Quin Read online

  Contents

  Introduction

  Prologue

  1. Quin

  2. Jillian

  3. Jillian

  4. Quin

  5. Jillian

  6. Quin

  Epilogue

  Coven’s End

  About Lia Davis

  Also by Lia Davis

  About L.A. Boruff

  Also By L.A. Boruff

  Coven’s End: Voss

  © Copyright 2019 Lia Davis & L.A. Boruff

  Published by Davis Raynes Publishing

  PO Box 224

  Middleburg, FL 32050

  DavisRaynesPublishing.com

  Cover by Crimson Phoenix Creations

  Formatting by Glowing Moon Designs

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  DavisRaynesPublishing.com

  I never intended to mate. I definitely never imagined I’d share her with two other alpha males.

  When the Lycan Princess came of age, the mating call hit me. Hard. She’s mine. My wolf will do anything for her. Even sharing her with an arrogant vampire and a hot-headed wolf.

  When an outside threat surfaces, it’s up to me, Kane, and Voss to protect our mate. We have to find a way to set aside our differences and become the partners she deserves.

  If we fail to form a solid bond, both the Lycan and Vampire races are doomed.

  Prologue

  Excitement and anxiety twisted into a knot then settled in the pit of my stomach as I entered the pack hall. The sentries watched me as I took my place in line with the other trainees. The High Alpha’s guards were enormous, towering over us. Their arms were bigger than three of mine put together.

  They reminded me of my dad, strong protectors. Even though I was thirteen, I was going to be a sentry. I would one day guard the lycan royal family.

  Straightening my spine, I glanced to the doors of the hall just as the High Alpha strode in. If he was there, then his baby had finally been born. That was the only reason he’d leave his home.

  The pack had worried for weeks about the High Queen and her pregnancy. It had been hard on her and rumors said she’d been on bed rest for months. I'd heard my grandma saying she'd always been delicate.

  "Bad genes," my grandmother had whispered to my aunt in the privacy of our home, away from prying ears.

  Aunt Sissy had shaken her head and disagreed. "The High Queen's family was stout and strong. The queen was just a runt. It’s almost too bad. She robbed the High Alpha of a chance to meet a mate worth his salt."

  Anger churned within me as I listened to Aunt Sissy and Grandma talk about my Alpha Queen.

  But then, Aunt Sissy continued. "I shouldn’t say such things. If he truly loves her, then I guess I shouldn’t be hateful. I hope they’re happy together."

  I smiled, my attitude toward my aunt changing. She was a pretty good lady.

  I'd met the High Queen when she’d come to my parents' funeral, and she'd been kind to me. She'd sat beside me and slipped me candies the whole time. Those candies were the only reason I hadn't cried my way through their funeral. I'd focused on the sweet treats and managed to fight off the overwhelming feeling of loneliness.

  It was a feeling I'd gotten used to. Aunt Sissy and Grandma were great, but I missed my mom and dad.

  Sometimes I thought they were glad I'd come to live with them, that my parents were dead. But then I remembered how much my mom and aunt had loved each other. They might've been glad I was there, but they would've rather had my mom and dad back.

  I would’ve, too.

  Snapping out of my thoughts, I scanned the Hall, glancing at the faces around us. The sentries stood at attention, but I knew they were watching every exit as well while the High Alpha greeted his people.

  My insides were a mingled mess of emotions. Mostly I was excited about being there, of starting my sentry training.

  When the pack had posted the notice that they were opening applications to join the sentry guard and pack army, I'd signed up immediately. Sentries were the best of the best, and all the legendary sentries had joined as soon as they were of training age.

  Thirteen.

  I'd just had a birthday a week before. I was of age, and my dad would've been proud. He'd been a sentry before meeting my mom.

  It was my duty to my pack.

  Besides, I didn't want to grow up and get a boring job and meet a boring woman and get married and have a bunch of boring babies. I'd always wanted to fight vampires and protect our High Queen, even before my parents died.

  My mom had always said I should be a healer. She'd said I had the calm demeanor for it. I didn't want to be a healer, though. When I’d found out the High Alpha and High Queen were expecting a baby, I knew.

  That was my job, my purpose. I had to protect the heir.

  I'd waited for this day with crawling skin, my enthusiasm almost too much to bear. I didn't think anyone in the whole pack was as excited about the new royal baby as I was.

  The High Alpha walked up and down the row of initiates. I stood a little taller, with my back straight and chin held high. We would each be trained for a year, then those that couldn't hack it would be shunted sideways into the army or service positions. Or worse, given the option to go back to school and their families. Nobody was turned away from sentry training—initially.

  But the High Alpha would pick one. One lucky boy. No. One lucky man would be chosen to be his baby's first sentry.

  It had to be me. When he stopped in front of me, I met his gaze boldly. My insides shook, and I was half sure I’d throw up on him, but I focused on my breathing to calm my nerves. They'd told me not to make eye contact with the alpha, that I should show deference, but I had to prove to him how brave I was.

