Page 43 of Crossing Quinn

“Is with her. She needed a nap too.”

“Please tell me you didn’t dart her?”

“Of course not. Clio’s a baby.” Quinn placed a candy in his mouth. He leaned over, kissed me, and at the same time slid the chocolate between my lips.

We both lapped at the melting candy until it was gone.

I sucked Quinn’s chocolaty tongue into my mouth and licked it until there was nothing left but him. I liked the way Quinn tasted, felt. I wiped slime off his chin. “How did you know I love chocolate kisses?”

“I’m psychic.”

I gasped as Quinn’s hard hands cupped my breasts. “And horny.”

“Very horny,” he agreed. His thumbs stroked my nipples into hard points. “I can’t wait to claim you.”

A shudder shook me as Quinn psychically gave my nipples a slow, firm lick. “Why wait?”

Zarek suddenly popped up on the view screen. “Did we not just have this conversation? There will be no more chocolate kisses or touching, psychic or otherwise, until Xenia turns twenty-one,” the Overlord barked. “Are you clear on that?”

Quinn snapped to attention. “Yes, my lord.”

“This is your last warning. Next time, I will discipline you.”

My temper flared to life, and I stepped in front of Quinn. “The drekk you will. No one hurts my mate, not even you. So back the hell off.”

“Back the hell off?”

The sheer menace in the Overlord’s voice was frightening, but I was too angry to care.

Quinn shoved me behind him. “Please accept my apology. Xenia is still in battle mode and did not mean to challenge you.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Challenge accepted. I will pit you against Detja.”

Reality smacked me between the eyes. I had seen Detja fight. I wouldn’t last five seconds. I peered around Quinn’s back. “Is it too late to apologize, my lord?”

“Lose the attitude and smart mouth, Xenia, or no chocolate for the next year, and don’t forget the dung duty,” Zarek replied.

I banged my head against Quinn’s back. That would teach me to mouth off to the Overlord. “It won’t happen again, my lord,” I mumbled, wiping frantically at the slime marks on the back of my warlord’s spiffy battle suit.

“Can you speak up? I didn’t quite hear you,” Zarek said in an icy tone.

“It won’t happen again.”

“Good. Go find Lysis. Let him know I filed your claim on Qeeturah with the Federation and informed them of Nilus’s actions. They issued a warrant for his arrest.”

“Thank you, my lord. My father will be pleased.”

“I protect my own.” The screen went black.

“Well, that was unexpected.”

“I have discovered that, while Zarek can be a cold bastard and a harsh taskmaster, he genuinely cares for his people.”

“Detja is the same way. Got more chocolate?”

“I do, but shower first. You’re making a mess of my floors.”

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