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"They attacked Dash's the other night." Quinton's voice came from the front of the Suburban.
I jerked at hearing him, surprised because I hadn't heard him approach or a car pull up. I'd been too engrossed in the conversation with Daniel. We were lucky the hunters hadn't seen us and decided to attack, because we all would have been sitting ducks in our stupidity.
That didn't stop me from running straight for Quinton. I hit him head on, causing him to stagger back a step on his silver cowboy boots. I wrapped my arms around his middle and squeezed. His arms came up around my shoulders and he held me tightly to him. I probably should have been embarrassed by my actions but didn't have it in me. Quinton made me feel safe and I wasn't interested in hiding it from anyone anymore, least of all Quinton.
I shoved my face in his neck, my mouth going to his ear, and I whispered urgently, "Rain?"
He kissed my cheek softly and whispered as his lips ghosted over my skin, "He's fine, baby. Don't worry about him."
I nodded as I tried to step back. I didn't make it anywhere because Quinton refused to let me go. Not that I was complaining, I was just surprised by it because we were in front of a Council member. Then again, he probably had never expected me to literally throw myself at him either, and probably didn't want to let go out of fear it'd never happen again. I wasn't opposed to PDA, I just wasn't usually the person to instigate it.
Quinton's palms glided down my back until his hands were resting on my waist. He picked me up and carried me back over to where his nephew stood with his back against the borrowed SUV. He sat me back down on my feet beside Tyson and squeezed my waist tightly before letting me go. He turned his back on me and stepped over until he stood directly in front of me, blocking me almost entirely from Daniel's sharp gaze.
I almost rolled my eyes at the ridiculous, overprotective move, but didn't because it was pure Quinton and there was a large part of me that loved this about him.
Tyson reached out and laced his fingers through mine. I squeezed his hand in gratitude and directed a small smile, not appropriate for this situation, his way. He missed out on it because his eyes were focused straight ahead and on the Council member.
"I find it odd," Quinton continued in a quiet, but lethal voice, "that it's you who showed up here to visit our girl when it seems to be Adrian who's obsessed with her."
I groaned inwardly. This was not the way things needed to be going down right now. If he wanted to give people a hard time for being obsessed with me, then I thought he should have waited until we sat down for their absurd dinner party. At least then we'd know we had something worth talking about, because Quinton wasn't the only person who had a problem with the Council being obsessed with me or the only person I figured would have something to say on the subject.
I squeezed Ty's hand before letting it go and stepping around Quinton. I didn't get far before an arm covered in bright orange and yellow flames shooting up from its wrist wrapped around my middle and I was pulled backward. My back ended up pressed to his front and he wrapped both his arms around my middle. Normally, I'd get angry at this super alpha male gesture, but I was just going to be thankful today that he didn't shove me back behind him once again in order to keep me out of sight and out of harm’s way.
"Can we focus on what's important here?" I asked in a small, tired voice. "And that being what's going on across the street."
"Very reasonable," Daniel said approvingly, and I felt the unfriendly vibes coming off of the two Alexander men standing behind me. "I need both of you Alexanders to take this young female home and keep her safe, at least until it's time for you to bring her to the motel for our dinner party."
I flinched away from him and back into Quinton's warm body. The way he'd worded that hadn't exactly given me the warm fuzzies, but ithadset off my creeper alarms. After growing up around the men Vivian had liked to fornicate with, my creeper alarm was damn good, there'd been plenty of times and instances to perfect it.
Just what did Daniel think would be happening after this dinner party? I wasn't sure I wanted to know and now Ireallywasn't sure I wanted to go. I mean, I really hadn't before, but now I might actually pretend to have the flu so I could skip out on it for real.
"I'll not be leaving with Ariel," Quinton growled in a dark voice full of gravel. "Though, I do agree with you that I think she should be leaving and nowhere around the hunters."
Even though I was terrified of the hunters, I really didn't want to leave any of my people here with them without me. I was no longer completely useless to them. Hadn't I proved that at Dash's cottage when I put out the fire? I had magic and I now knew how to use it, the thought of them forcing me to sit on the sidelines simply because I was female filled me with resentment.
I jerked out of Quinton's arms and turned to glare at him. He didn't glare angrily back like I would have expected him to. Oh no, instead he had this soft, sweet look on his face while he looked down on me. His eyes were filled with understanding and I had never wanted more to hit him than I did in that moment. He might understand me, but he had no intentions of indulging me. Instead, I'd be sent home like a child he wanted to protect, an innocent who could not defend themselves.
"Get out of my way," I whispered angrily at both Quinton and Tyson.
Neither responded so I shoved them aside and out of my way. I ripped open the passenger side door and climbed up into the passenger seat of the borrowed Suburban. I didn't slam the door shut behind me because even I didn't want to draw attention to our little outside huddle, I wouldn't do that to the ones I loved. The members of the Council could all get fucked because, as far as I was concerned, they were on their own.
The door clicked shut quietly and I slid over the supple leather seats until I was in the driver’s seat once again and back behind the wheel. The SUV was still running and it surprised me because I had forgotten in all that had gone on that I had not turned it off, so we would have a quick getaway car if need be.
I hit the button on the door panel that locked all the doors and, without looking, felt the three males standing beside the right side of the vehicle turn and stare at me, assessing my motives.
I pulled my cell phone out of my hoodie pocket and tapped it with a finger until the screen lit up for me. I hit the red circle button that ended the call that had still been engaged to Quinton. I'd honestly forgotten he was still on the line, I'd figured he'd have ended the call when he got here and to me.
I pulled up my contacts and hit go on Rain's name. I knew he liked to coddle me as well, but he'd never lie to me and would tell me what he knew was going on around here.
He answered on the first ring.
"Baby girl," he said. "Tell me you're alright."
His words filled me with warmth. Rain was a damn good father and my happiness and welfare always came before his own or, really, anybody’s.
"Where are you?" I barked into the phone.
Chapter Twenty
