Crossing the Moon - 8. Quinlan

"Some vampires witnessed as much in the Black Orchid last night, but didn't pay it much mind after the 'show' was over."

"Shit!" Elias yelped. "There were wolves there! I didn't even think about it. We don't have a lot of time to figure this out before they figure us out."

"Then it's time I call in a few favors..." Jany mused aloud. "Though nothing can be done until the sun fully sets."

::

The rest of the vampire's mates agreed to let January get some rest before anything. While Jany slept, the trio of werewolves went over more of the details of what Mateo's grandmother had told them. They even had two meals by the time that the sun began to set. Pax, Mateo, and Elias then clambered onto the bed so that they would be there when January woke up. The vampire's beautiful smile was more than worth the effort. After explaining that he needed a few things from his condo, the four of them piled into the car and Jany hid himself until they were out of that part of town.

"While we're here, we should fill up your duffel bag with a few more necessities," Pax pointed out several minutes later. The mini pack was once again grateful not to have to take the elevator so many flights up.

Jany's portals were quite useful. Unfortunately, the vampire couldn't transport an entire vehicle from one place to another just yet. He had heard of older vampires that could transport entire buildings. "Yeah, that sounds great. Just fill it up with the things in my bathroom cupboard and the cabinet underneath the sink," he called out.

"On it," Mateo called, grabbing a bag and heading to the bathroom. After a few moments, there was an audible gasp and the sound of items falling into the bathroom sink. "For the love of..." Mat stuck his head out of the bathroom, face flaming. "Jany, this is not what most people have in their bathroom cupboard. I thought I was going to be grabbing your toothbrush."

Curious, Elias snuck over, peeking behind the burly wolf, his face burning brighter than Mateo's when he looked inside. Though, an avid glint flickered in the Omega's emerald eyes.

"Please, pack them, Matty?" Eli whispered, eyes drawn to the cornucopia of delights scattered across the counter. "Especially that one with the attachments... Definitely, bring that."

The dark-haired wolf immediately turned on his heel, marching back into the bathroom. "Who needs that many flavors of lube?" Mat muttered as he began packing. "And if we plug all of these in at once it's going to blow every breaker in the house." Mateo had to pause several times to adjust his suddenly restrictive pants.

A wide smirk formed on Jany's face. "We wouldn't be using them all at once," he admitted. "In tandem, perhaps..."

Elias nearly stumbled at the words, his brain function trying to work out the possibilities of that and not devoting nearly enough power to his motor skills. Mateo stepped out of the bathroom with the duffel bag bulging.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I got it all," the big wolf said awkwardly. "It was hard to close the zipper and - Eli, it's glowing!"

The Omega looked down to see his Khonsu stone softly pulsing with steadily growing light. The shining radiance built, flashing faster and faster as Eli stared at it, dumb-founded.

"Why is it going faster?" Elias said in anxious confusion, feeling a bit like he was wearing a shiny firecracker that was about to pop. "I'm not turning or moving or anything!"

Not a moment later, there was a knock on the door, causing everyone but January to jump. The vampire hadn't the slightest idea who it could be. A neighbor? A solicitor? His breath actually hitched when he opened the door to reveal the last person he had expected to see.

"Quin..." Jany whispered.

The human had soft gold skin from sun exposure. His pale blond hair reached his shoulders, half of it pulled back in a ponytail. But, it was the vivid, royal blue eyes that had drawn Jany in from the moment they first crossed paths. His lips froze on the words 'what are you doing here?' as his mind quickly surmised that Quinlan was the only person standing in his doorway.

That meant that Eli's bonding stone...

The dimpled smile that had formed on the human's face upon seeing the vampire quickly faded. "What's wrong?" Quin asked.

Jany took a few steps back to allow Quinlan to walk in. With every step the blond took, Eli's bonding stone flashed faster and faster.

The redheaded vampire had a hard time believing it, and it was happening right before his eyes. It wasn't a dream. The lover he had set free had actually returned to him; and he was another of Eli's mates, to boot. The emotions he felt running through him were at odds with one another. Joy, confusion, and relief swirled inside him.

