FADED DREAMS

The Problem With Bash

"Save it, Quin! I'm not in the mood," Bash huffed.

"Not in the mood, aye? You know, I wasn't in the mood to be summoned to an emergency council meeting tonight. I also wasn't in the mood to explain why you didn't show up!" Quin was livid.

Fuck! Bash thought. He pulled out his phone and checked it. Sure enough, there were at least fifteen missed calls from Quin. He had left a few voicemails Bash was certain weren't friendly.

Sebastian couldn't rein in his anger at the situation with Gaia to answer Quin in a manner that wouldn't further stoke his fury. Bash was like a hormonal teenager, lashing out at his father.

"It's none of your damn business where I was!" Bash spat.

"Do you think I'm an idiot, Sebastian? I can smell her all over you! I thought you were staying away after last night. What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" Quin went toe to toe with Bash, his chest puffed out as he exerted his dominance over him.

Bash shoved him back, causing Quin to lunge at him. He slammed him into the floor with such force, the marble tile cracked beneath Sebastian's back. Quin's eyes were midnight orbs, and his fangs extended long and white. Bash stared up at him in defiance.

"I will not tolerate this insolence, Sebastian! What has gotten into you? Even Margaret didn't elicit such foolish behavior from you!" Quin pressed his forearm down onto Bash's throat with enough force to restrain him.

Bash panted heavily; his brain went to a primal place. All he could see to do was fight, but Quin was too strong when he exhibited the full extent of his strength.

Quin lifted Sebastian's shoulders and slammed him down onto the floor with enough strength to crack open the back of his head. Blood seeped out onto the tile. Within moments, the wound healed as if it had never been there; the only reminder was the blood that stained the marble floor.

The blow was enough to bring Bash back to his senses. His eyes cleared and his fangs retracted, but Quin remained seated on top of Bash while pinning him to the ground.

"Are you through?" Quin growled at him.

Bash turned his head to the side in a show of submission and replied, "Yes—"

Quin roughly released Bash and rolled off, taking a seat beside him on the floor. Quin's heavy breathing slowed as his eyes returned to their natural color. It had been centuries since Quin had to get physical with Bash.

What's wrong with him? He's never shown so little restraint.

Quin was getting worried. Was Bash going feral? He knew he wasn't feeding off donors and had confessed to barely feeding off this girl he was impossibly obsessed with. Quin wondered if Bash was feeding off animals instead. But Bash wasn't stupid enough to be doing that. He recognized the risks. Quin wasn't sure what to expect anymore.

The only time Quin had ever experienced the lack of control Bash was exhibiting, was when he met Livia. The stabbing pain in his chest returned just remembering his lost mate. Quin's reaction was typical though, as most males lose their sense of control while courting their mate. The recklessness typically fades once they're human is turned, and it isn't as bad when the mate is already a vampire since they're less vulnerable. But the council had regulated their numbers for about a thousand years, and finding a mate that had already turned, was rarer than finding a human mate.

Livia—

Quin became lost in thought. She was the reason he swore to never turn another human again. The loss of Livia still sat in the pit of his stomach, threatening to undo him. His mate; lost to him forever. Livia met the true death, and there's no coming back from that. It was a tale he hadn't even shared with Bash. And any vampire alive at the time, refused to even mention the horrific event. Talking about it took everything from him. Quin still blamed himself for not being able to protect his mate and progeny from her fate.