Double Alchemy: Climax (8 page)

Cade reached the top of the stairs and pushed open the bedroom door with a definite sense of purpose.

Chapter 7

The following morning, aching everywhere and definitely needing more sleep than he’d gotten the night before, Quinn drove up to the Praetorium for his meeting with Valensia. He felt a little like a boy going on his first prom date—apprehensive and hoping he was well prepared enough to meet what lay ahead. He had no condoms in his wallet but he did have a veritable plethora of spells, chants and protective magyck surrounding him and Taliesin. It was almost enough to publish their own Book of Shadows on ‘How to avoid being targeted by a sex-crazy witch.’

Cade had been fairly quiet this morning when Quinn had left and he knew Cade had visions of him being seduced and constantly used as a living vibrator, but he’d assured him he would allow no such thing. Quinn had insisted on meeting Valensia at a public place and was going nowhere near her private home in Chelsea.

The witch on reception nodded at him warmly as he walked across the marbled floor of the grand Praetorium and leaned on the shiny wooden counter.

“Mr. Fairmont, the Regina is expecting you. She asked if you’d take a seat for a minute as she’d like to collect you personally.”

I’ll bet she bloody does!

Quinn nodded and sat down in one of the deep armchairs scattered around the entrance hall. He observed the comings and goings in the reception area, a vast network of people entering the hall, being escorted up the long, curved, gleaming wooden staircases to the second floor, where most of the Praetorium staff held their meetings, strategy sessions and anything else. Witches, Feys of varying description, Warlocks—Quinn saw them all, some of the Warlocks looking distinctly uncomfortable upon seeing their Grand Master sitting waiting. They looked around anxiously to ensure someone was coming to fetch him. Quinn watched in slight amusement as one of them approached the woman on reception and quietly asked her if she knew she had the Grand Master of the Consortium waiting like a common person. The witch smiled and said she did indeed know and that the Regina was on her way. The man scowled, looking at Quinn with a raised eyebrow. Quinn inclined his head graciously in thanks at the man’s intervention. The man shook his head in disgust at the Regina’s tardiness and moved on with a mutter.

The hall had been noisy, the sounds of people talking, debating and even arguing. When there was a sudden lull, Quinn knew that Valensia was coming down the staircase. He watched her as she glided down the stairs, one hand laid languidly on the banister. She’d always been an exceptionally beautiful woman and the maturity that surrounded her made her even more so. Valensia was tall, about Quinn’s height, with an hourglass shape and a tiny waist currently clinched in with an ornate gold belt, held by a buckle shaped like a pentagram. Her dress swirled around her like burgundy fog, swathes of darkened silk that clung to her form and highlighted all her considerable attributes.

Her hair was long, past her waist, jet black and lustrous. As she moved toward Quinn, her deep blue eyes regarded him in sheer avarice. He already felt the pull of her half-Fey blood even though he’d taken Mirrabar blood and various other herbs and potions to counter the effect. Quinn felt the familiar stirrings in his groin and the dryness in his mouth and he stood up, wanting to take any action that may relax him.

His Withinner stirred in greed inside him and he cursed silently.

Taliesin, you need to control yourself too. I can’t have you going off half cocked—or fully cocked, as it may be. Remember our agreement and our plan. Don’t fucking fail me on this one or I’ll come in and rip your bloody heart out.

Taliesin sighed
. She is even more alluring than I remember. She is perfect.

Quinn regarded Valensia mildly even as he cursed his Withinner.

Fuck perfect! Get a bloody grip! I thought you didn’t fancy her?

“Quinn, you look wonderful as always. Have you been working out more? Those shoulders certainly look as if they grown a few inches since we were together last. You’ve become even dishier with that extra maturity. Being with men obviously agrees with you.”

Her voice was slightly spiteful, low, seductive, sounding like black velvet would if it could speak. She’d never forgiven Quinn for breaking it off with her and making a life solely as a gay man. She’d be twenty-eight now and looked years younger. Her hand reached out and softly caressed his arm, causing a tingle to run up from his wrist to his shoulder. He remembered the last time a witch had done that. Mary Hawthorn had planted a hex on him that way and getting rid of it had nearly killed him.