“I thought you were leaving,” January said. “I thought you were already gone…”

Though the human was a bit distracted seeing the number of men in the room, not to mention the guy with the flickering necklace, he turned his gaze back to the vampire. "You had asked me to stay so suddenly, and I already had the train ticket in hand…at first, I figured I could tell my aunt in person that I'd be coming back here," he explained. "But, then I realized I never got your number. So, I called her to tell her I had to visit her another time and canceled my travel plans.”

Before Jany realized it, tears began to fall. “You really came back,” he whispered as he pulled Quin into a tight hug. “You came back, my vibrant Kyanite.”

Quin gently ran his hand up and down January’s back, which wasn’t very difficult as they were both nearly the same size. “Alright, Jan?” he asked. “You honestly didn’t think I’d leave without at least saying goodbye, didja?”

January let go only to motion for Elias to come closer. “Eli, my love, come and show me that this isn’t a dream. Could Quinlan truly be our mate?”

Elias stepped forward hesitantly, thinking how much easier this had been when he was three sheets to the wind. The human was looking at him, and Eli could feel that bright blue gaze travel over him. It wasn't possessive or even lustful. The human seemed confused but intrigued. He either didn't know about bonding stones, or he hadn't connected the dots.

Eli approached slowly, not wanting to spook the man. Humans could be so fragile. If the blond startled and bolted, he could hurt himself. The Omega would never forgive himself.

The stone strobed brighter with every step.

"I'm Elias. I'm a wolf Omega," he said gently, carefully, as he looked up into the taller man's deep blue eyes. "I won't hurt you. I just need to check something."

Eli held the stone in one hand, the other raised in as nonthreatening a way as he could as he closed the short distance between them so he could touch the tip of the gem to the human's chest.

Quin's eyes widened when he felt a strange pulse against his chest where the gem gave one final flash. When Elias took the gem back and held it to his eyes, a royal blue hue was splashed about amongst the other colors. But, clear areas still remained.

Upon seeing the blue, January let out a happy sound and pulled both Quin and Eli into a hug. He motioned for the other two to join them as well. "Quin, I'm still finding this hard to believe..." Jany explained. "But, you're our mate. You belong with us."

"Ok..." the human drawled, though he didn't shrug away from their touches. “Not quite sure what that means."

Pax frowned as he glanced at his watch. "We're going to have to explain it to him later. We need to make as much use of the night as we can to reach your contact and get back before sunrise," he reminded January.

"My topaz is right. Introductions and explanations will have to wait until we're in the car," Jany concluded. He quickly made a portal for them to pass through, which caused Quin to let out a sound of surprise. "I promise to eventually explain this part, as well." He added as he held out a pale hand for the human to take.

Quinlan once again glanced at all of them before placing his tanned hand in Jany's, and the entire group walked through the portal.

::

Pax was once again in the driver's seat, and Mateo was given the front passenger side. January sat behind Pax to give him directions, Elias was in the middle, and Quin sat behind Mat.

"Just take the Vx expressway over the bridge to the second exit," January instructed. "It should take us around twenty minutes to get to his mansion."

Elias couldn't help leaning into Quin. The Omega could feel their bond, incomplete but present, tying them together. It felt different than Eli's bond with Mat or Pax, which felt different than his bond with January. Elias wondered if bonds with different species normally had different flavors. The energy between Eli and the wolves and vamp were equally strong, just seemed to vibrate at a different frequency. Quinlan's bond had a flavor of its own. Eli liked it.

Before he knew it, the Omega had his head on Quin's shoulder.

Elias felt anxious about taking his new human mate to find out things that had been carefully kept secret. The Omega worried it might not be safe. Humans could be so easily broken. It made Eli fidget worriedly in his seat. The Omega had been told that mating with a human strengthened them, shielding them from many diseases and lengthening their lifespans to be as long as wolf's. It made them more resilient, able to withstand the sometimes vigorous loving a werewolf could give.

Elias whined in his throat and scooted so he could tuck his nose to Quin's throat, drawing in his mate's scent and trying to settle himself down. Quin was fine; everything was fine.

