Double Alchemy: Climax Read online

  Cade’s shoulders shook silently, his face hidden from view in Quinn’s neck as he tried to contain his laughter.

  “I’m glad you find it so funny, Cade,” Quinn said smoothly, his eyes narrowing.

  Cade chortled loudly as he lifted his face. Quinn saw mirthful tears in his boyfriend’s eyes and he scowled as Cade shook his head in amusement. “God, the thought of you being some witch’s sex slave is just too bloody precious! What a terrible ordeal for any man to have to endure!”

  Quinn reached over lazily and pulled Cade toward him roughly, as his mouth found his. He was glad he’d made him laugh, even if it was at his expense. For a short time Cade had forgotten about Graham. Quinn kissed him thoroughly, his mouth demanding and hot, his hands already creeping inside Cade’s button-down shirt and touching his midriff.

  He heard Cade’s low moan as his tongue sucked his and Cade’s warm hands slid up over Quinn’s broad shoulders and then entwined themselves into his hair. The sensation in Quinn’s groin intensified as Cade’s skilled hands moved down and untucked his shirt from his jeans then slid lazily over his stomach. For a moment both men were lost in the kiss and the feel of each other’s skin. Finally Quinn removed his mouth from Cade’s and they regarded each other, both breathing deeply.

  Cade eyed him lasciviously. “Well, that made me feel a lot better. I can see why Valensia kept you locked up. I might try that trick myself with you, locking you in the bedroom.”

  Quinn reached down, trailing his fingers along the jawline stubble that was Cade’s five o’clock shadow. “I don’t think I’d mind that at all,” he drawled. “Especially if you tie me up like last time. I liked that part. I liked tying you up too, so we’ll definitely do that again sometime soon.”

  Cade snorted. “Last time we did that, we could hardly walk the next day. But it was fun.” He leaned in and kissed him again, nibbling his bottom lip.

  As Quinn reached for him again, Cade stood up swiftly with a laugh. “Hold your horses, stud, and those naughty thoughts. I really need to go pee. Perhaps you can open a bottle of wine and we can sit and enjoy each other a little.” He smiled sadly. “I know Graham’s gone but we’re still here and it’s Christmas Eve. We need to forget all the bad stuff for a while.”

  He disappeared to the bathroom. Quinn needed no urging. He went over to the wine rack, drew out a bottle of red wine and proceeded to open it, pouring it into large wine glasses. He heard a plaintive “meow” below him and turned to see Marco Polo rubbing himself against his legs.

  “Marco, where have you been all day then? I don’t think I’ve seen you at all today.”

  He took the two glasses of wine over to the centre table, placing them down and picking up the remote control. With a few button presses, the curtains closed around the room, the lights dimmed and with another flick, the Bluetooth system switched on, linked to Quinn’s mobile phone. The mellow tones of one of his favourite artists, Ben Howard, filled the room with sound. He looked around in satisfaction, happy that he’d set the right mood for a bit of ‘enjoyment’ with Cade. It all looked fairly festive and he’d rather be nowhere else than here with him now.

  It might seem shallow, the two of them enjoying themselves when Graham and his family were dead, but Quinn was realistic. He knew better than most that the past couldn’t be undone, that neither of them could change anything and that life itself needed to be celebrated. Especially on Christmas Eve. Quinn might not believe in the religion of the event but he knew Cade liked the tradition.

  Quinn had just sat down and taken a sip of his wine when he felt a tickle in his nose. He looked down and swore. His nose was bleeding again, small drops that dripped onto his favourite Ralph Lauren work shirt. Nosebleeds appeared to have become an occupational hazard since he’d undergone Unity with his Withinner, had a hex put on him by a witch and undergone a major battle with an uber-Warlock. It was something he was learning to live with but his laundry pile seemed to be getting higher and higher each day.

  He stood, making his way over to the kitchen and as he stood up, his vision blurred and a familiar nausea rose in his chest. Gagging, he barely made it to the ground floor bathroom before vomiting up what was left of the steak and ale pie he’d had earlier on. He hugged the toilet bowl, his head spinning and his spirits plummeting as he realised what was happening.

