Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Quinn sat on the floor of his cell, glaring at the stones in the wall as if they held the answers to it all.

It had been many hours since he’d last seen anyone, but he didn’t have too much of an issue with that. The more time they left him alone, the better.

Maybe this would finally be the end for him? He smirked at the irony of not knowing how this would turn out. The visions that had plagued him every day of his life were conveniently absent when it came to his own future, so whatever the universe had in store would be just as much of a surprise to him as it would to everyone else.

Fate had been a bitch to him his whole existence, so why should this time be any different?

He closed his eyes and tried to get some rest. Sleep had been scarce lately. The calling he’d been on had required him to be awake for the past few days. He’d allowed himself tiny cat naps, nothing more, as he couldn’t risk falling asleep and being discovered with his guard down.

At least he'd finished what he’d set out to do before the Council captured him, though. They'd send him to his grave knowing that the family of water ghouls was safe from the monster that was about to prey upon them.

Not that they’d ever know the fate that would have befallen them. Quinn had made sure of that.

The unwanted scene of horror that flashed across his mind made him flinch as it once again played out in vivid detail behind his closed eyelids. It imprinted into his memory forever, along with the other visions of death and destruction he regularly endured.

Quinn hadn’t known the earth ghoul he’d murdered was a valued member of the Council. All he’d seen was the what, the where and the when, and he’d done his best to make it there in time to stop him.

The vision had come from a chance encounter on the road. He'd crossed paths with a massive earth ghoul, and it hit mere seconds after Quinn had registered the blackness of the other ghoul’s soul. 

The earth ghoul had done this before, Quinn saw. Many times over. The insatiable bloodlust he kept contained most of the time strained at the mental chains he'd wrapped around it, but occasionally, he would lose his grip. The monster he hid from the rest of the world would slip its leash, choosing his victims and taking its time to torture and kill them in the most creatively depraved of ways.

The ether showed Quinn that three days after the initial encounter, the earth ghoul would pass by a small rural dwelling where a water ghuleh and her three kits lived. The sire would be away on some errand or other, and they'd be unprotected from the beast whose interest they'd piqued.

Despite swearing never to interfere in these kinds of situations again, this one had cut a little too deep and hit a little too close to home for Quinn. He’d resigned himself to the fact that he would once again be ending a life based on a vision, adding yet another notch to his sword.

Quinn always gave the visions a chance to be wrong before he acted on them, though. Every single time he prayed to the Dark Lord he was mistaken. Every single time, he prayed it would be nonsense. He’d hope with all of his soul that maybe this time he’d be wrong.

So far, his prayers had gone unanswered.

Fate must have laughed at his pathetic efforts, because every single time, the visions were unerringly precise.

Still, Quinn had followed the earth ghoul, stalking him silently. He’d watched for those three days, hoping that by some miracle he would take some other path or carry on walking right past his destiny. 

Sure enough, though, after countless miles, the ghoul came to stand at the edge of the circle of light cast by the welcoming glow of the water ghuleh's cottage.

The ghuleh wandered through the rooms as the earth ghoul watched her through the windows. She tended to her kits and readied them for bed. The small, pretty, dark-haired ghuleh was no match for this tall, broad brute of an earth ghoul.

If the vision ran its course, there would be absolutely nothing she could do to protect herself and her beloved ones.

The ghoul shifted from foot to foot, his excitement spilling over into movement. Quinn crept close enough through the darkness that he could smell the perverse anticipation wafting off him. He was so focused on the ghuleh that he didn’t notice Quinn’s presence until it was too late.

Quinn leaned in, whispering close to his ear.

“Just don’t,” he snarled.

The earth ghoul jumped, spinning around to face him. Quinn stepped back and watched as his eyes glowed green, and he curled his lip, exposing long fangs.

“How dare you, quintessence! Do you know who you’re speaking to?” he hissed.

Quinn huffed, quirking a cocky brow.

“I know what I am speaking to. And you should know they are protected,” Quinn gritted out, tilting his head towards the cottage.

The earth ghoul laughed and raked his gaze downwards.

“Protected by who? By you?” he sneered with scorn.

Quinn wasn’t a small ghoul by any means, but this earth ghoul was big, even by their usual standards. He wasn’t worried, though; he’d fought with the legions of Andras for many seasons and could kill just as easily as breathe, if he had to. 

This earth ghoul didn’t know that, though.

Quintessence ghouls weren’t typically known as warriors. They rarely killed unless it was absolutely necessary for survival. Taking a life went against every fibre of their nature. They ranked alongside water ghouls as the least aggressive of the ghoul species and were generally amiable and chilled out.

Others rarely looked beyond that stereotype when they met Quinn. 

In this case, that was a grave mistake.

Quinn met his gaze and held it. He let the blue fire in his eyes burn, and he smiled a wolfish smile. 

A look of confusion crossed the earth ghoul’s face. He’d expected Quinn to drop his gaze, to back down from a fight and walk away.

Quinn's smile widened as he registered the sweet moment the other ghoul realised something wasn’t quite right about this strange quintessence ghoul who'd interrupted his evening of fun.

A heady spike of fear, and a split second later, his nerve snapped.

The big ghoul turned and ran.

And Quinn?

Quinn followed.

The chase didn’t last long. Just inside the treeline of the nearby woods, Quinn tackled him. Before he even realised what had happened, he’d fallen. Quinn pressed himself along his back, pushing his face into the moss-covered ground. 

It was over way too quickly, but Quinn was tired. The sleep deprivation of the last few days had worn him down, and he didn’t want to risk letting this one escape so he could go back to the cottage and act out his twisted fantasies. 

The ghoul struggled beneath him. Quinn took his head between his hands and twisted before he could use his strength to gain back the upper hand.

The thick neck snapped, and his head fell at an unnatural angle, the green glow in his eyes dying out.

Quinn shoved him away and went back to grab his bag from where he’d dropped it. Knowing it would be discovered at first light, he dragged  the body to the roadside and left it there, within sight of the road.

He didn’t understand why the ether would tell him he needed to do that, but he didn’t argue with its will. He’d learned long ago that it did everything for a reason. When he chose to act on a vision, his life would be a lot easier if he just did as it asked.

A noise startled him out of his thoughts and back to the present moment. He looked towards the cell door.

It swung open, and he breathed a heavy sigh as two Council ghouls came in. Two bulky guards flanked them, and Quinn resumed staring at the wall, waiting for whatever judgement they would pass on him.

“Stand up, quintessence. You've been granted a temporary summoning to Earth.”

Quinn’s head snapped towards the air ghoul who'd spoken.

“What?”

“You heard me. Get up. You’re going now. The chapel is ready.”

They dragged him to his feet, and he shuffled out of the cell after them. The warded chains around his wrists and ankles clinked as he moved, and his mind swam with confusion. Was this some new form of punishment? What reason would they possibly have to send him to Earth?

For the first time in a long while, a sliver of fear worked its way into his gut. He wished his curse would allow him to see what was coming. At least then he could prepare himself.

The quintessence ghoul guard turned back to look at him, giving him a sympathetic smile. He'd have felt the fear, and Quinn felt embarrassed at his lapse in concentration. He usually hid his emotions well, but they’d caught him off guard with this, and the emotions bled through the walls he’d so painstakingly built to contain them.

They arrived at the chapel, and the guards dragged him to the summoning circle, pushing him down to his knees. He frowned as the air ghoul spoke.

“You should be thankful. One of your kind has foreseen this, so don’t fuck it up. You will be sent back here in five Earth hours, and the Council will decide your sentence then. I presume you can speak at least one of the Earth languages?”

Quinn nodded in a daze as he heard the incantations that would send him there.

A few minutes of complete disorientation later, he appeared inside another summoning circle. His stomach churned, and he struggled to catch his breath.

The air inside this chapel was frigidly cold, and he tried to wrap his arms around himself to combat the chill, but the chains prevented it. 

Sensing others of his kind, he looked up.

A human stood before him, surrounded by four large ghouls wearing black hooded robes. The human's face was painted like a skull, and he had one white iris and one green.

When Quinn met his mismatched stare, his eyes widened in shock.

For the first time in his long existence, a vision of his own future flashed through his mind. 

Family.

Comradery.

A life with this man and the four ghouls who stood staring at him warily.

The ether showed him this strange, cold place was his future, and for the first time in centuries, Quinn would have a home.

Chapter Text

For the second time that night, Quinn found himself blindsided. He shook his head to clear it and frowned, meeting the hard stare of who he now knew was Papa Emeritus II, or Secondo; the head of the Clergy on Earth.

The Satanic Pope looked him up and down with shrewd eyes.

“You are not what I was expecting. Come, we shall speak in my office. We can have some privacy there.”

Quinn glanced at the other ghouls, who stood silently and indifferently watching him. Their emotional patterns were all alert, but they didn’t seem too worried by him. Curious, yes. Shocked, perhaps? The air ghoul in particular.

The biggest one, though? The earth ghoul. That one didn’t like what he saw. That one was the one Quinn needed to watch out for.

Secondo turned and walked away, and Quinn followed numbly. The vision had knocked him off kilter. He was at their mercy anyway, still in chains. They nullified the basic magic he could command, so he went quietly, curious to find out what this was all about.

