped to her feet and the driver grinned cheerfully at her through the rearview mirror. “Can you handle air, lady?”

“Yes,” Rose flapped her hand at him. “I’m fine.”

“There’s bags in the seat pocket in front of you. Use ‘em if yer gonna puke.”

“I’m not going to puke,” Rose said. “Just get moving, would you? I’m really late and I - ”

She shrieked again as the cab rose another hundred feet then took off in a burst of speed. The driver honked his horn and cursed loudly at the car hovering next to them. “Get the hell out of my way, ya miscreant!”

Rose peeked out the window and immediately wished she hadn’t. The people standing on the street below them were the size of ants and her stomach made an unpleasant heave. God, she hated travelling by air in well-maintained cars. Doing so in one that looked like it might drop from the sky at any moment made her want to vomit. She didn’t have much of a choice though. Her meeting started in exactly seventeen minutes and with the morning rush hour, she’d never make it by ground. She jumped when a loud crack of thunder made the car shake and a jagged streak of lightning lit up the sky. She closed her eyes as the cab made another unpleasant sway and clung tightly to the door handle.

* * *

“I know, I know. I’m late,” Rose said as she scurried into the lab. She hung her coat on the hook and grabbed her lab coat, slipping into it as she tucked her purse under one of the tables.

“Relax, the orb isn’t due to appear for another three hours and Solomon isn’t even here yet,” Brody said. He was studying something under one of the microscopes and didn’t notice when Rose frowned.

“He’s not here yet?”

“Nope.” He adjusted the dial on the microscope before typing a note on the tablet sitting next to it.

“But he left the apartment early this morning,” Rose said. “He said he was going to the lab.”

Brody shrugged. “Don’t know what to tell you, Rosie-girl. He’s not here.”

Rose checked her phone. There were no messages from Solomon and she sent him a quick text before slipping it into the pocket of her lab coat. “What are you looking at?”

“Another skin sample from Subject Blue Balls,” Brody said.

“Don’t call him that,” Rose said sharply.

Brody glanced at her. “What else should I call him? Subject 10387? If the big guy won’t tell us his name, I gotta call him something.”

Rose sighed. “Is there any change?”

“No. He’s getting drier by the day. He keeps this up and he’ll be completely dried out within the next couple of days. His internal organs are starting to show signs of shutting down.”

“Crap,” Rose said. “I can’t believe he’s been with us for a month and we still can’t figure out how to rehydrate him.”

Brody gave her an odd look. “We do know.”

Rose blinked at him. “We know what?”

“How to rehydrate him. Figured it out the second day. Didn’t Solomon tell you?”

“No, he – I had no idea,” Rose said.

Brody gave her a thoughtful look. “Weren’t you on holidays when the big guy came in?”

Rose nodded and he smiled cheerfully at her. “That’s why you didn’t know.”

“But I – I specifically talked to Solomon about rehydrating him and he said they were still working on it,” Rose said slowly.

“That’s weird,” Brody said. “We rehydrated him a few times the first week.”

“How?”

“Just plain old water,” Brody said. “Dunk the big guy in some water and his body starts to rehydrate. Makes sense considering the gills behind his ears. Did I tell you that Solomon had me put a piece of the big guy’s flesh in the haloden liquid? I don’t know why. He’s crazy if he thinks we could grow another one just from the flesh. I mean, I know haloden liquid can regenerate human limbs but this guy isn’t human. The haloden didn’t do anything at all. Rose? What’s wrong?”

Rose squeezed the lab table tightly. “I asked Solomon if he tried water and he said yes. He said it – it didn’t do anything. He lied to me, Brody.”

Brody gave her an uncomfortable look. “Rose, listen – I know Solomon is your fiancé but he’s also the boss. I’m sure there’s lots of stuff he doesn’t tell a couple of lab monkeys like us.”

“He lied to me,” Rose repeated.

Her head snapped up and she stared at Brody. “If he’s so close to dying why aren’t we rehydrating him?”

Brody cleared his throat. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t start lying to me as well, Brody,” Rose said angrily.