Quinlan felt himself gulp hard when he felt the young man beside him…sniffing him? He waited until they finally entered the highway before speaking up. "Ok, so what's going on?" he asked aloud.

January gave the blond a smile. "Where to begin? I believe introductions should be first. The gorgeous werewolf driving is named Pax. The equally as handsome man beside him is also a werewolf, he's Mateo, though we call him Mat or Matty. The precious young man beside you is the Omega that ties us all together, also a werewolf. His name is Elias, though we call him Eli. Following me thus far?"

Quin gave a nod. "Pax, Mat, Eli...werewolves. Got it," he replied.

"As you've surely heard before, Omegas are special werewolves that are able to channel the power of their Goddess Khonsu through a bonding stone. With the use of the stone, they find their mates... soulmates, that is. You do know about soulmates, don't you?" Jany questioned.

"Soulmates as in two halves of the same soul kinda thing?" Quinlan wondered.

"Exactly. The gods gently handle the souls and divide them as they see fit into developing babies to be born," January elaborated. "Sometimes they only divide a soul in half. Sometimes, it's split a good few times. Regardless, all of our souls here in this car are from one original one. Together, we're complete."

The human nodded. "Right...so I always thought that werewolves, humans, and vampires had different kinds of souls, no offense," he pointed out.

Jany shook his head. "No, beloved. Our physical bodies may be different, but souls are all made of the same energy," he explained.

"Okay, so assuming I actually believe that this whole soulmate thing is real and all...wouldn't I still die before any of you guys?" Quinlan continued. "I mean what's the point of having a soulmate with such a smaller lifespan?"

January's face became dead serious as he threaded his hand through one of Quin's. "Love...the true love that comes from having part of the same soul, that kind of love is priceless. I've been alive for almost five-hundred years," he insisted. "Believe me when I say that having but a moment with a soulmate is worth living through hundreds of years of loneliness for."

"How long we live should sync up to whoever's most powerful," Mateo said, turning in his seat. "At least that's what I always learned." Mat grinned at January. "I have a feeling that means you, Jany. We'll be around as long as you are."

The calling of the bond was pulling stronger, instincts inside Elias kicking in, wanting to protect his new mate by making him as strong as possible. The Omega whined, unclicking his seatbelt and throwing a leg over Quinlan's thigh and an arm across his chest, wriggling close.

"And there goes, Eli," Mateo said with a chuckle. "I wondered how long he'd last." The Hispanic wolf turned to Pax. "Don't crash, Eli had to take off his belt so he could better molest our new mate."

Pax's lips formed a tight line as he focused on the road. "I should be fine," he assured them.

"What the fuck?" Quin whispered so low that it was barely heard. "Is it supposed to feel like this?"

"Feel like what?" January teased, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Like you're gonna jizz in your pants at any second?" the human described as he gently wrapped an arm around Eli's waist.

"Please," Eli moaned, pushing up the hem of Quinlan's shirt to rub his face against his human's warm, flat stomach.

"P-Please what?" Quin whispered.

January let out a snicker. "Just let him, Quin," he said as he reached over to undo the button and fly of the human's pants. "Let him have you."

"Holy hot damn," Mateo breathed, eyes riveted.

A hot tongue traced down the middle of the human's abdominals, dipping for a moment in Quin's belly button before continuing down. Eli didn't pause, didn't tease, sucking Quinlan's length into his mouth and taking it down to the base as the Omega moaned in satisfaction.

"Oh, fuck me," Quin exclaimed breathlessly as his hand raked through auburn locks.

"Don't tempt him to go that far, cariño," Jany chided. "We don't want Pax crashing the car, and Eli will take you on your word, otherwise."

Elias licked and sucked until he had to come up for air, pulling off with a ragged gasp. The Omega whimpered as he reached for his own belt, determined to get the human inside him.

One of the vampire's long arms reached out to place a halting hand on one of Eli's. "No, beloved. Quinlan's not going anywhere. You will have your full chance with him after our meeting. For now, just make him cry out with your beautiful mouth."