He’d trusted Mary. With Valensia he was impervious to such things.
He’d
grown up too. His magyck was a lot stronger than it had been seven years ago when he’d first met her.

“I gym. I could say the same for you, Valensia. You look wonderful.”

She chuckled. “And here we stand exchanging pleasantries like civilised people. Wonders will never cease.” She turned and motioned for him to follow him. “Follow me, handsome. We have a lot to talk about. It’ll be more private in my suite upstairs.”

Quinn followed her as she shimmied up the stairs, the perfect globes of her backside tautening as she walked. Quinn couldn’t resist. He watched them all the way up the stairs, cursing himself for doing so but unable to help himself. He’d known there would still be some attraction, the spells and chants couldn’t deplete it altogether, but he still resented it. He thanked the stars Cade wasn’t there to see his roaming eyes at work. The man would have a conniption.

They reached Valensia’s “suite,” a palatial accommodation of office and living room with a very large leather sofa in the one half of the room, a large Flokati rug on the floor and a fire burning in the hearth. Quinn immediately became uncomfortable. This looked far too inviting for a business meeting. Valensia sat down behind a solid six-foot-wide teak desk and planted her long legs with their elegantly booted feet up on the desk. She leaned back in her chair, raising her arms above her head in a faux stretch so her breasts tightened against the silk of her outfit, the dress unbuttoned almost down to her midriff. The dress slid silkily off her long legs, leaving a bare expanse of tanned, perfect leg that seemed to lead up to her navel. Quinn swallowed, seeing the tanned skin and curves of her breasts underneath and her nipples through the fabric. He tried to remain expressionless as he raised his eyes to her mocking ones. Taliesin appeared to have the same control problem.

Breathe, my friend. Remember Cade at home. I will try help but I must confess I am struggling too. We have to help each other.

Quinn scowled.
I know I’m into guys and so does she but my dick seems to have a mind of its bloody own, what with the Fey attraction.

Taliesin snorted in silent amusement. He sounded breathless and Quinn wondered grimly what the hell his Withinner was doing in his time. The images conjured up in his mind made him shiver with distaste and he tried hard to cast them out before he went too far with them.

Valensia eyed him up and down. “So, I know why you’re here. You want my Book of Shadows. God, the only thing that could ever hold your attention—other than someone with a penis—was a book. I was never sure which one actually would win out if you had to choose.”

He ignored her barbed comment and nodded. “Spot on as usual. It’s not that I
want
the book. It’s that I
need
the book. It holds some valuable information that the Consortium needs so we can stop the Witchfinder general from killing any more of us. The battle is coming. I can feel it. It’s building up, and when it starts, it’s going to be like nothing we’ve ever seen unless we find out why this human vessel, Jeremy Payton, is so much more powerful. And why he’s currently so quiet. That doesn’t bode well.”

“What makes you think I don’t want the same thing? I have people here who are more than capable of figuring out the book’s secrets themselves if I want them to.” Her voice hardened.

Quinn shrugged his shoulders. “Without being derogatory, you know that the Consortium and its resources are infinitely more powerful than the Praetorium and its witches. You can’t argue that fact. A Warlock’s power with a Withinner is seven times that of a witch. You know that we’re the right ones to take a look at the book and deal with the Witchfinder. Obviously we would need your help. I wouldn’t consider a plan that didn’t have an alliance of both of our kind on one side.”

She apprised him mockingly. “You Warlocks, always so macho and manly.” Her face grew darker. “I have to say I liked that attitude when you were inside me, Quinn. I don’t like it when you’re sitting in front of me trying to convince me to do the right thing according to you.”

Her beautiful face broke into a scowl and she took her feet off the desk and stood up. “I’ve taken a look at the book myself and although it definitely is someone’s Book of Shadows, the spells in it appear fairly harmless. That stupid High Priestess of the Ravenbrook Coven couldn’t shed any more light on it.”

Quinn was relieved that Misty hadn’t said anything to Valensia about her feelings about the book originating in the seventeenth century. He watched as Valensia prowled the room like a panther, her feline strides angry.

