Blood Ties (Book 3 of The Blood Bond Series)

10. Thirst

Marcus: Quinn, what's going on? Is everything okay? Who is this person you met? Speak to me...

Marcus: Honey, it's been hours. Please call me. We can talk this out. You can't leave like this!

Marcus: Quinn, if it's something I've done, I'm sorry and I love you.

There were a few more texts, but Eli didn't look at them. He only checked the phone, and the banner with the message had popped up. They would read as delivered on the young man's side, but it didn't mean that they were read. Not at all. Eli stopped looking over when the phone vibrated with a message. He turned the thing off completely so it wouldn't bother him while he worked.

Even though he didn't live full-time in Beverly Hills anymore, he still had real estate in his name which, on paper, was in a fake name. It was all local, though he usually had a real estate agent on his payroll and was buying off more and more property in the area. With prices skyrocketing, he was thinking of divvying up some of his Southern California buildings and try his luck in construction. North Dakota might see some pretty harsh winters, but the land was cheap and more people were moving into the area. Simple folk who lived in double-wides could finally afford a decent house instead of a shoddily-made one that could travel.

In the other room, he could hear his son talking in a low voice to Quinn, who was slowly eating her dinner. They hadn't known what she liked as of yet, so they went with spaghetti and meatballs, since they knew that she at least ate meat.

It was good Adam paid attention to her eating habits, as well.

"I don't know. Last time I checked, my father turned off the phone. It kept vibrating, though my mom sent your message to your mother and waited long enough to get a response. She understood, it sounds like."

It sounded like Quinn shifted in her chair in the dining room and took a sip of water. "Did the tone of the text sound worried? I would hate for her to be upset with me when I finally give her a call. Next week should be good."

"Of course. I would say that it could be sooner, but I'm scared you would slip and say something and she'd become more concerned. I hate holding you almost hostage here, but I am glad you are coming around to the idea."

Quinn sighed. "I hate lying to her about this, but I understand after talking to your mom a little more. She told me the whole story over a boiling pot of noodles. Your dad chimed in as well."

Eli smirked. Cassie had been patient and told Quinn everything in their mating—that is, up until the sex part. The younger woman was very aware of what was expected from the future, and was cognizant of the repercussions of her "change", as they put it. Makeup and hair dye only went so far as far as the human population was concerned, which was why they all kept out of the limelight and stayed far from Hollywood as a whole. Quinn had taken all the news with aplomb, especially since she'd blacked out after seeing Leandra sucking on a vein earlier.

He shouldn't have been surprised. Every human mate had been skeptical at first, but once they'd been convinced with proof or through deep, thorough analysis, they seemed to be on board all the way.

It was the same with Quinn, thankfully. He would have hated for his son to be having to struggle like he had, even if he sort of deserved it.

"Fucking kidnapping. Where did I go wrong with that child?" he muttered to himself. He closed his eyes, trying hard to be completely irritated with his only son. Eli wasn't beyond praying to hope his two girls were a little smarter when they found their mates. Neither was as eager as Adam had been, though, and he just hoped that Quinn wasn't averse to a quick change and mating. If she was, he didn't know how well Adam would handle it. He honestly wished he'd waited a couple years to find her since she was still in college.