Page 35 of Untamed Instincts

“This isn’t about you panicking!” Quinton snarled, the sound swiftly reminding Noah that his mate wasn’t human. “This is about your safety, rabbit. It’s about you taking off knowing Toro is after you. I mean, god, you were out there alone and unprotected.” He ran his hands over his head as he paced in a tight circle. “Anything could have happened to you, and I wouldn’t have been able to help because I was healing.”

“But nothing happened to me,” Noah countered just as heatedly. “Your world came crashing into mine, and I just needed a bit of normalcy for a moment, to ground myself, so I drove to my best friend’s house. I wasn’t even there ten minutes before a fleet of bikers showed up and whisked me back home.”

Quinton stopped pacing and stared incredulously at him. “Came crashing into your life? Think about that statement, Noah. Why did they show up? Were they there for me? Who were they there for and why? Don’t you dare try to pin this on me.”

“I’m not…” Noah took a deep breath. “I’m not trying to pin this on you, Quinton. I know I’m the reason those people showed up this morning. I’m also aware…” He paused once more, taking an even deeper breath to try and push back the tears that threatened to fall. “That I’m the reason you were stabbed and had to heal in the first place. Yes, I was scared, but honestly, I only ran to stop anymore bad guys from hurting you and possibly your sons.”

“You ran to protect me?” Quinton threw his arms up. “I don’t need you to protect me, Noah. And how would any ‘bad’ guys even know you were no longer at home?”

“That’s…a damn good question.” One Noah hadn’t thought about.

He wished to god he could go back in time and stop himself from taking that loan. Toro was only the “collector” and not the person he’d gotten the money from.

Desperation was one hell of an incentive to make the most irrational decisions, and Noah had been desperate to pay his bills so he wouldn’t be forced to move back home.

It had been Jack’s arrogant attitude that had caused Noah to make some shady back-alley deal instead of swallowing his pride and admitting he couldn’t afford to live on his own.

Even if Jack’s pretentiousness had been the driving factor, ultimately, it had been Noah who’d made the deal. His bills were now paid six months in advance, giving him some breathing room, but that breathing room was about to be cut short if he couldn’t come up with the money.

What seriously pissed Noah off was the fact Raphael had told him that he could pay the loan back in installments. Not according to Toro. Raphael wanted his money now, with an exorbitant amount of interest.

Like, three times the amount of the original loan.

“I understand how terrified you must have been.” Quinton scrubbed a hand over his bearded jaw, his voice much calmer. “Fight or flight is a normal reaction.”

Noah opened his mouth, but his mate held up a hand.

“But these aren’t normal circumstances, hon. This is my world you’re dealing with, and Toro isn’t a vampire to be underestimated. This morning is a perfect example,” he said heatedly. “While he might’ve been hired to collect money owed, I’m here to tell you that he doesn’t give a shit if you pay back that loan. I’m not trying to scare you, Noah, but you need to know how twisted and dark the guy is. He gets off on toying with people, head-fucking his victims, terrifying them before he goes in for the kill. If he gets his hands on you…” Quinton closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

Noah didn’t need his mate to finish. He’d gotten the picture, and it was more frightening than he’d care to think about.

He was so screwed.

“This is why I need you to promise me you won’t pull a stunt like that again.” When Quinton opened his eyes, they were filled with so much fear that the expression nearly brought Noah to his knees. “You have no idea what you mean to me.”

“Then tell me,” Noah pleaded. “Make me understand, Quinton. I feel our connection, but it baffles me how I can feel this deeply for someone I just met.” He shook his head. “My mom never told me about this part of mating. Please…help me figure it out.”

What he really wanted was his mate’s arms around him, telling him that he was safe and how Toro would never hurt him. Noah had brought this on himself, but he desperately needed help getting out of it.

Quinton clenched his jaw, like he was trying to reel his emotions in. He took a couple deep breaths then blew them out slowly.

“You were destined to be mine before you were even born, Noah. Preternatural live for a very long time. I’m 324 years old. In all that time, I’ve always felt like a part of me was missing.” He moved closer and placed his hands on Noah’s upper arms. “You’re that missing piece. The moment I realized you were my mate, the emptiness inside of me vanished.”

Noah slowly licked his dry lips, remembering the moment he’d spotted Quinton walking toward the counter in the bar. How strongly he’d been attracted to him, the strange sensation Noah had felt in the center of his chest, and how he’d wanted to melt into the man’s arms.

“I remember the moment you realized it. Though, at the time, I had no idea what it meant.” He looked up into his mate’s steel-gray eyes. “You sniffed the air then frowned before you glanced at me again.”

Quinton gripped him under his arms and lifted him, making Noah squeak before he instinctively curled his legs around his mate’s waist. “Do you know how badly I wanted to bend you over that bar, handsome?” he asked, his voice low and rough. “When I heard you tell your best friend to stop pressuring you into having sex, I wondered if I would have to kill him and your brother.”

Noah’s brows shot to his hairline.

“My bear is very protective of you, Noah. I thought they were trying to pressure you into something you didn’t want.” He nibbled his way up Noah’s neck, his mate’s soft lips and tender kisses making him sigh. “It’s also very possessive. The thought of you having sex with someone else made my bear want to maul them.”

Noah softly chuckled. “I definitely didn’t want to have sex with either of them.”

The man’s lips were creating havoc inside Noah’s body, his cock already rock-hard. He slid his tongue over Noah’s Adam’s apple then suckled the flesh. Quinton made a sound low in his throat, a soft hum of pleasure that vibrated along Noah’s neck and caused him to moan in response.

Tangling his fingers in his mate’s hair, he tilted his head to the side as Quinton worked his way to the skin below his ear. “Have you been with a man before?” his mate groaned the words like an erotic pulse against Noah’s skin, his tongue circling the shell of his ear. “Be honest with me.”

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