"Please, please, he's wet enough..." Elias begged. "It's dark..."

Mateo made a strangled noise from the front seat, nearly cumming in his pants at the desperate tone in the Omega's voice.

Quinlan glanced at January with equally begging eyes, unable to handle the pleading. But, the vampire was firm in his resolve.

"Eli, just hold back a little now, and all five of us will have so much fun later that you'll cum until you pass out," Jany vowed. "I promise you that."

Elias sighed in defeat, laying across the seat so his head was in Quin's lap and most of his lower body was in January's. Eli took a long, euphoric lick of Quinlan's cock, moaning as he rubbed his crotch against the vampire's thigh.

January didn't hesitate to slip his hand inside the Omega's pants to help him as he worked the human's shaft.

"Oh, fuck," Quin whimpered, barely able to keep his eyes locked on to every little thing Elias did. Never had he ever allowed anyone he just met to go this far with him, not even January. The circumstances were certainly different. However, the blond was still surprised at just how aroused he was.

"Pax," Mateo said from the front seat, licking his lips as his hand pressed against the tight bulge behind his zipper. The pupils in his dark eyes had blown wide. "I can tell how hard you are. Doesn't it hurt? Can I help you?"

The silver-haired werewolf shook his head. Though it was true that he was just as affected as his other mates, he had to focus on the road.

Mat's eyes flicked to the back, biting back a moan at the tableau. Quinlan's head was thrown back, exposing his long throat. The human's fingers tangled in Eli's auburn locks as the Omega's head bobbed rapidly, obscene moans and slurps making Mateo shiver with lust. January was silent, violet eyes sharp as he watched Elias and Quin. The vampire tugged Eli's pants down lower, making it easier for Jany's skilled hand to fly up and down the Omega's straining length, slick with precum.

Pax covered the lower half of his face with a hand as he fought hard to concentrate. All four of his mates weren't helping that endeavor one bit. "Mat, you can help yourself if you want to, baby," Pax conceded. "I'll make sure we don't crash."

Quin's blue eyes darkened as he gazed into deep emerald green. "Eli... shit ..." he gasped as he tried to warn the Omega. "Eli, I'm cumming! I... hanh!" The human cried out as he all but exploded into the werewolf's mouth.

January waited patiently as Elias licked the human clean with sounds remarkably similar to purring falling from his mouth. "Come here," he then urged as he laid Eli down so that his head rested on Jany's lap and his body was draped over Quin's. The vampire then turned to press a kiss to the blond's cheek. "Want to finish the job?"

Quinlan's dimples showed as he smiled. For some reason, he felt better being able to reciprocate, even if in a different way. He gently took Eli's exposed member in his hand and stroked it, smearing the precum at the very tip.

"Ahhn." Elias writhed under Quinlan's touch, arching and moaning as his emerald eyes went glassy and distant. "Please, harder," the Omega begged. "Make me feel you touch me. Make me take it... Take all the pleasure."

Quin's mouth felt dry at the sight. As he moved his hand faster, digging his thumb into the underside, January took hold of one of the Omega's hands and sucked the middle finger into his mouth. Blue eyes widened as the human realized what the vampire was going to do. Soon, Eli's cries grew louder as he felt the sensation of January's swirling tongue along his shaft, as well as the heat of Quin's hand at the same time.

"Fuck," Mateo gasped, hurrying to free himself before he made a mess in his trousers.

Mat took himself in hand, groaning in pleasure. He gave himself a rough squeeze, sucking in hot breaths as he reminded himself that there definitely wasn't room in the backseat for him to crawl back there. Besides, with how Eli was squirming around, Mat would probably end up taking an elbow to the eye. There was plenty of precum to make Mateo's calloused hand glide easily on his throbbing hardness. Mat's eyes flicked to Pax, noticing the wolf's fingers clenched tight on the steering wheel, jaw tight, eyes focused purposefully on the road. Mateo wished he could help, but knew there was nothing to be done. They couldn't stop and take care of him. They needed to get to January's contacts, and they were losing nighttime. Mat resolved to make it up to Pax, guilt twinging in his chest as Mateo stroked himself faster.