The other ghouls fell in around him, and Quinn smirked. This was overkill. What did they think he was going to do? He didn’t have anywhere to run to, and he'd be called back to the Council chambers in a few hours time. He had no clue where he was, anyway. 

The earth ghoul spoke up, using English, which Quinn only had a fairly basic understanding of.

“What’s so funny, quint?” he rumbled out.

Quinn had always been good with languages, and he found the Earth languages easy enough to pick up. He stumbled over the words, however, as he hadn’t really ever spoken them out loud before.

“I find it funny that you have so many ghouls to guard a chained and defenceless old one such as me.”

The earth ghoul snorted and switched to Ghoulish.

“Your reputation precedes you... and you don’t look so old to me.”

Quinn glanced at him sideways and carried on walking.

It didn’t take long to get to the office, and Secondo went to sit behind the large wooden desk. An older multi ghoul with swirling silver eyes waited for them. They introduced him as Councillor Shay, the representative of the Ghoul Council.

The earth ghoul and the air ghoul stood guard behind them. The fire and water ghouls made Quinn face Secondo in front of the desk, before moving to stand on either side of him.

Quinn suddenly felt the exhaustion and the stress of the last few days bearing down on him. The chilly atmosphere of this plane was getting to him, and he couldn’t stop himself from shivering. He didn’t even try to hide it. There was no point. He just waited patiently to find out why he was here, instead of at the wrong end of a blade in the Council’s execution chamber.

“A colleague of mine in the Council alerted me to the fact they had something that might be interesting to me. One of their seers suggested I should have a conversation with you.”

Quinn furrowed his brow. Secondo spoke near perfect Ghoulish. Surprising, for a human.

“Why me? I don’t understand,” Quinn said.

He recalled what the Council air ghoul had said; that one of his kind had foreseen this. That only confused him more. A Council seer had predicted this?

“They told me an interesting quintessence ghoul was in their custody. A quintessence ghoul who recently murdered a Council member for no apparent reason.”

Quinn heard the earth ghoul growl and he bared his fangs at him. He needed to realise Quinn would stand his ground if he had to. His eyes flashed with the blue flames that burned there when his emotions were running high.

Secondo raised an eyebrow at the display and continued, unperturbed. “A quintessence ghoul killer. That piqued my interest initially because it is so very unusual.” He paused, mismatched eyes boring into Quinn. “…And then they informed me that this ghoul was also a seer.”

Quinn felt the other ghouls’ surprise at that. Felt their eyes on him.

“A valuable commodity at the council, si? They were reluctant to just execute a seer, even though he'd brutally murdered one of their own.”

Quinn now completely focused his attention on Secondo. He tried to ignore the vision he’d just had, but a tendril of hope dangled tantalisingly in front of him. 

Seers were rare. There were only ever a handful alive at any one time, and he'd tried to mostly keep himself to himself throughout the course of his life. The Council was probably not even aware of his existence until his arrest.

As a kit, he had not attended the academies that young ghouls did now. He’d gained his education from his family and the elders in his village; from the long life he'd so far lived.

“Tell me what happened, quintessence,” Secondo said, his intense stare softening ever so slightly.

It caught Quinn off guard a little, still, the sound of his mother tongue coming from the mouth of a human.

He closed his eyes and sighed, the weight of everyone’s attention becoming too much.

“He deserved it,” he mumbled.

“And why is that?” Secondo prompted, unfazed.

Quinn opened his eyes again and looked into the unwavering stare of the human.

The image of the massive earth ghoul standing over the mutilated bodies of the water ghoul family appeared unbidden in his mind. It was as if he was there in the room with them, standing behind him as a silent observer witnessing the horror of the scene.

The ghoul stood there. Naked. Covered in gore. The smell of blood and sex and fear clung to his skin, and Quinn’s stomach lurched.

He staggered, and a warm hand reached out to steady him when the fire ghoul grabbed his arm.

The memory of the vision felt even more vivid than when he’d originally had it, and he looked back at Secondo in confusion. The Papa was watching him intently.

“So, you see yourself as a monster killer. A superhero who saves those who cannot save themselves, si?”

Quinn hung his head and huffed a humourless laugh. His intuition told him Secondo had just seen exactly what he had in his mind’s eye, and in the same minute detail. He may as well be honest with him. He may as well be honest with himself at this point. 

Quinn shook his head and answered Secondo.

“No. You couldn't be more wrong. I am no hero. I’ve let countless die in the most terrible of ways, barely saving any from the visions I’ve had. I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t. They haunt me just the same, regardless.”

He raised his eyes to meet Secondo’s again, and could see him chewing that over. The human pursed his lips and nodded resolutely.

“I have recently found myself without a quintessence ghoul.”

The sting of raw pain that came from all of those present lashed at him, and Quinn closed his eyes, steeling himself against it. He cursed his nature as he subconsciously pushed back with a wave of soothing energy to comfort them.

“This presents me with a unique opportunity," Secondo said. "My ghouls all possess skills that are necessary to the messier side of the Clergy; the side that others do not see. You possess some of the skills that we are currently lacking. I propose a deal that is mutually beneficial to us all. You escape the blade of ghoul justice. I regain balance by replacing my quintessence and getting you to utilise your unique... let us say talents.”

Quinn already knew the answer he'd give. The vision had shown him a glimpse of what would become of him. He looked around at the other ghouls, then back at Secondo.

“And what is your proposal, exactly?”

“Join me as one of my ghouls. We do not have a seer at the Abbey. We could use one.”

Quinn smirked and let out another heavy sigh. That was the story of his life, wasn’t it? His visions were so attractive to those who looked to use him. They saw his clairvoyance as a gift, but they were oh, so wrong.

Since the moment of his conception, he’d carried the burden of responsibility and the guilt of whether to act on the visions or not.

Quinn reluctantly agreed to be bonded to Secondo, and just hoped that maybe this time he could try to redeem himself. Maybe this time something good would come from his curse. 

The vision had given him hope, and he’d been told not to fuck it up.

Who was he to argue with Fate? He thought sarcastically. 

Quinn nodded to Secondo, and he and Councillor Shay laid out the terms of their deal.

Chapter Text

Quinn had zoned out. The air ghoul, named Air —all of Secondo’s ghouls were named for their element here—noticed that Quinn was shivering and handed him a blanket. 

He’d been sitting by the roaring fire in Secondo’s office for the last couple of hours, just staring into the flames. Councillor Shay and the Papa were drawing up the papers to submit to the Council so that they could fast track his being summoned to be a Clergy ghoul. It felt like it was taking forever. 

The lack of sleep from the last few days and the warmth of the fire were lulling him to sleep, but he needed to stay awake. There was no way he would allow himself to actually fall asleep surrounded by strange ghouls in a strange place, but his brain had momentarily drifted.

“Quintessence?” He started at the voice as somebody roughly shook his shoulder. He looked up to see Earth looming over him. “Glad you finally decided to join us. Are we boring you already?” he said sarcastically.

Quinn scowled at him and replied in Ghoulish.

“It seems you have a bit of a problem with me. Have you taken it a bit personally because it was an earth ghoul I took out?” he said calmly.

Earth bared his fangs at him.

“I have a bit of a problem with murdering pieces of shit,” he growled.

Quinn passively stared back at him. The ghoul was hurting, and he sensed there was more to it. He thought he knew what it was, but he didn’t have the energy for this right now. It would need dealing with though, because he was sure Secondo wouldn’t put up with infighting for long.

“Earth, that is enough!” Secondo admonished. “Bring him here.”

Earth grabbed him by his biceps and dragged him to his feet. He let it happen. If he tried to fight any of them as he was, in chains and exhausted, he wouldn’t come off the best. He meekly followed their directions and stood before Secondo and the Councillor again.

“Are you aware of the procedures involved in becoming a Clergy ghoul?” Councillor Shay asked him in English.

He shook his head.

“I did not have an Academy education when I was young. There was only the one of them then.”

Shay raised his brows in question and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“How old exactly are you, quintessence? It has been many centuries since the other Academies were established, and you are older than them?”

Quinn furrowed his brow. He wasn’t even sure of his exact age anymore.

“I think I must have turned eight hundred seasons not too long ago. I can’t be sure though. I lost track of time for a while after...”

He stopped himself from finishing the sentence and dropped his eyes to the ground. He wasn’t willing to explain his life story to them.

He saw Secondo scowl and hoped that he hadn’t picked up on any stray thoughts from him. It was clear to Quinn now that he could take thoughts and memories from the minds of others and he would have to be more careful around him.

The room was quiet, and he raised his eyes again. All the stares in the room were studying him with interest.

“You look pretty good for your age then, quintessence,” Earth said dryly.

He frowned as his mind’s eye flashed up a memory from the day that must have been five centuries ago, the day that had changed his life beyond all recognition. A memory of the demon who had taken the broken pieces of his soul and rearranged them into something that was completely transformed from the ghoul he had been before. He quickly recovered and shut it down and he should have just left it at that. But sometimes, for reasons unknown even to himself, he liked to pick at the threads that he’d sensed with his quintessence nature. And usually when that happened, Quinn’s mouth got him into trouble.

