She hesitated. “Some of them wanted to be like me . . . but I couldn’t do that to them. I couldn’t condemn them to a life like mine.”

Quinn’s arms came around her, pulling her against his chest. “You should have come to me. I could have shown you how beautiful this life can be. I can still show you. It’s not too late.”

She lifted her head, looking at him. “Isn’t it?”

“It’s never too late for—”

The door opened behind them. “Thomas is here. Let’s talk,” Samson announced.

Hastily, Rose pulled out of Quinn’s embrace, wondering what he had wanted to say. Too late for love? Was that what he’d meant?

18

The house was buzzing like a beehive despite the late hour.

Quinn had been able to convince Amaury and Nina to move into the B&B with them to provide extra protection. Since Nina was human and not a stranger to fighting with vampires, she would be the perfect addition to the daytime protection Wesley would provide. However, accepting Nina’s services also meant having to put up with her overbearing mate Amaury. Not that he didn’t love the guy to death, but the way he hovered over Nina was positively nauseating. Having to watch those lovebirds day in and day out would be grueling.

Cain and Oliver had already gotten Blake settled, putting him on the top floor between their respective rooms. Wesley was in the process of lugging his bags upstairs to take up residence as well.

“Let me take one,” Quinn offered and grabbed one of Wesley’s bags, slinging the strap over his shoulder as he walked up the stairs alongside him.

“Hey this is great.” Wesley let his eyes roam. “What a cool house.”

“It’ll do for our purposes.”

Wesley shook his head. “Could you guys get any more jaded?”

Jaded? He’d never seen it that way, but having lived as long a life as he had, there was little that could really impress him. “This house could have fit three times into my estate up north.”

“Up north?”

“Derbyshire. A few hours north of London.” Quinn wondered why he suddenly thought of his place. He rarely ever went there. In fact, it shouldn’t even belong to him anymore. He’d promised it to Wallace, his sire, for saving his life, yet he’d never come to claim it and had simply disappeared instead.

“You have like a castle?”

Quinn chuckled. “I prefer to think of it as a heap of old stones in dire need of repair.” Neglecting the property for decades hadn’t improved the drafty building in the least. “And it’s definitely not a castle. There’s no moat, no drawbridge, and no wall around it. It’s just a country estate.”

“You Englishmen are funny.”

Wesley stopped in front of a door and set down his suitcase.

“This one, right?”

Quinn nodded, then pointed to the other doors along the corridor. “Cain is next to you, then Blake, then Oliver. Amaury and Nina are one floor farther down, same as Rose and my rooms.”

Wesley opened the door and entered, lifting the suitcase inside. Quinn followed.

“So, it’s true then what the others are saying.”

Quinn raised an eyebrow. He asked the question even though he was pretty sure what everybody was talking about. “What are they saying?”

“That you and her . . . man, she’s quite a stunner. What a figure. And those boobs, not huge, but wow, that cleavage—”

Quinn had heard enough. He shoved Wesley against the nearest wall, flashing his fangs at him.

“You little punk, I want you to listen, and I’m only gonna say this once.”

He paused to take a much needed breath of air, trying to tamp down his anger. It didn’t work. Jealousy had him in a tight grip. Wesley stared at him, his eyes widened in fear, perspiration building on his brow. Yeah, despite the fact that he was hanging out with vampires now, he was still afraid of them. Just as well.

“I will not tolerate any disrespect toward my wife. Another word like that, a wrong look at her, and I’ll have your hide, and not even your brother will be able to save you then. Do you understand that? Rose is mine. She’s always been mine, and she’ll always be mine. I will kill any man who touches her.”

Wesley’s nod came instantly. But whatever he wanted to say was cut short by a sound from the door.

Quinn swiveled on his heels to face the intruder.

Rose stood in the door frame, frozen. She’d heard every word of his possessive claim.

Shit.

Quickly, she tore her gaze away. “I just wanted to ask about the bottles in the fridge.” Her voice was shaky at first, then normalized. “You’re not leaving them there while Blake is here, right?”