there would be no chance to give up the treòir before something far worse than the time-shift or Kyros could happen. His power would go berserk. The carnage would be catastrophic before he spent the energy. Oberon’s blood! “You’re saying she’s mine because of the treòir?”
“I’m not saying anything. You’ve yet to fully accept this bonding. No matter what she decides, you have to also accept it.”
His muscles tensed. “She’s here. I will not—”
Riordan put up a hand to stop him from talking. “You’ll protect her, and you won’t physically abandon her. Those are wonderful things, but what if she needs the power in you?”
Donovan grumbled. “And if I kill her in the process? Can you put me down? Can Wolf? Would Memphis or even Maverick have what is needed to put me down before another Kyros is created?”
“So you give up before you’ve even started?” Riordan countered in an irritatingly calm tone. “You need time with her exactly as you are. That treòir is her best chance of survival. No matter what you might think, it wasn’t Kyros’s treòir that killed Helena. Kyros did.”
He let out a shuttering breath. Kyros had been his friend a thousand years before the time-shift. Best friends, even, but all of that changed when Helena died. Donovan had disapproved of the bonding, but Kyros insisted he was in love with the woman. Despite all of his objections, Kyros secretly attempted to convert Helena, and the woman died in agony. No Undying had the power to heal the dead, except maybe a bonded male. He paused. He was missing something in the power combination of man and treòir. Though he already knew the answer, he needed confirmation for his own peace of mind. “The treòir wants her.”
A sad, restrained joy filled Riordan’s features. “Then she is yours, brother. You have found your lifebond.”
Donovan nodded. “I told her you’d give her options after I spoke with you.”
“By all means,” Riordan said. “Go and get her.”
Instead of having a wolf tell her to come down, he went up to the room himself. He knocked before opening the door.
She stopped pacing. “So?”
“According to Riordan, we are, in fact, lifebonds,” Donovan said, feeling weird about the whole thing.
She padded over to him. She still had on his shirt, but wore a white tank top underneath, along with a pair of sleep pants. “You mean you didn’t know for sure? Mason was very sure that I was his.”
He wrapped his hand around hers as he led her down the stairs. “That is how you know the truth. Bonding can be difficult, so there are protocols to follow to assure everyone’s safety during the process. Mason should have, at the very least, spoken to another bonded male to get confirmation. You should not be afraid of your lifebond.”
She let out a sharp laugh as they entered the kitchen. “What about nervous or intimidated?”
“We,” Riordan said, “take that into consideration before any final decisions are made. What was your gut reaction to him upon first seeing him?”
* * * *
Haven stilled and shied away from Riordan. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, he’s just—”
“Big,” Riordan said for her. “What was your first impression of him?”
“Safe,” she said before giving herself a chance to think. “I was sure that he would make Bastian and me safe.”
“And what does he do that makes you feel intimidated or nervous?”
She scrunched her nose. “I don’t know. He’s just… I’m used to giving the proper response at all times, but I am not sure how he will react if I say something he doesn’t like.”
Riordan gave a brief smile. “So then it’s more of a you thing than a him thing?”
“I guess,” she snapped. “I am the one who is supposed to be asking questions!”
“And so you are.” He hitched a hip up against the counter. “What is your question?”
She looked up at Quinn, trying to see exactly what it was about him that had changed her. She could be skittish and timid, but Quinn didn’t seem to want that. He challenged her until she had no choice but to stand up for herself before he’d back off. No. She decided. Quinn didn’t want her fear. He wanted someone who could be strong. Well, she had been strong. She needed to get her new situation all figured out and settled in her mind before she could get back to that woman who’d evaded a meirlock for three years and found Bastian the help he desperately needed. Her attention went back to Riordan. “I know werewolf mates get until the next full moon. How long do we have?”
“As long as you need,” Riordan said. “Every bonding is different.”
A feeling of dread settled over her that if she didn’t accept, Quinn would turn into Mason. She’d been able to feel his grief at Vinnie’s death. There was this awesome aura of power that surrounded him, but there was also vulnerability there she wasn’t sure anyone else cared to notice. “What else do I have to do?”
Riordan grinned. “Enjoy falling in love with your mate.”
Love.
That’s what she wanted. That she could do. She bit the corner of her lip as she peered at Quinn from the corner of her eye. He was holding his breath, and realization dawned on her. No matter how much power he had in that moment, she had more. The thought was both thrilling and terrifying to know she held so much control. Then she addressed Riordan. “I think you need to go,” she said softly. “If he is the man he seems to be, there is no danger of me leaving.”
Riordan visibly relaxed. He righted himself and bowed. “Aye, Reannon. It was lovely to meet you. I will follow your wishes.”
The brothers exchanged glances, as if they were in silent communication with each other before Riordan walked toward the elevator door. Quinn followed him, and they murmured quietly together before Riordan got into the elevator. Quinn shoved his hands into his pockets. “So.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. “I don’t like awkward, so why don’t you sit with me on the couch for a little bit?”
His head cocked as if he was trying to figure her out. “We can do that.”
“Good,” she said and padded over to the large, dark brown couch centered in front of the grand fireplace. “I’m feeling a little bit lost and more than a little afraid. I just need for a little while.”
Quinn slowly walked toward her and hooked his arm around her when he got to the edge of the couch. He pulled her down with him so she was sitting on his lap. “Then we are equal,” he murmured close to her ear. “Sometimes I just need, too.”
Hesitantly, she reached up and cupped his face in her hand. “Then we can be here for each other for a while.”
His eyes dropped to her mouth before going back to her eyes. “We can do that.”
The side of her mouth slid up in a half smile. “This is the first time you’ve agreed to anything since I met you.”
“True,” he said as his face came closer to hers. “But I want to give you what you need.”
There was that moment where their breath mingled, and then their lips touched. Her body shivered deliciously all the way down to her toes as she pressed against him. His arm locked her in place as they explored each other for a solid minute before she pulled back. Her breathing was uneven as she gazed into those glacier eyes, and then she tucked her head up under his chin. They needed to wait. If only for her own sensibilities, but she could stay here with him for as long as he’d let her and soak up that essence around him that made her feel at ease for the first time in a very long time.
Chapter