“There’s a lot to be said for a healthy lifestyle. Maybe you should try it. Or maybe you just need to get laid. Like what you see?” he said snarkily as he raked his gaze up and down the bigger ghoul’s form.

Within a heartbeat, Earth had jumped him and knocked him to the ground. The other ghouls reacted instantly and pulled him off before he did too much damage, but Quinn had hit his head on the way down. He got up again; the chains making his efforts clumsy, and he shook his head to clear it. When he swiped a hand across his mouth, it came away bloody. Earth must have gotten a punch in before the others had dragged him back.

Secondo was on his feet and cursing Earth in what Quinn thought was Italian, but he couldn’t be sure. Earth gave him one last glare before he stormed out of the room. Secondo let out a long-suffering sigh and came to stand before him.

“I apologise for Earth. He is having a hard time since we lost our previous quintessence ghoul. We all are, but they were particularly close to one another. He would benefit from another, but he does not want to accept one. He is a good ghoul, usually. That little display is not him, but you would do well not to push his buttons like that,” he said with a smirk.

Quinn nodded in response, and it made sense. That’s what he had picked up on. Earth and the quintessence ghoul must have been closer than just casual friends. He realised that there were going to have to be some kind of ground rules laid out between the two of them. If they were going to work together, then they needed to establish where they both stood. Situations like this were one reason Quinn had tried to avoid others for a lot of his life. Fewer interactions meant fewer visions, which was a bonus, but the main thing was that he was too tired for this kind of posturing.

“I believe our work here is finished for now, and it is nearly time for you to return. Shay will commune with the Council and arrange a time for you to be summoned and bound. It shouldn’t take too long, it is likely to be tomorrow. You have no family ties to be considered, I presume?” Secondo said.

Quinn was caught off guard by that question and he felt his eyes flash with the blue fire of his quintessence. The pain from the mention of family suddenly stabbed at his heart. Secondo noticed it and so did Air, and they glanced at each other. He took a deep breath and shook his head.

“No. None.”

After they sent him back to his home dimension, Quinn was dumped into his cell until the Council made the preparations. 

The quintessence guard offered to heal his head and his split lip, but he declined. He just wanted to be left alone. It was late now and after he offered a quick prayer to the Dark Lord to ask for guidance, he finally let himself rest. He drifted off to sleep within minutes of the cell door closing and locking behind him.

The smell of blood reached his nostrils before the cottage by the lake even came into view. He slowed from the flat-out run that had been his pace all the way home. There had been no vision to warn him of this, but he already knew what he would find there. The blinding agony in his chest from the breaking of the bond with his mate and his family had told him everything he needed to know, or so he thought. Quinn knew that she was gone, he knew they were all of them gone, but even with that forewarning he was nowhere near prepared for the scene that waited for him inside of their family home.

He stealthily made his way around the perimeter, sticking to the shadows to check that nobody was there still. The faint scents of three ghouls hung in the air, but they were no longer there. Their scents led off towards the woods. But there was another scent. Blood and sulphur. Witches, Quinn thought. The witches from the vision he’d had some weeks ago. The witches who had promised to make him pay when he had used said vision to interrupt their plans.

He stumbled towards the cottage and reached a shaking hand towards the door. Panic was rising in his chest through the pain and the emptiness and he wanted to believe that he’d got there in time. He wanted to believe that he’d save them.

The door swung open and the scent of deaths that had not come easily knocked him backwards, shattering any illusions he’d had of being their saviour. He was far, far too late for that.

Quinn came awake with a sob lodged in his throat. It was dark, and he scrabbled around, searching for them. Where were they? They had to be here somewhere. He always had them within reach. His mind slowly caught up, and he realised where he was; in the cell at the Council building. 

He swung his legs over the side of the cot and dragged a hand down his face, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart. It had been a long time since he’d dreamed of that night, and he hoped it was not a bad omen of what was to come.

Chapter Text

It was many hours later when they finally came back for him and he thought that maybe Secondo had changed his mind. He wouldn’t have blamed him. Quinn was an unknown territory who had no history with the Council except for killing one of its members. Secondo was actually being a bit reckless, binding a ghoul like him without being able to control him.

The air ghoul and his guards entered the cell, and he noticed that the fire ghoul carried his bag. The quintessence guard came over to remove his chains, but he didn’t take his eyes off the fire ghoul.

“At least you didn’t fuck it up, quintessence. Emeritus is keen to bind you, so I suppose that means that you aren’t our problem anymore,” the air ghoul said. “Pity, though, such a waste of a seer. It’s a shame we can’t just keep you locked up here indefinitely. I’m sure they’d be able to think of a way to force the visions out of you. I’ve heard they have drugs for that. Maybe one day they’ll change their minds and you’ll end up back here, anyway.”

Quinn had experienced first-hand the drugs that he spoke of and he wouldn’t wish that existence on any seer. He tensed up, and a growl escaped him. The quintessence guard had his back to the others as he undid the chains and he put a hand on Quinn’s arm. He looked up at him as he subtly shook his head and he felt the ghoul trying to calm him down. He accepted the magic. The air ghoul was clearly trying to provoke him and he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, as he sensed an ulterior motive behind the barbed words.

When the chains were gone he stood up, rubbing his wrists where the metal had irritated his skin. The fire ghoul tossed his bag to him and he instantly knew that something was missing.

“Where are they?” he growled out and the air ghoul smirked.

“You think that the Council will let you take the trophies of your kills with you to Earth? They will destroy them.”

The quintessence guard sensed what was about to happen and he stepped in front of him, putting a hand on his chest. Just as Quinn was about to launch himself at them, the door behind the guards swung open.

A tiny, beautiful multi ghuleh with white hair and silver eyes stepped into the room followed by a massive fire ghoul guard who was carrying a wooden chest. Quinn recognised her instantly as a seer. He hadn’t come across any others outside of his own family before, but he instinctively knew what she was.

Her eyes met his, and she smiled. She looked barely older than a kit, but he could feel how powerful she was. The ghouls all dropped their eyes to the floor in respect and moved out of her way as she walked over to Quinn.

“I kept them safe for you. I would not have let any harm befall them,” she said in a sweet voice.

He sagged in relief as her guard handed him the chest, and he opened the lid. The skulls of his mate and his twin daughters had been carefully wrapped in gauze and safely packed inside.

“Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.”

She smiled sadly back at him and simply said, “I do.”

The ghuleh looked over to the air ghoul and frowned.

“This will not go unpunished. This ghoul had good reason for the things that he did. None of us suspected the monster that we had in our midst, and for you to torment him like this is just cruel and wholly unacceptable.”

The air ghoul slid his eyes to Quinn, but he didn’t speak.

“Come, the chapel is ready. It is time for you to begin the next chapter of your life.”

He numbly followed her and her guard into the corridor. The fire and quintessence guards fell in behind them, but the air ghoul stayed where he was.

“Was it you? Were you the one that saw this?” he asked her as they walked.

She gave him a sideways glance and a knowing smile.

“The vision confused me. I know all the seers who are alive at this moment, but you? I do not know you. It came as a shock when you arrived here. You were hidden from me somehow until I was in such proximity, and that’s when the vision showed you to me.”

That made sense to him. He wasn’t the same as other seers as far as he knew, and he bore the mark of a demon. It had a funny way of changing how magic worked around him.

They reached the chapel, and she handed him over at the door. She reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand.

“I am Agrat. Maybe we will see each other again, but not for a long time.”

“Thank you for this,” Quinn said, gesturing at the box.

“It was the right thing to do, and you should always do the right thing, quintessence.”

She turned and walked away and he frowned, but the others seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as she left.

A couple of Council members waited for him and directed him to the circle that would send him to Earth. There were no kind words to wish him well. The ghouls performed the ritual without saying another word to him, and soon enough, he was back in the summoning circle inside the Abbey’s chapel. Secondo and his ghouls were waiting, along with a blonde-haired witch.

“Welcome back," Secondo said. “It is nice to see you out of those chains. So, shall we get this over with so that you can get out of the holding circle?”

Quinn nodded his agreement, and Water took his things from him. He didn’t know what to expect. He had never thought about being bonded to a human before, so he’d never really bothered to learn anything about it.

Secondo chanted a spell while the witch joined in and the feeling of being struck by lightning, or at least what he thought that would have felt like, hit him in the chest. He gasped for breath and staggered and as he looked at Secondo; he saw a look of confusion for a split second before he recovered. Was it a look of confusion, though? Or did he feel Secondo’s confusion? Because he could feel other things coming from him too, which probably meant the same was true of him.

Quinn quickly tried to close himself off. He wasn’t ready for that level of connection with anyone again yet. He had so much other shit to process first, so he hoped that he’d shut himself down before Secondo asked too many questions. Questions that he didn't want to answer.

The barrier of magic dropped, and he stepped out into the chapel. The other ghouls seemed to have mixed feelings towards him. He could feel their emotions more strongly now that they shared a bond, and they all seemed to be accepting of him, all except for Earth. Water came over and gave him a hug. He returned it briefly, but the unexpected affection had thrown him.

“So, what do we call you then? Quintessence?” he asked.

Quinn felt the stab of pain from Earth at the mention of that name and the big ghoul growled.

“No, it’s usually just Quinn. It’s been Quinn for a long time, actually.”

The others nodded, and Water smiled.