  Somewhere in the city, a Warlock was dying.

  Cade stood anxiously watching Quinn sitting on the closed toilet, his face pale, his head back, trying to stem the flow of blood from his nose. It hadn’t abated since Cade had come down and found him being sick in the bathroom. The facecloth had once again been run under cold water and placed across the bridge of his nose.

  “Are you feeling any better?” he asked quietly. Quinn suffered terribly when one of his own died and the resulting aftermath left him drained for days afterward.

  Quinn nodded. “The sick feeling’s gone. It’s just this bloody nosebleed. I’m getting sick of this,” he said fiercely, closing his eyes, his brow furrowed.

  Cade laid a hand on his shoulder. “Do you think it’s Jeremy Payton who’s killed someone?” Jeremy Payton was the Witchfinder General, a psychopathic fifteen-year-old boy that Quinn had been tracking for the past two months. He was a real danger to Quinn’s world. Jeremy had escaped the last battle Quinn had fought with him by literally disappearing into thin air.

  Quinn sighed tiredly. “I don’t know. Perhaps, but it could just be a simple death, if there is such a thing, by which I mean one not involving the Witchfinder. It was a violent death, I could sense it. But until we find out who died, we have no bloody idea. Perhaps Percy can help when he calls.” He frowned. “He’s normally called by now. I wonder what’s keeping him.”

  His words triggered a wash of dread in Cade. “Quinn, you don’t think—”

  Quinn forestalled him, shaking his head. “No, it won’t be Percy that’s died. If it was I’d feel much worse, believe me.” His tone was grim. “Percy and I have shared blood, sweat and tears and I’d definitely know if something happened to him.”

  He reached up and removed the washcloth, lifting his head upright and gazing at Cade with shiny, black eyes. Cade gasped in awe. Quinn’s pupils were so large the iris could hardly be seen, like someone in a vampire movie when their eyes became completely obsidian. It was an incredible sight, sexy but disturbing. Cade chided himself for having that thought even as he saw his lover suffering in front of him.

  “What is it? You have a really strange look on your face.” Quinn was looking at him with a worried expression.

  “Your eyes, they’ve gone almost completely black again, like they did when I found you in the kitchen that time being hexed. You look demonic.”

  Quinn looked in the mirror and sighed. “I haven’t seen this much reaction since the last incident in the kitchen. It makes everything look different for me, as if it’s all lit up, like auras. It’s been a lot more prevalent since the Unity with Taliesin.”

  He stood up, a little shaky, and threw the washcloth into the basin. “Don’t worry, they’ll go back to normal within a while. I’m not possessed or anything,” He smiled tiredly. “Well, I am but it’s only Taliesin. I promise my head won’t go spinning around in the middle of the night.”

  He chuckled at Cade’s apprehensive expression.

  “I promise you I’m fine. I need to get upstairs and call Percy, see what’s happening.” Quinn shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts and made his way out of the bathroom.

  Cade picked up the blood-sodden washcloth, rinsed it out and popped it in the laundry hamper. He followed Quinn up the stairs, looking at his watch. Eight o’clock. He supposed that sexy get together they’d been planning on the couch was now a thing of the past. In truth, all he now wanted to do was get into bed and hope this day would never be revisited. God, what with friends shooting themselves and Quinn having a turn, it was turning out to be a really eventful evening. Probably best to just get into bed and read if he could conc
entrate. Quinn certainly wouldn’t be coming to bed anytime soon. Once he got in his study talking to Percy, Cade would be lucky to see him before midnight.

  Chapter 2

  Quinn frowned as Percy’s phone went to voice mail for the third time. He’d been calling every half an hour and still no word from his Marshall. That was very unlike him. The first tingling of dread caressed the back of Quinn’s neck like the slow stroke of a lover. He’d even tried getting hold of Magnus, his other senior Marshall, as the two of them were often together, but Magnus’s phone simply rang with no message. Quinn regarded his phone in frustration as he looked at his computer screen, the winking cursor seeming to mock him as it stayed put in place. Even his instant messaging service was having no success connecting to his team. He rubbed his eyes in exhaustion and took off his glasses to look at his watch. It was midnight so there was nothing much more he could do now—he might as well go to bed.