The short, redheaded man sighed loudly. “Solomon wants to see how long he can go without being rehydrated.”

“Are you kidding me? He does know he’s dying, right?” Rose said.

“I gave him the report yesterday,” Brody said. “He looked it over and told me to leave things the way they are.”

“Son of a…”

“Rosie, where are you going?” Brody called as Rose stormed out of the lab. She slammed the door shut and using her keycard, accessed the elevators that led to the lower level. She tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator took her swiftly down fourteen floors. When the doors opened, she hurried down the hall and used her keycard to open the last door on the left.

Subject 10387 was lying motionless in the bed. Both of his arms were strapped down as were his legs. He stared up at the ceiling as she approached the bed. She studied him silently. His skin was a dusty blue colour and it was so dry and cracked that she could see blood seeping through the hospital gown that covered his massive chest. She studied the small black horns growing from his temples. His thick black hair had lost its sheen and clung listlessly to his scalp. His eyes were the colour of warm amber. When his gaze shifted to her, she felt a weird almost painful cramp of pleasure deep in her belly.

His lips were a slightly darker shade of blue as were his nails. She touched his arm lightly, wincing when flakes of skin shed away. There was a cup with a moist sponge sitting on the table next to the bed and she swiped it across his dry lips. His mouth opened a little, enough for her to see the tips of his fangs, and his tongue flickered out to lick at the sponge. She set the sponge down and poured water into a glass before holding it to his mouth. He drank eagerly and she gave him a second glass of water before returning it to the table.

She cleared her throat as he continued to stare at her with those unnerving amber-coloured eyes. When her hand tightened on his arm he winced and pain flashed across his face. She hesitated a moment longer before turning and crossing the room to the sink that was in the corner. She filled a jug with water and marched back to the bed. She hesitated only briefly before pouring the water over his left arm. His skin sucked up the moisture and she poured more, watching with disbelief as the skin began to heal.

“Holy moly,” she breathed before emptying the jug over his entire forearm. She traced the now smooth skin with the tips of her fingers. “It works.”

She glanced up at the silent, blue man and gave him a look of regret. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

He didn’t reply. In the month he had been here, locked up like an animal, he had never spoken a single word. She didn’t even know if he spoke English or could understand a word she said to him. She talked to him almost every time she came into the room. She spent more time in here than was probably necessary but she was fascinated by the giant blue man who had appeared from the orb. The woman that was with him was human and a real pain in the butt. Solomon kept her for only two weeks and did minimal testing on her before turning her out onto the street to fend for herself. Rose wished she had thought to ask the woman if she knew the blue guy’s name before Solomon tossed her out of the lab. She certainly had no problems with talking. In fact, she never shut up.

She got more water and began to sponge the man’s face, paying careful attention to the cracked and bleeding skin around the horns. The relief on his face as she sponged him with water was palpable and another surge of guilt went through her.

“I really am very sorry,” she said. “Solomon, he lied to me, said he didn’t know how to help you. If I had known I wouldn’t have let it get this far. I’m so sorry.”

She sponged water over his throat and the top of his chest. “I’ll talk to Solomon and we’ll - I don’t know - get you into a bath or something, okay?”

She brushed her hand over his cheekbone. “Is that a little better at least?”

He nodded. It was the first response she had ever seen from him and her eyes widened. “You understand me.”

His eyes shifted to the sponge she held in her hand and she quickly swiped it across his throat again before sliding it under his hospital gown. She squeezed the sponge, letting water drip over his chest and he made a soft hissing sound.

“I’m sorry. I know that hurts,” she said soothingly. She used her other hand to rub his arm. “Gosh, I feel so awful about this.”

She brushed his hair back from his forehead and dipped the sponge into the water before squeezing it across his chest again. “Can you speak English? Will you tell me your name?”

He remained silent and she sighed softly before dipping the sponge into the jug. When she turned back to him, he was staring directly at her.

Her mouth dropped open when he said in a low, hoarse voice, “Vida. My name is Vida.”

Choosing Rose will be available in the summer of 2017

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Books by Ramona Gray

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