“Quinn it is then,” he said, and he looked to Secondo. “Should we take him to the lair to get settled in?”

“Si, that is a good idea. It is late, and rest is the most important thing right now. I will need to speak with you in the morning, Quinn, someone will bring you to my apartment.”

He nodded and followed the other ghouls out of the chapel. He carried the wooden chest and Water carried his bag for him. They walked through the Abbey and up a grand staircase before making many twists and turns along various corridors. Fire must have seen his look of confusion.

“You’ll get used to it soon enough. The older part of the building is like a maze in places.”

They reached the lair and Earth strode off down the hall, entered a room, and slammed the door. Water sighed.

“Don’t worry about him. He’ll come around. Here, I’ll show you the free rooms so you can pick one. Fire and me are next to the lounge. You’ve just seen where Earth’s room is, and Air is over there.” He pointed to the door next to Earth’s. “The rest are free, so pick whichever you like.”

Quinn chose the room at the very end of the corridor. The one next to his was empty and he would be away from the others. Water looked disappointed.

“Oh, are you sure you don’t want to be closer to the others?”

Quinn shook his head. He could tell that Water was trying his best to welcome him, so he decided to tell him part of the truth. The part that wouldn’t make him look like a dick.

“I don’t like to be too close to others.” He tapped his temple with his fingers. “It means I have fewer visions. The more time I spend around others, the more visions I get, and I would rather not have too many.”

Water nodded and didn’t seem to be upset by that explanation. The rest of the truth was that he just didn’t want to get too involved with the others. He preferred not to mix too much with other ghouls. It was just easier that way and he didn’t have much interest in getting to know them well.

“Makes sense,” Water said. “Well, if you need anything, just ask one of us. Kitchen is there, it gets restocked regularly so just eat what you want.”

Quinn thanked him and took himself off to his room. He closed the door behind him and sank down onto the floor behind it as he looked around. It was fairly large, and it had everything that he would need and more. He placed the wooden chest on the floor next to him and took a minute to breathe before he set up the room to be how he wanted it.

There was a desk in-between the two arched windows and Quinn got up and moved the desk chair over by his bed. He unpacked his bag, placing his spare clothes onto the bed and the other items on the wooden surface of the desk. He had spent so long wandering from place to place that he didn’t have too much in the way of possessions. Everything he owned fit into the one bag.

It didn’t take him long to set up the makeshift altar. Quinn lit the small candle that he had placed in the centre before kneeling down on the floor in front of it. He bowed his head and thanked the Dark Lord for giving him this opportunity to prove himself, asking for the courage to carry on. He prayed for the souls of those that he had lost.

He could see the box out of the corner of his eye and he sighed. The longer he put it off, the worse it would be, so he went and picked it up and placed it on the bed. On the wall next to the door there was a plain wooden shelf with hooks underneath, he presumed, for hanging jackets from. The location of it was perfect, though, and the shelf was just the right size. He opened the lid of the box and gently took out the first skull, unwrapping the gauze that surrounded it. He could tell by the scent of them which one was which, and he placed them one by one, side by side, onto the shelf. Ashtoreth was in the centre with their kits on either side, Zaya on the left and Lyssa on the right.

He ran his fingers gently over the three of them, trying not to think of them, but it was no use. The memory of the last time he saw the three of them together, alive, played in short bursts in his mind. Flashes of pale hair blowing in the breeze. Turquoise eyes sparkling with mischief. The sound of their laughter as they played by the lake one last time before he had to go. The feel of his mate’s fingers teasing his hair as she kissed him goodbye. Insignificant things that he had taken for granted, blissfully unaware that they would become a collection of lasts that would haunt him until his dying day.

He growled in frustration. After all of this time, the memories cut just as deep. They were home again now, though. The vision he’d had when he first arrived at the Abbey had shown him that this place was it for him. There was a happy ending here somewhere, although the ether hadn’t seen fit to show him what it would be. He hoped that this wasn’t another trick of fate, though. The last time he’d allowed himself to be contented was that ultimate day with his family, and fate had snatched them away from him. 

He wondered what cruel twist it might have in store for him this time.

Chapter Text

It felt early when a knock at the door woke Quinn. His back ached from the awkward position he’d fallen asleep in on the floor next to the door. Force of habit had made him sleep there. He knew that he probably should trust the ghouls here, but he couldn’t bring himself to just yet, so he had slept across the doorway just in case.

“Yes?” he said groggily.

“Secondo wants to see you as soon as you’re ready. Half an hour,” a voice that he recognised as Air said. He was speaking in English as Secondo had said it would help Quinn’s confidence in speaking that language if the ghouls used it around him instead of Ghoulish.

“Okay,” he said as he stretched out his back and stood up and went to get ready.

The bathroom seemed luxurious to him, but he was used to sleeping outdoors and washing in creeks and rivers, or spending occasional nights at roadside inns, so this was like a palace in comparison. He found soap and other toiletries in a drawer and used the shower. The hot water was a novelty and he didn’t let himself enjoy it for too long because he knew Secondo was waiting. He got dressed quickly and opened the door to his room a crack. Nobody was waiting in the hallway, so he stroked his fingers along the skulls in goodbye and wandered outside.

He heard voices and the sounds of mealtimes coming from the kitchen as he slowly poked his head around the doorway. All the others except for Water were there, and the conversation stopped as they looked over to him. Fire smiled and beckoned him to come in as he stood up from the dining table.

“Coffee?” he asked. Quinn didn’t know what that was, but he nodded anyway. If it was what he could smell, it would be good. “Milk? Sugar?” Fire asked.

He frowned. He'd never been too keen on sweet things, so he shook his head and Fire handed him a mug of a steaming, dark brown liquid. The first sip was bliss, and he closed his eyes, relishing the bitter but smooth taste of it. A chuckle snapped him out of his enjoyment of it, and he looked over to see Fire smirking at him.

“Never had coffee before, huh? I think we all reacted that way the first time we had it here.”

The others nodded, except for Earth.

“It is good,” Quinn said.

He heard Earth growl, and he got up from the table and went to leave, but as he went to walk past him, Quinn reached out and grabbed his arm. The tension in the room suddenly became tangible as Earth stared at Quinn’s hand in stunned silence.

“We need to figure this out. You need me more than anyone else here does. You’re too proud and stubborn to admit it, but I can feel it just the same. I know I’m never going to replace him, but don’t be a fucking idiot about it,” he said in Ghoulish.

He heard a sharp intake of breath as the others tensed up, ready for bloodshed.

“Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Me,” Earth said, his voice was so low and menacing that it set Quinn’s teeth on edge, but he didn’t let go.

He let the anger of the earth ghoul wash over him, shivering at the feel of it as he met Earth’s glowing green stare and narrowed his eyes. He knew Earth had been stewing in his anger for a while now, ever since his friend had died. It wasn’t healthy and he was taking it out on Quinn, as he had the perfect excuse to hate him on sight. That was fine, but he couldn’t carry on that way for much longer as it would take its toll on the rest of their pack, eventually. They were already suffering more than they should have been because of it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the others had stood, ready to intervene if necessary. He could feel that Earth was barely containing his rage. He wanted to lash out, but his more civilised half was stopping him. Quinn had felt the warmth of Earth’s soul as soon as he met him and he knew that the way he was acting at the moment was not him, as Secondo had already said.

The usual reaction from a quintessence ghoul in this situation would be to send some mojo to calm him down and to soothe him, but Quinn wasn’t a normal quintessence ghoul, so that was not what he did this time. He leaned in and whispered into Earth's ear.

“You need to let him go Earth. He wouldn’t want this from you. He would be so ashamed of you if he saw the way you’re hurting your pack. What kind of leader are you? It’s pathetic.”

As he suspected, that was the nerve he needed to hit to tip the ghoul over the edge. His anger spiked, and he launched himself at Quinn, who was ready for him. They dropped to the ground and he pulled Earth off balance. The two of them hit the floor, but Quinn turned so that Earth was underneath him, flat on his back.

Before the others could react, Quinn had straddled his stomach and put one hand on his throat and the other over his heart. He locked glowing eyes with him and Earth stilled, paralysed, as Quinn whispered an Infernal incantation under his breath. He closed his fist over Earth’s chest and tightened the hand that was wrapped around his throat. The spell was one that he had learned when he served Andras and it had saved his life on more than one occasion; it worked quicker than his quintessence magics and it was more effective in the long term, especially when used by a being who could wield quintessence.

His awareness of emotions became sharper and he could see the anger wrapped around Earth’s heart like barbed wire, squeezing and cutting with every heartbeat. The big ghoul gritted his teeth as Quinn latched on to the anger and unravelled it. Earth looked confused and he gasped as Quinn drew the anger out of him. He hadn’t factored in the other ghouls in the room though, and Air quickly regained his senses, grabbing Quinn by the shoulders and pulling him off Earth. He felt the spell he was using tear as he was pulled away from the downed ghoul and he snarled at Air, baring his fangs.

“What the fuck did you do to him?” Fire growled at him. He had his arm around Earth who was sitting up and hyperventilating, his wide eyes focused on Quinn with intent. "What the fuck kind of quintessence ghoul are you? What is wrong with you? Why didn’t you just mojo him like Quintessence used to do?”