  "Name?" He raised an eyebrow.

  "Quinton Holland, sir," I said in my deepest voice. At thirteen, I was already growing a slight mustache, and I'd hit puberty.

  My muscles weren't as big as they would be one day, but I knew I would be bigger than the other candidates. Surely he would see that.

  He didn't blink at my name. I wondered if he knew my father had been his sentry once. "Why do you want to protect my daughter?" he asked me.

  I smiled at him, I couldn't help myself. "Congratulations, sir. I didn't know you'd had a girl."

  He chuckled. "Thank you, son. Answer my question."

  "I think I was born to do it, sir." I stuck my chin out. Everyone that heard me say I was born to be a sentry either smiled like I was a little kid playing pretend or rolled their eyes.

  "Do you?"

  "Yes, sir. It's my birthright." I knew I was pushing it a bit, but I met his eyes again. "It's what I'm meant to do. I can feel it."

  "Indeed. Come with me." He turned and started walking toward the exit. I heard several disappointed sighs behind me as I quickly followed the High Alpha and his sentries out of the hall.

  We walked across a large pavilion, into the rec center, then out the other side. The High Alpha got into the passenger side
of a big four-door truck. One of his sentries got in the driver's seat and the other pointed to the seat behind the driver. "Get in."

  Questions swirled in my mind, but I knew better than to ask any. My tongue itched to ask him where we were going and what would happen next. I bit down on it to stop myself.

  "You'll meet the princess, and we'll see how it goes," the High Alpha said.

  "Yes, sir." My heart hammered in my throat. I was sure the alpha and his sentries could hear it as well.

  How would he know? What could I do to show him I was the perfect man for the job?

  We pulled up to a modest, two-story house in a regular neighborhood. I'd expected the royal family to live in a palace. "This is where you live?"

  The High Alpha laughed again. He seemed to do that a lot. "It's underwhelming, isn't it?"

  "No," I said hastily. "It's nice, and plenty big. I expected something..." I thought fast. I couldn't say I'd expected something fancier. I didn’t want to offend my alpha. "More secure, with gates and stuff." I hoped that would work, and he'd believe it.

  "We're secure. There's a lot more protection on that place than a fence and gate can provide." He turned to face me in the seat. "We're going to go meet the princess. You'll hold her. I'll watch. I'll know.

  He'd know. Okay. I wanted to throw up.

  After taking a deep, cleansing breath, I followed them into the house. The interior was decorated a lot like my Grandma's house. Pictures of family and friends, comfy furniture. The kitchen table looked like it had seen better days, but the fridge looked brand new. It was like they were a regular family, not the leaders of every Lycan in the whole world.

  The sounds of a baby crying drifted down the stairs. Her cries wrenched my heart, and I wanted to weep with her. I hadn't had to fight tears so hard since my parents’ funeral. "Is she okay? Why is she crying?"

  "No idea, son. Babies cry. Their mamas usually make it all better. Sometimes their papas do." He shrugged and led me up the stairs and then down the hall to their room. I could hear my princess's wails from behind the bedroom door.

  I sped into the room as soon as the door opened, before the alpha even had a chance to announce me.

  The High Queen sat in a rocking chair, humming to the fussy baby. She looked peaceful, like the cries didn't bother her at all.

  "Your Highness," I whispered, giving her a small bow. A human probably wouldn't have heard me over the cries of the baby, but the High Queen did.

  She opened her eyes and smiled brilliantly at me. "Call me Tina. You're Quinton, aren't you?"

  Watching the baby, I nodded, shocked that she remembered me. I couldn't drag my attention away from the squalling infant in the High Queen's arms. "Yes, Your Highness," I said in a low voice. I heard the High Alpha chuckling behind me.

  "He's perfect, Gray," she said to her husband.

  "I thought so, too," he replied. I didn't really pay any attention to either of them because I was too focused on the princess.

  "Can I hold her? Please, ma'am?" I inched closer and my hands itched to hold the baby.

  "Of course you can," she said as she stood. "Sit in the rocker."

  My heart pounded, and I rushed forward to sit. I'd never held a baby in my life. Normally I couldn’t stand to be around other kids, especially any younger than me. I had no idea how to position my arms.

  The High Queen moved my arms into a cradle position. "Careful to keep her head supported. Her neck muscles are basically non-existent, and her head is very heavy. She can't support it at all."

  I nodded. I would make sure she was safe in my arms.

  The princess was placed in my arms and I sucked in a breath. She immediately stopped crying and opened her big blue eyes, gazing up at me. She was beautiful. "How old is she?"

  "About twelve hours or so," the High Alpha said. "She's brand new."

  She watched with interest, and I smiled down at her. "I think she's mine. Please let me take care of her."

  I finally looked away from her when the High Alpha snorted. "Oh, hell. I thought we'd have twenty years before this happened." He looked at the High Queen and nodded his head.