  Quinn yawned, locking his computer screen, and stood up, stretching his tired limbs. As he looked out of the study window into the darkness outside, he saw a faint shadow by the lamppost directly across the street. Although he saw no one physical, he distinctly felt the presence of someone standing there. He blinked his eyes and rubbed them again. The shadow was still there and he got the eerie impression it was looking directly at him. It was very tall and thin. Quinn stood completely still, his eyes narrowed as he watched for any signs of movement. A car slowly drove past, obscuring his vision for a moment and when it finally passed, the shadow was gone. Quinn watched steadfastly for a few minutes until he was satisfied that there was definitely nothing in the surrounding area, before making his way to bed to curl up next to a warm and softly snoring Cade.

  Quinn’s phone rang at close to two a.m., just as he’d managed to fall into an uneasy sleep. Cade mumbled beside him and Quinn quickly picked up his phone, switching it to silent. He swung his legs out of bed, sitting naked on the side.

  “Percy, where the fuck have you been? I’ve been calling you all night,” he hissed angrily. “All I want is someone on my bloody team to tell me what the hell is going on!”

  “I’m sorry. We had a young warlock who could make things disappear. He has no idea how he does it but this time it was me.” Percy’s voice was wry, his tone apologetic. “He has some strange new power with the ability to send people into some sort of limbo land. I had the devil of a time getting out of there and getting the others out as well.”

  “Has he been taken into custody until you can find out how the hell he does it? I don’t want the silly blighter doing it to all and sundry. That would just be bad for us as a whole. We don’t need any more bloody exposure.” Quinn’s voice was grim.

  Percy sighed. “Yes, he’s at one of the Consortium centres. They’ll test him, see what’s causing it. If we can repeat it it’ll make a great parlour trick. Anyway, that’s by the by. You’ll want to know if we know anything about the Warlock death.”

  “That’s exactly what I want to know.”

  “Nothing’s surfaced yet. We’re working on it.”

  “Well, step up the efforts. If someone’s lying dead out there somewhere we owe it to them to find them and let their family know. Not to mention find out how they died and who did it. Has there been anything yet on Jeremy Payton?” Quinn rolled his shoulder as he sat, feeling the tenseness in it.

  “No. It’s as quiet as a nun. I’m not sure this death is the Witchfinder though. It just doesn’t feel like him.”

  Quinn nodded. “I think the same. Keep me informed and let me know the minute you know anything. Oh, and in a couple of days I’m going down to visit that witch Misty Ravenbrook from the coven that had the death. I need to understand what the hell happened there. A Book of Shadows doing the rounds killing people is definitely something we need to look into.”

  “Not to mention that you wouldn’t mind getting your greedy paws on it,” Percy remarked in amusement. “I know you too well, Quinn.”

  Quinn scowled. “Yes, well, that’s not fucking likely to happen if Valensia has it. But we need to figure out for ourselves what happened.”

  “I agree; it’s a dangerous affair.” Percy yawned. “God, I need some sleep after today. Quinn, go back to sleep, I’m sorry I woke you up so late. We’ll catch up tomorrow then?” Percy rang off.

  Quinn sat in quiet contemplation for a minute until the bed shifted and a warm form come up behind up and begin to massage his shoulders. He groaned in satisfaction. “God, that feels good. I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “It’s okay, I’m getting used to it.” Cade’s warm breath brushed his ear and the quick darting of his tongue inside it made Quinn shiver. He groaned in pleasure as goose bumps formed on his bare skin. Cade’s strong hands dug into his shoulder muscles, getting to the rigid muscles beneath and Quinn winced as he unknotted them.

  “You could do this for a living, you know that? Anyone would love to be man- handled by you and those hands of yours.” He grinned as Cade’s warm breath ghosted against his back, and he smelt the warm male fragrance of him in his nostrils.