Quinn realised his nose was bleeding, and he swiped his sleeve across it. He hadn’t finished the spell properly and he could feel his head aching from the jolt of the magic being halted so suddenly.

“I was trying to help him. He needs to get rid of the anger he carries and grieve properly.” Fire eyed him suspiciously, and Quinn sighed. "Secondo is not going to put up with me and him clashing all the time. I can see that’s what it’s going to be like. I don’t give a fuck what Earth thinks of me, but it will affect all of us if he doesn’t get over this and learn to accept me. I’m here now. None of us can do anything about that.”

“Just send him the mojo then and help him out! There was no need to provoke him like that!”

“You wouldn’t understand. I needed to get a reaction from him for it to work.” He looked to Earth, studying his emotions, and he noticed that he had calmed slightly, but he was glaring at him. “It almost worked. Your emotions are more even now.”

Earth laughed a humourless laugh as he stood up.

“Don’t ever fucking touch me again, and if I hear you even so much as mention Quintessence again, I will rip your fucked up quintessence right out of you.”

Earth barged past him, knocking into his shoulder, but he let him go this time.

“Come on, Secondo will be waiting. I’ll let you explain this little event to him. Way to get in his good books on your first day, Quinn,” Air said sarcastically.

They headed to Secondo’s apartments and entered when he called them in. The red hot anger of the Papa hit Quinn as soon as he walked through the door. He looked at Air, who grimaced at him.

“You are dismissed, Air. I want to speak to him alone,” Secondo gritted out.

The other ghoul made himself scarce, and Quinn closed the door behind him. He sent some quintessence mojo to Secondo and was surprised when the Papa’s anger burned even hotter. He couldn’t have known about what had just happened in the ghoul lair, so this must be about something else.

“Do not even try it, ghoul!” he snapped.

Quinn opened his mouth to speak, but Secondo shushed him and pointed to the armchair by the fireplace.

“Sit down and shut up. You and I are going to have a little chat. You will talk only when I ask you something, and you will speak the truth. Understood?”

Quinn nodded, sitting down as instructed, waiting to find out what he had done to warrant such anger.

Chapter Text

Secondo went to lean against the massive stone fireplace and stared into the flames, obviously trying to compose himself. Quinn studied him properly for the first time. It was hard to judge how old he was because of the skull paint on his face, but he guessed that he had been middle-aged when he’d bound his ghouls to him and slowed down his ageing. He had no idea how long ago that was, though.

The Papa turned his head back towards him and his gaze roamed Quinn’s face. He stared back, waiting for the reason behind the anger. Secondo had calmed enough to be reasonable now though, and he took a deep breath before speaking.

“There was no mention of Infernal magic when the Council proposed to me that I meet with you. Ghouls are not usually able to command it. You also never mentioned it when we discussed my proposal.”

Quinn frowned. He wasn’t going to be clever and say that Secondo had never asked him. Although he could be a snarky bastard, he also knew that in certain situations, and with certain individuals, that he should in fact keep his mouth shut. He had realised straight away that Secondo was one of those individuals, so he stayed quiet as he hadn’t been asked anything directly yet.

“I felt something when I bonded you last night, but I knew that you were very different to our last quintessence, so I thought I would leave it and ask you about it today. But you have been here less than twelve hours, and already I have felt the use of Infernal magics on one of my ghouls. Would you care to explain yourself?”

Shit. So Secondo did know that something had happened this morning. He raised a brow at Quinn and he remembered that Secondo seemed to be able to read thoughts and memories. Secondo smirked at him, confirming it as the truth.

“So it is true, then? You can hear the thoughts of others?” he asked, only to be met with a slow nod. Quinn sighed, realising that he wasn’t going to be able to hide much from the Papa, especially now that they were bonded. “I learned some basic spells when I was with the Legions in the various hell realms.”

Secondo raised both brows.

“Go on,” he said patiently.

Quinn had never talked about this to anyone. He hadn’t had any reason to, but he supposed that Secondo would find out sooner or later.

“I served Andras for a couple of centuries.”

Secondo chuckled and shook his head.

“Oh, this is good,” he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as if he suddenly had a headache, “and by served, you mean what?”

Quinn looked up at Secondo and, as their eyes locked, the memory of the first time he'd met Andras played through his mind in vivid detail.

Four days passed before Quinn could bring himself to bury the bodies of his mate and his daughters. A fierce storm had raged since the night that he had run home to discover they’d been brutally slain. The window of time for performing their afterlife ritual and burning their bodies had passed. It was too wet to build any kind of pyre, and the flames would not have held in this weather, anyway. His only option was to bury them by the shore of the lake.

Something inside of him had broken over the last few days. He had never been prone to violence before this, but now it was all that he could think of. It consumed his every waking moment and, as one day blurred into the next, he plotted his revenge.

The grave that he had dug with his bare hands in the wet ground was now filled in once again. The broken and abused bodies of Ashtoreth, Zaya and Lyssa lay together encased in the sodden earth, limbs wrapped around each other in death.

Quinn was on his knees as the rain hammered down relentlessly on his shoulders. He raked his hands through the dirt over and over, not wanting to leave them there in the storm, but knowing that he must. He had no more tears left to cry, and the rain echoed his misery.

The call of a raven close by made him turn his head and the hairs at the back of his neck stood on end. Quinn felt like he was being watched. He’d had the feeling for a couple of days now, but he had been too lost in his own sorrow to rationalise if there had been an actual threat there or not. He thought to himself that he was surely hallucinating because as he looked over to the tree line; he swore that he saw a pair of golden coloured eyes glowing in the darkness. Between one blink and the next, though, they were gone.

Quinn shook his head and resumed moving the earth into place. He was exhausted and numb and his rain-soaked clothes weighed him down, clinging to his skin. When he was satisfied that the grave was completed, he said a prayer to the Dark Lord to keep their souls safe and then stood. His muscles had seized up and his legs cramped as he got to his feet, but he relished the pain. It took his focus away from the agony in his chest, if only for a few moments.

Lightning flashed and illuminated the surface of the water. It churned from the rain and the wind. Without a second thought, Quinn turned towards it and waded in, slowly but surely, until the water reached his shoulders. He lay back and glared at the roiling storm clouds as he floated there, hoping that the lake would pull him under and disappointed when it didn’t.

The vision hit him, and it was an epic one. A battle raged in a valley. The ground was saturated with the black blood of countless demons as the two hordes clashed, their screams and battle cries merging into one huge cacophony of noise. A raven hovered above the battlefield, surveying the carnage. Its black form cast an ominous shadow over the warring demons, and it screeched its encouragement as the battle went on.

Quinn snapped out of it and flailed in the water, forgetting for a second where he was. He wasn’t too far out in the lake, and as another flash of lightning lit up the sky, he saw the two figures standing on the shore, watching him. The demon had fair skin and black hair, and his eyes glowed with pale gold. A pair of iridescent, black feathered wings hung behind him. Quinn didn’t think that this was the creature that he now realised had been watching him from the trees. Those golden eyes belonged to the large black hellhound who stood by his side.

The demon beckoned him out of the water, and he obeyed. As he reached the shore, he was shivering. The strain and the exhaustion of the last few days weighed heavily on him and his legs gave out as he reached them. He fell to the ground at the demon’s feet.

“We heard your misery and your desire for vengeance calling, ghoul. We are here to lend you strength and the means to accomplish that which you desire.”

Quinn looked up at him and he realised that this was the raven from his vision in a different form. The power that bled from him was without limit. He crouched down and tenderly stroked the side of Quinn’s face. He whimpered as the demon brought their faces level and he pulled him up so that he was on his knees. The face was beautiful and those eerie golden eyes studied Quinn intently. His mouth turned up into a smile as he seemed to come to some kind of realisation from his scrutiny.

“Oh, this is a stroke of luck. The fates have a strange way of working and they have finally worked in my favour. A prophet calling out to me. Come, seer, let us take care of you and set you on the path that you are destined for.”

He scooped Quinn up into his arms, and they wandered into the forest.

Quinn jumped back, eyes widening as he met Secondo’s scowl.

“How did you do that?” Quinn said. “Why was that so real?”

He swore he could still feel the dirt under his claws and feel the rain dripping down his back. Secondo ignored his question.

“Do you have a bond with Andras? Is that what I could feel last night?”

Quinn closed his eyes and nodded.

“Yes. But it has been many years since I last saw him. He holds no influence over me. It isn’t that kind of bond.”

“And you didn’t think to mention this to me? That you were already bonded to a Demon Lord?”

Quinn felt Secondo’s anger rising again, and he subconsciously tried to send him some calm.

“I do not belong to him, I told you. It isn’t the same kind of bond that I have with you. My debt to him is paid.”

Secondo seemed to accept the calming energy this time and shook his head, but Quinn could still feel the anger simmering below the surface.

“Are there any more surprises that you would care to share with me? Any other issues that are going to affect me or my ghouls? Because I have no qualms about sending you back to the Council and letting them deal with you.”

Quinn could feel Secondo’s annoyance at himself for jumping into this too quickly. He had been tempted by the prospect of the Clergy having a seer in their ranks. He had been willing to overlook the risks to rush into it before the Council executed him and it was too late. Quinn didn’t want to admit to himself that the rejection stung a bit, but he should have been more honest with Secondo. He was so used to being secretive though and not having to worry about the consequences that his decisions about his life would have on others.