“I can assure you I wasn’t being chauvinistic.” Quinn remarked mildly. “You know me well enough to know that’s not how I think. But we have the Reponosium too and our research facility is far better than yours. I only want to look at the book and you can have it back when we’re done with it.”

Privately he thought there was no hope in hell that she’d be getting that book back and he knew she knew that too. It was a game waiting to be played.

“Darling Quinn. If I was disposed to give you this book, what would my reward be?” she purred as she walked over to him and stroked his cheek gently, her long fingernails trailing across his skin causing a reaction that was all too familiar.

Quinn thought of Cade and he looked up at the witch, his eyes narrowed and his voice steely. “That might have worked once but it won’t work again. This time we talk like adults, not like two sex-starved teenagers who can’t get enough of each other. Last time you tricked me and it won’t happen again.”

She laughed softly as she sat down on his lap, winding her arms around his neck and leaning in toward him. He smelled her perfume, her arousal and felt heat rising off her body. He also felt the traitorous stirrings below and his heart beat faster as his hormonal body reacted to her closeness and the magyck she held inside in her blood.

Quinn, in God’s name, remove her! I can hardly think myself.

Taliesin sounded extremely agitated, his voice replicating the turmoil Quinn felt in his own body.

Valensia’s lips brushed his hair. “Are you sure about that? Because your body is definitely saying ‘take me.’”

“That’s just my body, but my mind is saying something different. I’ve actually got my own man at home and honestly, he’s the only one I need now.”

As Valensia looked at him, her face abruptly twisted with displeasure. “Yes, I’ve heard about him,” she snarled. “A damn Water Sprite, Quinn? How much fun can that be for you?”

“I can assure you he’s more than enough,” Quinn said quietly. “I love him; that’s what makes the difference. You should try it sometime.”

She reached out a hand and slapped his face then raked her nails down his cheek, leaving long blood trails. He welcomed the pain. It distracted him from her sex appeal and her pheromones seeping into his nostrils, which were making him feel extremely horny even with all the magyck protecting him. He had to hold out. The protection spells and all the extra effort he’d taken were definitely working. If he hadn’t cast them, he’d be shagging her senseless right now, consequences be damned.

“Don’t you fucking mock me, Quinn Fairmont!” He wasn’t sure but he thought he heard a quiver in her voice. “I was in love, remember? Then you left me, you bastard. To pursue life having sex with men instead of me.”

She stood up, moving over to the window, gazing down at the busy London street below. He watched her warily as he stood up to stretch his legs and try to get rid of the extreme turbulence in his lower body.

“Let’s not rehash all of that. It was seven years ago and you were never in love with me. You just wanted to own me. That’s partly why it didn’t work. You were so possessive I couldn’t breathe. And finally I made a decision about my sexuality that you couldn’t live with.”

His soft words seemed to calm her down and she turned and glared at him. She knew he was right but she wouldn’t admit it. That was simply Valensia.

“You’re wrong. I did love you, in my own way.” Her voice was flat.

He sighed. “Fine, have it your way. We’re getting nowhere with this.” He stayed on his feet as he waited for her to speak.

“Would you give up your man to get this book?” Her voice was silky. “If you had to choose between them, would you have him…or the book? If I remember correctly, you would have done anything for the Consortium. In fact, from what I recall, you did do ‘anything.’ I remember the Honour Whitebrook killings like they were yesterday.”

Whatever you do, do not let her continue with that story. That memory will weaken you.
Taliesin’s warning vice echoed inside and Quinn’s vision blurred at her gloating words and the satisfaction in her tone. He took a deep breath, trying to quell the sense of violence that welled inside him, the need he had suddenly to flash burn this woman through to her spine.

“You’re dabbling in murky waters now,” he said edgily. “I’d suggest you focus on the task in hand and not try and dredge up the past. I think it only fair to warn you I won’t take anymore comments like that lightly.”

“And what would you do, burn me? Hit me? I’d rather like that actually. I’ve found my tastes lately running to something just a little bit darker to get me going.”

She moved over to him. “I asked you a question. Would you give up your Sprite to get the book? If you say yes, I’ll see the old Quinn, the one who thought the end justified the means even if it meant getting a family of witches murdered in the process to protect your precious Daniel. Then I’ll give you the book.”