Page 42 of Crossing Quinn

Chapter Nine

The vortex spat us out on the bridge of Quinn’s ship. Slashes of lightning danced and pulsed over the walls.

I shuddered and shook. Slime dripped off me. “I’m never, ever doing that again.”

Adan released me. “You are unharmed, little female, but you bruised my tentacle.”

“I’m going to do more than bruise a tentacle,”I snarled and pulled my laser pistol. It squirted out of my hand. “Drekk!”

Quinn caught it. “Open up.” He held out an unwrapped French Mint candy.

I did a good imitation of a hungry baby bird, and he popped it in my mouth. All that chocolaty goodness hit my taste buds. Goddess, I needed that. My nerves began to settle.

My warlord gave me a brain-fuzzing, sensual smile. “Better?”

“Getting there,” I gasped as a bolt of arousal hit me. I suddenly wanted to lick every inch of Quinn’s very fine body.

Adan transformed into a young teenage boy with glasses and a scar in the form of a lightning bolt on his forehead.

“The harmless wizard disguise doesn’t work on you,” I said sarcastically.

“Females find this form very attractive.”

A growl rumbled in my chest.

“Your eyes are glowing again,” Adan commented.

I tried to pull my knife, but the sucker kept slipping out of my hand.

Quinn stepped in front of me. “Go feed your kid, Adan.”

“As you command,” Adan snipped. He took one look at me and quickly left.

“I really, really want to hurt him.”

“I know, but it would upset Detja.” My wonderful warlord stuffed more chocolate in my mouth.

“Oh Goddess,” I moaned. “I think I love you.”

“Chocolate is the way to a woman’s heart.” Quinn fed me a third piece.

“Learned that from your sister, huh?”

“I did. A hot shower, some clean clothes, and you will be as good as new,” Quinn said.

I looked around the bridge of the ship. “Where is my mother?”

“She’s on a time-out,” Quinn replied without a twinge of remorse.

I parroted, “A time-out?”

“Zarek shared his real-time vid of the events on Jandjviles. Your mother couldn’t handle seeing you in the middle of all those Tai-Kok warriors, and freaked out. She would scream, faint, wake up, and start screaming again. I put her in the holding cell.”

In Quinn’s mind, it was a logical move, but my mother was never this quiet. “Did you gag her?”

“No, I shot her with her own tranquilizer dart.” There was a gleam of satisfaction in Quinn’s eyes.

“And Clio?”

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