The air ghoul’s words echoed in Quinn’s mind. A pang of fear grew in his chest at the thought of Secondo sending him back to the Council. Secondo scowled at him again. He must have felt his panic through their newly formed bond at the ulterior motive that he had sensed the air ghoul had.

“The Council didn’t want me to come here. They tried to provoke me to violence whilst they were drawing up the paperwork yesterday. I think they wanted an excuse not to send me here.”

“Why would they do that?” Secondo asked.

“The air ghoul. He made a comment about keeping me locked up and drugging me to create visions. I thought he was just being a dick, but now I’m not so sure. It was only the intervention of the Council seer that stopped me from attacking him.”

Quinn was bonded to Secondo now, so he had to stay on this plane, but the Council had the final say in what happened to all the Clergy ghouls on Earth. He wouldn’t put it past them to order that he be kept at the Abbey indefinitely and used for the visions. The very idea of being held in a constant state of being linked to the ether was the one thing that scared Quinn the most. And it took a lot to scare him.

He found himself doing something that he very rarely did. In fact, there were only two other beings that he had ever trusted enough to make himself that vulnerable to. The thought of them keeping him drugged to artificially force visions out of him was his absolute worst nightmare, so he opened himself up fully and bared his soul to Secondo. He prayed that this would prove to him that he would not have to involve the Council.

Chapter Text

When Quinn looked up, Secondo was frowning at him, and he cast his eyes downwards. The Papa sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose again before he went to sit on one of the chairs opposite Quinn. He wasn’t sure what snippets of thoughts and memories would have been plucked from his mind just then, but Secondo would have been given a rough idea about Quinn’s state of mind and about his motivations. At least he wasn’t angry anymore.

“We need to start again and lay down some rules,” Secondo said, sounding tired all of a sudden. “I had not anticipated this. I was told you were interesting, but I did not expect you to be so... broken.”

Quinn felt his eyes flash with blue flames and he was pissed at himself for letting that comment get to him. He’d thought his skin was thicker than that. He had shown Secondo his soul through their bond, and it had taken a lot for him to do that. He’d realised that he was bonded to Secondo for life now, and the Papa had put faith in him by accepting him even though it was a risk. The least that he could do was show some honesty and good faith. Clearly he had been found lacking, though, and as much as he wanted to shrug it off, it hurt. Secondo noticed his annoyance.

“I mean no disrespect to you, and I realised just now that you actually possess many skills that we can utilise in the future, but my ghouls need help with their healing right now, si? They are not functioning as they should be. The balance that we had has been upset since Quintessence was killed, and they need you to restore it.”

Again, Quinn didn’t know why he took exception to that. He was powerful, always had been, and despite the visions, his quintessence had always been much more than merely adequate. He understood what Secondo meant though, because since the night that had broken him, he had rarely used it in the way it had been intended.

“I can still heal. I am not so broken that I’ve forgotten how to ease the suffering of others. I can shut down my nature when I want to, but if I don’t, it still bleeds out by itself. Earth was a special case. I was trying to help him and that spell was the fastest way I knew how.”

Secondo offered him a half smile.

“The Council assured me that the seer had placed you here with us in her vision. She is never wrong, so we will just have to trust her. From what I just saw, it has been a while since you have functioned as a true quintessence ghoul. Aside from your other talents, that is what I need from you right now, that is what my ghouls need.”

Quinn nodded.

“I can use my basic quintessence to help them then, if that is what you want me to do. This whole Clergy thing is new to me. I don’t play well with others usually, but I will try my best.”

Secondo held his gaze for a few heartbeats, but he seemed happy enough with that.

“I want to make it clear to you that I will protect my ghouls by any means necessary. You are mine now also, but if I feel you are a threat to any of them, I will deal with that threat myself. You do not need to worry about me involving the Council.”

Quinn admired Secondo for the sheer balls of admitting that he would go against Ghoul Council protocols and it made him respect the Papa even more. He was thankful for that, at least. Secondo must have picked up on his fear of falling back into the Council’s hands, so he would bypass them and sort it out himself if he needed to.

“I appreciate you taking my wishes into consideration, thank you, but I do not pose a threat to the other ghouls.”

“I hope not, but you understand that we will keep a close eye on you for the time being, si? And I’m sure that in time you will trust me enough to tell me about why you fear the Council’s threat so much, but I realise that some things are not easy to talk about and I will not push it.”

“Thank you Secondo,” Quinn said.

“Well, let us set out the boundaries then, so that you know where you stand. My first rule is going to be absolutely no Infernal magics unless I expressly allow it. Do you understand?”

Quinn raised his eyes again and nodded his agreement.

“Good. I’m going to get Primo’s quintessence, Zephyr, to come and see you. I think that you need to spend some time with him to establish what will be expected of you here. He is old, but he is powerful and he has been the epitome of representing your species when it comes to what a quintessence ghoul should do. You have never lived amongst humans before, no?”

Quinn shook his head, and Secondo pursed his lips.

“We will start with the basics, then. This is the second rule. Humans are fragile, the Clergy’s ghouls do mix with the humans, but at all times and in all situations they must be mindful of this. We do have a few ghulehs here who belong to the lesser Clergy members, but there are also many Siblings who enjoy entertaining ghouls. This must be done with the implicit consent of the Siblings, though. I’m sure the other ghouls will fill you in on human/ghoul etiquette.”

Quinn frowned. He hadn’t even thought about that side of things here. He had no interest in ghulehs anyway, but he would have to ask the others about dealing with humans.

“This brings me to the third rule. The same goes for the other ghouls, as well. Relations are permitted and encouraged as we know how you can all get with each other, especially when you are living and working together in such close proximity. However, any relationships here should not interfere with your work. Two of my ghouls are bonded, Fire and Water, but their home relationship is separate from their working relationship and they know this. It does not interfere with their duties. Ever.”

Quinn smirked to himself when he thought about that. Secondo didn’t need to worry about him forming any kind of relationship or bonding with anyone here. He would rather be alone.

“Rule number four. We are a family. Closer than a family. You, me, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. I expect my ghouls’ behaviour to be impeccable at all times in my presence and in the presence of the other Clergy members. My word is law within the Clergy, and if you have any issues with the things that I say or do, you bring them up with me in private. Even if behind closed doors we are at loggerheads, we always present a united front to outsiders, si?”

That made sense to him, and he nodded again.

“Rule number five is very important. When you are outside of the Abbey’s grounds, you must wear glamour to appear human at all times. You can do this, si? You will be accompanying me as protection from time to time, and I do allow my ghouls to play in the human world if they so desire. Sometimes they go out to find partners and to have fun, but they must always stay together. Do you understand all the rules I just mentioned?”

“I do. And yes, I can glamour myself.”

All ghouls were taught at a young age how to change their features. It didn’t take too much energy to do it and it was especially useful on Earth. Humans would probably freak out if they saw a ghoul’s true appearance: fangs and horns and claws.

“Excellent. I will ask Zephyr to come and find you later today.”

Quinn bristled a bit at being babysat, but it would be good to have another of his kind to be around. It had been a long, long time since he’d properly connected with another quintessence ghoul. He sought them out now and then for a recharge. He had an acquaintance back in their home dimension who he went to if he needed it, but there was no real emotional connection. It was an exchange of energy and sometimes some physical contact to ease his soul. He resented the fact that his quintessential nature craved the company of others. It would also be good to have someone who had been here a while to show him how things worked.

“Air!” Secondo said in a loud voice. The door to his apartment opened and the dark-haired ghoul who must have waited in the hallway stepped inside. “Will you get Water to show Quinn around the Abbey please? We will give him the weekend to get settled in, and he can report to me on Monday for duties.”

“Sure, will do.”

Quinn got up to leave and Secondo held out his hand to him. He shook it and felt Secondo send him some reassuring energy. He was taken aback for a second, as it was almost like quintessence, but not as potent.

“Any problems Quinn, come and find me. I am always here for my ghouls. And remember what I said. No Infernal magic!”

Quinn smirked and nodded before turning to leave and follow Air.

“You’re still here then?” Air said. “He was pissed when we arrived. I was so glad it was you and not me he wanted to see.”

“I think he expected something different from what he got.”

Air laughed.

“You aren’t wrong.” He shrugged. Quinn halted and Air turned to him, looking confused. “What is it?” 

But Quinn didn’t answer him as he lost himself to the vision.

Chapter Text

The visions rarely took too long in real time, a second or two maybe. Sometimes, though, the more significant ones would feel like they went on for hours. Often a vision played out in the background of his mind whilst Quinn was doing something else. Sometimes he zoned out, but other times he could be mid sentence and nobody could even tell that anything was happening to him.

This one had him zoning out for a couple of seconds. He blinked when he came back around. Air’s concerned face hovered in front of him.

“You okay? What was that?” he said, resting a hand on Quinn’s shoulder.

He might as well get this over with. This would happen all the time so they’d all have to get used to it.

“Vision.”

Air raised his eyebrows, his mouth shaping into an O.

“Wow. Okay. Anything juicy?”