Quinlan's smile widened when he heard Mateo. As his hand slid down to gently squeeze Eli's balls, January's tongue swiped the base of the Omega's finger, cause the sensation of his tongue sliding up the center of Eli's sac. When the vampire took the finger into his mouth a second time, it was as if he were sucking one of the Omega's balls right into his mouth.

The dual sensation was intense. He could feel the skin of Quinlan's fingers and palm jerking him rapidly while January's phantom mouth was able to cover more ground than any tongue or lips could in reality. The unreal feeling of having his cock sucked and jerked at the same time was enough to make Eli's toes curl. When January's real tongue twitched against the Omega's finger, Elias felt as though another tongue was at his entrance, circling once before plunging inside.

Elias let out a ragged shout; body strung tight. Ropes of white striped Eli's rumpled shirt and covered Quinlan's still pumping fist.

There was a grunt and a long moan from the front seat as Mateo wasn't able to hold back at the sight of Elias utterly wrecked, sprawled across Jany and Quin, panting like he'd been sprinting.

Pax didn't so much as swerve through the sheer power of his will alone. When they finally reached the exit, he asked January for more directions.

"You're going to make a left on 19th and then take that path all the way down until you reach the entrance gate," Jany instructed as he gently massaged Eli's scalp and Quinlan tried to help the Omega up a bit.

When they arrived at the gate, Jany stepped out of the car to speak into the intercom. Not a moment later, the gates opened and they were allowed onto the long driveway.

"You can park right there at the curb," January suggested. "It'll make it easier for us to leave later."

The mansion was flanked by pine trees and had an outer design that looked similar to a castle. The interior, however, was all modern. The five men entered the mansion holding hands.

A young man stood in the entryway wearing a butler's suit that looked like it had nearly been starched to death. The stiff collar was tight around his throat. It made Eli shift uncomfortably just looking at it. The clothes were tailored perfectly, yet they somehow looked utterly wrong on the man. His dark hair was slicked back in a viciously tight ponytail. A pale, shiny scar peeked from above the man's collar. It ran from one side of his throat to the other. Elias wondered how he could have survived it. Then the man smiled stiffly, flashing fang. Vampire. If he was eighteen when he'd been turned, it must have practically been on his birthday. The man was broad enough in the shoulders but looked barely old enough to shave.

"Master January," the vampire said stiffly, his formal words a poor match for his rough Boston accent, the vowels seeming to curl around the consonants. "Master Viktor's quite pleased you're here. With guests, even." The vampire turned, looking back at them over his shoulder. "I'm Gin. I'll take you to Master Viktor. He's in the entertainment room."

January took the lead with Elias directly behind him. Mateo and Pax flanked Quinlan, keeping him within a triangle of werewolves. The house was all clean lines and cool colors. It looked more like a museum than a home. They finally stopped at a set of wide double doors. Gin knocked smartly before opening both doors wide.

The room was huge. Eli hadn't had any idea what a vampire's "entertainment room" might be. Blood fountains and scantily clad virgins tied to the walls? In reality, half the room seemed to be dedicated to a massive home theater with every gaming console there ever was on dust-free glass shelves beneath the screen. The other half of the room seemed to have a bit of everything. There were small and large tables with ebony seats around them, couches, loveseats, and lounges. Shelves of books held up one wall. Eli's eyebrows lifted comically when he noticed another wall of shelves filled with board games. Apparently, even ancient vampires sometimes wanted to play Uno.

Lounging artfully among the black and gray cushions of a soft leather couch was a lithe, long-limbed man. His hair was a dark slate and straight as a ruler, hanging below his shoulders with the sides held back in simple braids. He wore black silk lounge pants and matching shirt unbuttoned to his navel. Elias didn't have to ponder if this man was a vampire, the Omega could feel his inhuman energy. It made his neck tight. If he'd been in wolf form, his fur would have been sticking straight up. The doors clicking shut behind them nearly made Elias shift reflexively.