  “Are you pimping me out like a damn rent boy?” Cade whispered in his ear. “Because I have to say you might not like it when I take it seriously and find someone else with a good, strong body, and a large—””

  His boyfriend’s words were cut off as Quinn growled deep in his throat and turned round swiftly to take his mouth in a passionate kiss, his lips pressing against Cade’s, feeling his lips part and a wet, needy tongue slip into his mouth. He pushed Cade back on the bed, seeing desire for him in his eyes, hearing his breathing grow quicker as he covered his lover’s strong body with his. He loved the warm strength of Cade’s stomach against his, and the strong legs that scissored between his, twining like snakes against his heated skin. He gasped as Cade’s hands slid down his backside, stroking his buttocks as Cade pressed himself against Quinn urgently.

  “God, you always feel so good,” Cade groaned. “I love your body, you know that? Every single muscle, every bit of skin, every warm place no one else can feel but me.”

  They kissed, tossing about on the bed amongst the rumpled sheets, hands touching skin wherever they could find it, warm, soft strokes leading to more urgent movements as passions grew more intense. Quinn slid his fingers down Cade’s shaft, hearing his moan of pleasure as he stroked him firmly, already slick and warm along his cock. Cade twisted beneath him as Quinn rubbed his own needy dick against his strongly muscled thigh. His groin tingled with heat and lust.

  Cade moaned. “Don’t stop, just keep going. Your fingers are so good at doing this. You make me so fucking horny.”

  His soft pants of passion echoed in Quinn’s ear and it made him want to immerse himself inside Cade, slide into that velvety passage that was his and his alone. Quinn knew Cade’s body well, knew just when to increase and decrease the pressure enough to drive him crazy with want. He brought Cade to the edge of orgasm then stopped. Quinn loved his moans of frustration as he teased him, his fingers knowing exactly when to cease their movements and start again, leaving him moaning deeply in his ear.

  “You’re killing me, you bastard,” Cade gasped. “Please finish it.”

  “I’ll finish when I’m ready,” Quinn whispered, his tongue darting in Cade’s ear. But he knew he couldn’t keep it up much longer anyway. He needed to get inside Cade, find his own release. Quinn took pity on the body writhing beneath him and increased the pressure on Cade’s cock, feeling his body tense beneath his, revelling in the moaning in his ear. Cade came with a shout, warm fluid coating Quinn’s hands. His hand tightened on Quinn’s hips as Cade shuddered in release beneath him. Quinn rose smiling above his sweaty lover, mouth biting down on Cade’s shoulder, eliciting a hiss of both pain and pleasure.

  “Forget any foreplay,” Cade hissed. “Just want to feel you inside me, I can take it. Hell, I think my arsehole has an automatic release valve when it comes to your cock.”

  Quinn suppressed a laugh as he thrust into Cade. His mout
h found his, greedy and insistent, his tongue making love to the other in its passion. Not for the first time, Quinn marvelled at how this man made him feel, as if he was the only thing that mattered, Cade’s all-encompassing possession of him something to be cherished. Cade was heat and passion, velvet and steel, and Quinn gasped as he climaxed, that feeling of extreme pressure and unbearably intense heat flooding though his groin, his hips, up his spine. He exploded in a rush of heat and wetness that made him cry out. Cade held his shuddering body tight to his, his hands keeping Quinn inside him until he was totally spent and breathless on top of him. Quinn grinned against Cade’s sweaty neck. “I thought you were trying to sleep. Not that I’m complaining of course. I needed that after tonight. You too, from the feel of you.” He rolled off to lie beside him.

  Cade chuckled quietly. “I always need that where you’re concerned. And I have to say I’m pretty turned on by those black eyes of yours. I find it very sexy.”

  “I’ll have to try and do it more often then,” Quinn murmured softly, rolling off Cade’s warm body, his eyes half closed. “The bugger is I don’t know what causes it or how to induce it. I remember it happened once when I was in school; I was about ten years old. The teacher even called the school preacher because she thought I was possessed by something. It took Daniel all his influence to convince them it was some sort of genetic family trait.” He grinned in the darkness. “It was great, though, because I convinced all my friends I was some sort of anti-Christ and they towed the line for a long time after that. I got free lunches and some of their pocket money.”