Quinn actually laughed, and it struck him that he couldn’t remember the last time someone had properly made him laugh.

“No, I don’t think so. Just a warning. Blonde human woman, pretty, but with a miserable face?”

Air laughed this time.

“Imperator? Oh, this will be good.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like she’s happy with Secondo. But it doesn’t seem like anything too earth shattering,” he said with a shrug.

“Nothing new there, then. You hungry? Water is at the canteen. He’s been on an early security shift so we can grab something while we’re there. It might be busy though. The Siblings will be eating breakfast.”

“Yes, I could eat something.”

Quinn was glad that Air didn’t seem too fazed by the vision. It was often made into a big deal by others, but he’d just seemed to accept it.

Air led them towards the back part of the Abbey.

“How often do you get the visions?”

“Most days, but usually it is little insignificant things, not the big stuff. Although I don’t know what will happen here, it's busy,” he said as they reached the canteen doorway and stopped on the threshold.

Air was not wrong when he’d said it would be busy. Siblings filled most of the tables, chatting, laughing, and eating breakfast. He willed the ether to keep away from him for the next few minutes and thankfully, it wasn’t too bad.

Quinn could feel the eyes on them as they walked through the room to get to the table where Water was sitting with two other older ghouls. He supposed a new ghoul would be big news in a place like this, and he could feel the ripple of excitement as they passed the humans. He also sensed a different kind of excitement from some of the Siblings. It was the thrill of lust from the ones Secondo must have been referring to when he said that some of them liked to entertain the ghouls. He supposed he would be considered fresh meat to them. He met the eyes of a couple, but he didn’t think he saw anything of interest to him there. Most of them were probably just curious about him.

He had grown used to attention over the course of his life, but that didn’t mean that he liked it. Apparently, the combination of blonde hair and blue eyes was attractive. The demons he had fought with in the legions had jokingly referred to him as Angelus, as he resembled many of the angels of Jehovah. Unfortunately, the nickname had stuck. That was one reason he kept his mop of blonde hair messy. He had eventually given up trying to make himself look less appealing though because it seemed like whatever he did it made no difference to them. His scowl was usually enough to deter those who approached him, but sometimes some fang was necessary to get the message across to the more persistent ones.

The ghouls at the table looked up at them. Water sat with a fire ghoul and a quintessence who must have been Zephyr. He frowned momentarily at Quinn, but then he stood up and threw his arms around him. Quinn was stunned for a second, but he felt the energy that his fellow ghoul was sending him. He closed his eyes and sagged into it. The older ghoul whispered into his ear.

“Welcome home, child.”

He breathed in Zephyr’s scent and he let it comfort him. It wasn’t often that he had this reaction to someone else from the first time they met. In fact, the only other time it had happened had been the first time he’d met Ashtoreth. That long hidden memory inconveniently pushed its way to the surface.

Once every season, the neighbouring villages got together to celebrate the solstice with a hunt and a party afterward. Quinn rarely attended. He lived on the outskirts away from the others and he didn’t mix with them generally. It was easier for him to disappear for weeks at a time without notice if he didn’t strike up any friendships. They came to him for healing or to ask for his opinion on something on occasion, though. They speculated amongst themselves that he was a seer, but he had never confirmed or denied it. He laughed it off that he was just intuitive, and they left it at that. But when the villagers had an important decision to make, or a bad feeling about something, they would come to him for advice. Usually he could put their minds at rest or steer them in the right direction from the bits of intuition and the minor visions he had when they interacted.

This season, though, the ether had nudged him toward the neighbouring village where the festival would be taking place. He kept to the edges and a few approached him for conversation. He received respectful nods and greetings, though, and those that he had helped in the past brought him food and drinks and exchanged polite pleasantries. He found himself relaxing in their presence. Even with this many others nearby, he thanked his fortune for being spared any visions tonight.

The alcohol he had consumed had sent a pleasant tingle coursing through him as he watched the festivities. Some of the local ghulehs were dancing by the fire to the music being played by the band, and that’s when he saw her. A flash of pale hair whipped around as she spun and she was laughing at something one of her friends had said to her. She was quintessence also, but that was not what he noticed first about her. She had a spark of life in her soul that was so beautiful and unusual that it completely mesmerised him.

He knew that she felt his presence there, as she stole a glance at him now and then, but she continued having fun with the other ghulehs. Quinn noticed how their little group drew the stares of many of the other ghouls, and he wondered if one of them belonged to her.

The ghulehs dispersed and went to get drinks from the table where the feast was laid out. A couple of ghouls went over to chat with them, but the pale-haired ghuleh did not interact with them beyond polite responses. Quinn felt another presence next to him, which broke him out of his trance and as he looked up, he met the amused stare of a black-haired air ghuleh. She was one of the ones who had been dancing by the fire. She tilted her head as she looked at him and a half smile played on her lips.

“Go and talk to her.” He frowned. “Don’t play dumb. I saw the way you've been looking at each other. I’m giving fate a helping hand because she is too stubborn to come and speak to you herself. Go and make her night.”

He smirked at the feisty ghuleh.

“And what if she doesn’t want to talk to me?”

She threw her head back and laughed before raking her gaze down his body and then back up to his face.

“If it was me, we wouldn’t be doing too much talking. But I assure you she will be very interested in anything you want to do with her.”

She winked and spun around, walking back towards the others.

Quinn shook his head and smiled, suddenly nervous. He sought out ghulehs and sometimes other ghouls on his travels, but that was just basic itch-scratching. This was something else entirely, though. He didn’t need a vision to tell him that. Why was his heart suddenly beating faster and why were his palms so clammy? He took a deep breath and stood, keeping to the edges of the light cast by the torches and the fire.

The ghulehs were sitting around one of the rough wooden tables, drinking and chatting. Their conversation ceased when they realised Quinn was there. The air ghuleh smirked at him but he only had eyes for the pale-haired one. Her eyes met his, and he felt her spark glow brighter when she noticed him.

“Hello quintessence," she said as she grinned. “Where did you come from?”

Quinn inwardly kicked himself as he said, “Over there,” like an idiot, but the ghuleh laughed.

“Oh, a funny one,” she said as her turquoise coloured eyes sparkled. She stood up and walked over to him, and he knew that her scent was going to become addictive to him as soon as he registered it. “Come on then, get me another drink. All of that dancing has made me thirsty.”

She had a mischievous glint in her eye as she took his hand and pulled him over towards the feast table. 

Her friends all whistled and cackled as they left, and Quinn knew for definite that he was in big, big trouble here.

Chapter Text

Zephyr let go of Quinn and studied him.

“It’s so nice to have another quintessence ghoul join us. I’m sure we will see a lot of each other.” He narrowed his eyes. “Whether we want to or not, it seems.”

Quinn had almost forgotten how perceptive those of his kind were, and he frowned, but Zephyr smiled warmly at him and squeezed his shoulder. He looked to Water, who grinned at him and beckoned for them to sit. Air went to get them something to eat, Quinn said he wasn’t fussy about what he had and the other ghoul soon came back with bacon sandwiches and more coffee. He realised he hadn’t finished the one Fire gave him earlier because of what happened with Earth, and this one seemed to taste even better.

“Secondo wants you to show Quinn around, Water. He’s reporting for duty on Monday, so he will need his kit sorting out,” Air said.

The water ghoul nodded, his mouth full of food.

“I’m Zephyr, by the way, and this is Vukan. We are Primo’s ghouls.” Quinn smiled at them both. “I see we are drawing a bit of attention from the Siblings,” he said as he looked around.

Air smirked.

“We don’t usually eat in here. Secondo prefers us to keep to ourselves. We are allowed to mix, but he doesn’t like us to be too public about it. He doesn’t want the humans to get too complacent around us and for us to be seen as too human-like,” he said as he rolled his eyes.

Just then, a Sister of Sin approached the table. Quinn could feel it had taken her a little while to pluck up the courage and he felt the eyes of her friends on them. They must have encouraged her. Her bravery faltered though when the eyes of all five ghouls swung to her, and it finally broke when Air snarled.

“What is it, Sister?” 

Her eyes widened and she mumbled, “Nothing.” before hurrying back to her friends.

Water hid a laugh with his fist and Quinn cursed himself for feeling sorry for her.

“Well, she won’t be trying that again," Zephyr said.

“Come on, we’d better go and finish this somewhere else before we end up having to bite someone," Water said with amusement. They picked up their things, said goodbye to Zephyr and Vukan, and headed out into the gardens.

The morning was sunny, but Quinn guessed it was midwinter, as it was bitterly cold. He shivered as soon as they stepped outside, but he tried to hide it. It was a lot colder on earth than in the hell dimensions and realms, so he would have to just get used to it. Air had noticed, though.

“Oh, we need to get you something warmer to wear, don’t we? We can go and stock up when we’ve finished breakfast. I’m guessing you don’t have anything suitable for cold weather, and we need to pick your uniforms up, anyway.”

Water nodded and they finished eating in silence.

The clothes they needed were at the laundry, which was at the back of the Abbey. Air was on bodyguard duty, so he left them to go and be with Secondo. When Water and Quinn arrived, they found the Sister who was watching the desk lost in a book, reading. Water cleared his throat and she jumped, startled. There was a momentary flash of shock when she realised that two large ghouls were there, but she quickly recovered and smiled shyly at them. Quinn could tell she felt nervous in their presence, but she covered it well.