"January," the vampire said softly, though somehow his voice carried clearly across the room. "Such a delight to have you. As always, you are welcome in my home."

He had an accent as well, though much different from Gin's. This was something foreign, maybe Eastern European, but Eli didn't have enough experience to know anything for certain. He mostly knew accents from movies and television.

"Viktor," January greeted with a nod of his head. "The men I'm with are my current lovers. I'll introduce them if you so wish, but I've come to collect on the favor you owe me from 200 years ago. I need any information you might have of two men....an alpha werewolf and an elder vampire. The ones who formed a truce for the Carnelia region a few generations ago."

Viktor cocked his head, less like a dog and more like a reptile.

"I might be able to help you. I know the ones you speak of." Viktor stood in a rustle of silk. "But I wouldn't dream of showing such rudeness. Please, introduce me to your lovers. I'm sure to be enchanted. Such a lovely harem you've collected. I didn't know you had it in you."

A dry smile formed on Jany's face along with a sharp coldness in his purple eyes. "I've had less luck keeping a partner of my own kind by my side for very long. You know that well,” the redheaded vampire explained. His mind worked fast to come up with a scenario that would throw the other vampire off. He decided on telling him half the truth. "I've been trying to make up on lost time. Quinlan has been my lover for a few months, and he was claimed as a mate of the Omega here before my very eyes. His name is Elias. The werewolves with him, Pax and Mateo, were the only ones that would allow me a taste. They have another mate they left behind, one that doesn't care for vampires. So, if you would please keep this brief? They can't be separated for very long."

"So delightful to meet all of you," Viktor purred, steps smooth as he approached to stand in front of Elias. "You especially, little one." The vampire swept a short bow. "I've heard lovely things about Omegas." A pink tongue swept across rose-kissed lips and ivory fangs. "Such a credit to your race. Biddable beings that inspire languid peace in the wolves around them. I hear they are quite sought after."

Elias bristled, lips peeling back from his teeth. He had half a mind to show the vamp just how biddable he was by biting off one of his fingers.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my current lovers," January insisted as he stepped in front of Eli to block him from view. "Especially since they're the ones that drove me here tonight. Now, what do you know about the two leaders I've mentioned?"

"I meant no insult," Viktor said smoothly, lifting a brow. "Quite the opposite. I apologize if I've said the wrong thing, little wolf." The vampire smiled as Eli growled at him. Viktor turned back to January, the old vampire's body seeming to flow effortlessly to January. "And you, my sweet." Long graceful fingers trailed up Jany's sleeve. "You must be quite out of sorts to approach me so rudely, coming into my home, uncouthly demanding repayment of old debts without even the simplest of courtesies, demanding answers that you full well know are worth even more than the price of our debt." Viktor's dark grey eyes flashed, hard as stone and twice as cold. "Especially considering just how much information of a personal and detailed nature I have in my collection."

Pain flickered in Jany's eyes before he was able to recompose himself. That the older vampire didn't consider their debt to be worth that much of a price caused old wounds to bleed inside him. "The information is personal and detailed?" he questioned. "How so?"

"I have a rather interesting diary in my possession," Viktor revealed with obvious delight. "Would that interest you? It's possible it was written by the elder vampire in question and describes in delicious detail his interactions with an upstart alpha wolf bent on peace."

The werewolves and January couldn't help their reactions to the news. Quinlan was still lost and confused. But, he kept quiet and observed what was going on. Jany frowned.

"A diary could belong to anyone," Jany responded. "It could very well be a coincidence. And you still believe our debt not to be enough to warrant a look at that diary?"

"Oh, it is the one you seek. I've read it often enough. I can be certain of that. And our debt is great, I must admit," Viktor said thoughtfully. "Perhaps, had you approached me with grace I would relinquish it easily, a loan of the book to a lover, to a comrade." The vampire's back straightened and each of the wolves' skin prickled. "But you did not. You did not approach me as a friend or even with the respect I might expect as one who was your lover for decades. If I am not your friend and I hold none of your respect, I will extract a higher price, if only for my pride."