Page 52 of Pleasure and Mane
Quinn was already pulling on her torn dress, her mind racing. "You need to be with your family."
"And I heard you need to deliver those babies." He paused in buttoning his shirt, his blue eyes fierce with protective instinct. "But Quinn, I don't like you driving alone at night. Not with Vincent still out there."
"Caius." She caught his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her gaze. "I've survived thirty-four years just fine. And my patients really need me right now—I can't just turn my back on women who trust me with their babies."
His internal struggle played out across his features—the Alpha who wanted to protect his mate warring with the man who understood duty and responsibility.
"I know," he said finally, pulling her against him for a fierce kiss. "But call me the second you're done. And Quinn—if anything feels wrong, anything at all, you get somewhere public and call me immediately."
"I will." She kissed him once more, tasting the lingering passion and new worry on his lips. "Take care of Henry. Tell him his new Lioness sends her love."
The drive back to their mansion passed in a rush of speed and adrenaline. She kissed Caius goodbye in the circular driveway, her heart clenching at the worry etched in his handsome features. Quinn's convertible had been sitting unused for two weeks, but it roared to life eagerly.
"Drive safe," he commanded. "Text me as soon as you can."
The highway stretched endlessly before her as she pushed her car toward Denver, her mind already shifting into professional mode.Jenny's been pushing for three hours—possible failure to progress. Samantha's water broke, so we'relooking at active labor.The familiar rhythm of clinical thinking steadied her nerves.
But underneath the professional focus, guilt gnawed at her conscience.I just became their Lioness tonight. Made vows to put the pride first. And here I am, racing back to my old life the same evening.
She shook her head, gripping the steering wheel tighter.These women chose our practice. They trust me. I can't abandon them any more than I could abandon Lavinia or the pride.
Denver's skyline appeared like a beacon in the darkness, and Quinn felt the strange disorientation of returning to her former world. The city seemed too bright and too chaotic after the peaceful intimacy of Leon. Her practice building looked smaller somehow, less significant than she remembered.
Kate met her at the door, her red hair escaping its ponytail and exhaustion written across her freckled face.
"Quinn, you're an angel," Kate breathed, pulling her into a quick hug. "Jenny's in room two—she's exhausted but determined. Samantha's in room one, and her contractions are getting stronger."
Quinn quickly changed into scrubs, her hands moving through the familiar ritual of preparation. The scent of antiseptic and the sounds of laboring women grounded her in the work she'd trained for, the calling that had defined her for over a decade.
But now I have another calling too,she thought, touching the golden necklace beneath her scrub top.I'm not just Quinn the midwife anymore. I'm Quinn the Lioness. Caius's mate. Caius's future.
She pushed through the door to room one, her professional smile in place, ready to bring new life into the world whileher heart remained anchored to a mountain town and the lion shifter who'd claimed her completely.
At 12:00 AM sharp, Samantha's baby boy made his grand entrance into the world with a lusty cry that filled the delivery room. Quinn caught the little body in her experienced hands, her heart swelling with the familiar rush of witnessing new life's first breath.
"He's absolutely beautiful, Samantha," Quinn murmured, placing the baby on his mother's chest. "Ten fingers, ten toes, and a healthy set of lungs."
Even after everything that's happened these past two weeks—finding my mate, becoming a Lioness, and hunting down a murderer—this never gets old.The miracle of birth still made her soul sing and still reminded her why she'd chosen this profession in the first place.
An hour later, Quinn was slumped in the break room's uncomfortable plastic chair, her scrubs wrinkled and her hair escaping its ponytail. Kate stumbled in looking equally exhausted, her red hair a wild halo around her freckled face.
"Jenny's baby girl is perfect too," Kate announced, collapsing into the chair across from Quinn. "Eight pounds, two ounces of pure stubbornness. Takes after her mother."
They reached for the coffee pot simultaneously, their movements synchronized after years of partnership.
"I can handle the post-birth monitoring for both patients," Kate said, taking a grateful sip of the dark brew. "You should get back on the road to Leon. But not until you spill every single detail about what's been happening up there."
Quinn's fingers found the golden necklace, the weight of it a tangible reminder of the vows she'd made just hours ago.How do I even begin to explain that I've fallen in love with a lion shifter and become the leader of a supernatural community?
"Kate, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound completely insane."
"Try me. After delivering triplets breach last month, I'm pretty open-minded."
Quinn took a deep breath. "I fell in love with Lavinia's older brother. His name is Caius, and he's the Alpha of their lion shifter pride."
Kate's green eyes widened. "Alpha? Like, leader?"
"Like, leader of everything. And somehow, incredibly, I'm his fated mate." Quinn's cheeks warmed at the memory of their passionate claiming under the stars. "He's officially marked me."