  Tina smiled and met my gaze, her features brighten. "Yes, Quinton. You may take care of her. I'll be expecting you to take the absolute best care of her."

  "I promise," I said earnestly. "Nobody could take better care of her than me. I promise."

  1

  Quin

  Fuck. Just fuck.

  I cradled Jillian to me as I carried her out of the vampires’ massive home. Voss held the door open for us, his features a mask of anger and worry. She'd passed out from the exertion of reliving the murders, but not before revealing who was leading the humans on this vendetta.

  Trinity. The current vampire queen. Things had gone from fucked up to welcome to the darkest parts of Hell.

  I hated when she did these investigations, but we hadn't found another way to gain more insight than she could. That damn alpha blood gave her a gift that was a total burden. It drained her, left her too fucking vulnerable.

  Kane had the car waiting in front of the door by the time we stepped out. He and Roger had run ahead the instant Jillian passed out. While Kane moved the car, Roger rushed to the gate to let us out.

  Roger seemed like a good guy, for a vampire. Kane really liked him, anyway. I guessed Roger was one of the few Kane trusted. I was beginning to trust Kane. Especially after seeing how he was with Jillian.

  I slid into the back seat with my charge, my life's mate. I'd been by her side since the day she was born. Vowed to protect her, be with her always.

  Her head flopped over onto my shoulder, so I nestled her more comfortably against me. Forcing myself to calm, I settled back into the seat and rubbed circles on her back. She is okay. She just needs rest.

  Her childhood had been magical for both her and me. I'd kept my word to her mother, and I'd cared for her.

  Normally the High Alpha and Queen would've chosen a nanny, but I wouldn't let them. She was mine. When I wasn't training or in lessons I was by her side.

  She'd never cried when I was there. If she was with her mother in the night and she wouldn't calm, they'd send for me. I'd curl up beside her in the big bed beside her crib, and she'd go straight to sleep.

  The Queen had called me her miracle worker and soon convinced me to call her Tina. The High Alpha insisted on Grey. It took longer for me to be able to do that.

  Jillian murmured in her sleep, nonsense I couldn't make out. Voss's head whipped around. "Did she say something?"

  "Nothing that made sense. She's having a nightmare, I think."

  Voss shook his head, frowning. His wolf was in his eyes. "I don't want her doing this anymore."

  I almost laughed at him. He should’ve known as well as me that Jillian didn’t take orders from anyone. "I don't think it'll leave any lasting damage. And you know what she'd say if she heard you say that."

  "Listen, I know you think you know her better than I do, and maybe you do. But that doesn't mean I don't get an opinion or a vote," Voss glared at me, angry. He was really over protective.

  I was, too, but I'd learned early on to let Jillian take care of herself. I had her back if she needed it, but not before she needed it. Usually.

  She'd been a beloved friend to me as she grew, a little buddy. We'd played, laughed, and eaten far too much candy and sweets. I'd indulged her every whim.

  As she'd aged, she came to me with her problems. When she was very small it was stuff like skinned knees and friends taking her toys. It turned into friendship problems, then eventually boys.

  At some point when she was in high school, my protective, almost brotherly affection for her morphed into something else. It didn't happen overnight, but one day I realized I didn't want to play board games with her any more. I wanted to play other... dirtier games with her.

  I was thirteen years older than she was. She was seventeen, and I was thirty. Hardly the picture of who a father would want to date his daughter.<
br />
  The pull grew stronger as she aged. When she brought her first boyfriend home, I nearly came unglued. By the time she found Kane, I was about to break. I didn't know if she felt what I did, but I couldn't shake her. I hadn't been able to shake her since she was born. And I didn't want to.

  "Why isn't she waking up?" Kane asked, eyeing us in the rearview mirror as he drove us home.

  I focused on her, matching my breathing to hers like I had when she was an infant and wouldn't stop crying. There was a bond there, and I could sense her. It wasn't overt or obvious, and I hadn’t tried since she was a small child.

  But it worked in that moment. I was able to connect with her, feel what she was feeling. Maybe that was what my mom meant about being a healer. My empathy allowed me to sense others’ emotions. Jillian was one of the few I could truly connect with. "She's not hurt. She's exhausted. She needs sleep is all."

  "How do you know that?" Voss asked suspiciously.

  "It's a long story," I said.

  He just raised his eyebrows at me.

  I sighed and gave him an abridged version of how I came to be Jillian's first sentry. I included the part about my world shifting when I laid eyes on her as an infant. I didn't tell him that my loneliness disappeared that day, and the hole my parents' death had left began to fill.

  Kane glanced at me several times in the rearview mirror as I spoke.

  "You are her mate," he said.

  "No more than you are. Our bond is different." I smiled down at her. "I think we all need each other in different ways."

  Voss nodded his head. "I think there's nothing wrong with that."

  "Agreed," Kane said roughly and cleared his throat.

  Voss stared at him, wide eyed. "Are you all choked up?"

  "No," Kane said. "I have a frog in my throat."