“We’ve come to pick up Quinn’s uniforms, and he’ll need some other things, too. A jacket, boots, warmer stuff, the basics really.”

She slid her eyes over to him and met his gaze, giving him a once over. He tilted his head as he studied her back. This one did interest him in ways that the other Siblings earlier hadn’t.

Being quintessence and having the intuition that came with being a seer, Quinn picked up on a lot of things that were happening below the surface when he met people. If he really took the time to look, that is. He could tell a lot about what kind of person they were from the type of soul they had, but he could also sense the things that made them tick. He could sense the things that had shaped them into who they were.

He sensed that this Sister liked the look of him even though the ghouls usually made her nervous. She didn’t think he would notice or be attracted to her because she had a low opinion of herself. She was a bit of a loner and fiercely independent, but she’d been hurt badly by a human male recently. She wasn’t interested in a relationship with anyone because of it. He sensed that she had a lot of pent-up frustrations though, and that maybe she had a bit of an adventurous streak that she’d never let herself explore. She was perfect, and he would maybe seek her out in the future once he had established what the rules were here and gotten settled in.

She went into professional mode and smiled confidently at them.

“Okay, let me see what I’ve got. Take a seat and I will sort you out.”

“Thank you, Sister...?” Water said expectantly.

“Sister Martha.”

“Sister Martha,” he said with a charming smile. Quinn glanced at him sideways and he shrugged as she turned her back and went into another room to gather what they needed. “You should thank me. Now you know who to ask for.”

Quinn frowned.

“Was it that obvious?”

Water laughed.

“Well, she’s the first Sibling that you haven’t scowled at, so I figured you liked her. She’s sweet.”

It took her a while, but she came back with a large box full of clothes. Quinn jumped up and went to take it off her, as she looked like she was struggling with it.

“Oh, thanks,” she said with a warm smile. “Try the boots on before you leave to check they fit, but I think everything else should be okay. If you need anything else, just ask for me.”

Quinn thanked her and tried the boots. Luckily they were fine. They left, heading back up to the lair to drop off the clothes.

“So I’ll give you the tour of the Abbey and the grounds. Maybe get changed and bring the jacket with you as you felt how cold it is out there right now," Water said as they entered the lair.

Earth and Fire were playing a card game in the living room when they walked in and they both looked up. Earth took in the box and nodded to Water as they passed. Quinn carried on to his room, not wanting to get into anything else with him today.

He dumped the box on the bed and had a quick look through it for the things he needed. He found a black top that looked warm, made from some kind of wool, and a jacket made from leather. They both pretty much fit him perfectly. He would put everything away later, so he left it where it was for now.

The building seemed very old and it was grand. It was similar to the Council buildings but made from a different kind of stone. Quinn thought it would be a little while before he got his bearings, as there were so many corridors and extensions to remember. He had a good sense of direction, though, so hopefully it wouldn’t take too long. Water said he would be partnered up with someone for the most part anyway, so he shouldn’t get too lost until he knew his way around.

The final place they visited before they went out to explore the gardens was the library. Quinn didn’t think he’d ever seen so many books in one place before and Water laughed when he saw the look of wonder on his face.

“Bookworm, huh?”

Quinn wasn’t sure what that was, but he presumed it was someone who loved books, so he nodded. All of that knowledge in one place. There were lots of places to sit and read dotted around, and various Siblings and members of the Clergy were studying and looking for books. He thought that maybe he would spend some time here when he got the chance.

“There are so many books!”

“Well, we can call in on the way back up to the lair if you like. You can grab some books to take back with you,” Water said.

“Oh, we can borrow them?”

“Yes, most of them. Some are only for the higher Clergy members though. Secondo has his own library for the occult stuff. Wait until you see that!”

They went to look around outside and Water showed him the woods where the ghouls ran, plus the land out the back of the Abbey. It was huge, and Quinn looked forward to spending some time out here in nature. In the gardens there was a section for herbs which would be useful for some of the little rituals he did from time to time. If he needed to tap into the ether, then there were certain herbs and plants that would help. He’d also noticed a store of ingredients and candles etc. in the apothecary so he would have to ask Secondo about that.

Water hadn’t mentioned that the other ghouls were particularly devout in worshipping the Dark Lord, but Quinn had always made sure to offer his prayers and devotion, even when he was on the road. He thought that it was maybe a generational thing. The others were much younger than he was, so maybe that was something he should ask Zephyr about, as he only seemed to be a little older than Quinn was.

On the way back, as promised, they stopped off at the library again and Quinn chose a few books to take back to the lair with him. A couple were in Ghoulish but he made sure to choose mostly books written in English so that he could practice more. Water had some errands to run for Secondo, so he left Quinn to find his own way back up to the lair.

He took the books to his room and saw a basket on the floor outside his door. It was filled with various foodstuffs, and the tag that was attached to it read,

Welcome to Earth. Here are a few things to help you settle in.

Primo.

Quinn noticed Ghoulish tea and some sweet treats along with what looked like the human equivalents of them. It was a nice gesture and he would be sure to thank him for it tomorrow.

He took the basket into his room and put the books on the table next to the bed. His stomach rumbled and he realised that he was hungry. It was almost dinnertime so he went to the kitchen to see what he could find. There would be something that he recognised, hopefully.

He filled a plate with some meat and fruit that he found in the fridge. There was also some bread that looked similar to what they had back home and he filled a large glass with water. As he turned around to pick them up, he jumped. Earth was standing in the doorway. He’d been so preoccupied with figuring out what was what with the food that he hadn’t even registered someone else was there.

Earth’s eyes glowed green as they met his own and his glowed with blue fire in response. He didn’t sense much anger coming from Earth, though, surprisingly.

“You’re right. We need to sort this out," the bigger ghoul said.

Quinn raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yes, the sooner we can figure it out, the better. So what do you suggest?” he replied, subconsciously sending some quintessence Earth’s way.

He closed his eyes and seemed to absorb it, but then quickly snapped them open again, regarding Quinn with intensity. His lip curled back from his fangs as a low growl vibrated in his chest.

Quinn’s brow furrowed as he suddenly realised what Earth needed from him.

This was a difficult one for him, and he held Earth’s gaze and tilted his head as he considered it.

He had only ever allowed one other to wield that kind of power over him. But the constant struggle for dominance that he sensed would become a regular occurrence was going to cause more issues than was necessary within their pack. Earth’s eyes glowed brighter and Quinn saw him clench his fists, the only tell from his otherwise unnatural stillness. He thought about the implications of this decision, but he resigned himself and made the call.

Quinn dropped his eyes to the ground in submission and Earth rumbled out a purr.

Chapter Text

“My room. Now,” Earth bit out.

Quinn closed his eyes briefly and sighed before calmly walking towards the door. Earth stepped out of his way and he passed him, but he felt the ghoul looming close behind as he made his way down the hallway. He didn’t pause when he reached the correct door. He opened it and stepped inside the room. He came to a stop at the foot of the bed and turned around to face the bigger ghoul. The earthy scent that permeated the space made his head swim and he kept his eyes on the ground as he heard the door quietly closing and the lock clicking into place.

“Off.” Quinn flicked his eyes up to see the earth ghoul gesturing at him and he slowly removed his top. He folded it and carefully placed it on the arm of the sofa before hesitating. “Off,” the ghoul repeated. He stripped the rest of the way, adding the pants to the pile.

Currents of air gently brushed his skin as Earth prowled around him, dragging a claw across the naked flesh of his shoulders, his chest, and down his abs. He tried not to flinch too much at the sharp points raking his skin. The claws circled the demon’s mark that rested just inside of Quinn’s hip bone.

“Interesting. What’s this?” he said as his claw continued to scrape over the sensitive skin of the brand. Quinn shuddered but he didn’t answer. He knew the question was rhetorical. Earth did one more circuit around him before coming to a stop. “So pretty," he whispered, and Quinn felt himself growing reluctantly hard at the praise. Of course, the earth ghoul noticed. “Very interesting," he said as Quinn closed his eyes again and his breath hitched.

“Over there, in front of the mirror. Put your hands on the desk.”

Earth directed him towards the wooden desk at the edge of the room. Quinn bristled at the order, but his traitorous cock gave an interested twitch as he did as he was told. He stood facing the mirror with his hands splayed on the wooden surface, as instructed. He kept his gaze downcast.

Earth went to get something from a drawer next to the bed before coming to stand behind him. He was a good few inches taller than Quinn, and a fair bit wider. The strength of him was evident just by looking at him, and Quinn felt engulfed by it. He knew that he was safe with Earth though, he could feel it through the bond they shared with Secondo.

Quinn heard a rustle of clothing and a wet sound as Earth got himself ready. A hand gripped his hair and his head was pulled up, putting his face level with the mirror.

“Look at me.” Quinn obeyed and met Earth's gaze in the mirror. His pupils were blown and a ring of green fire danced around the edges of them as he brought his mouth near to Quinn’s ear. His voice was like gravel and it gave him chills. “You need to be shown your place. I will take you in hand any time I need to. This is my pack and I keep its members in line. Secondo summoned you because he needed quintessence and because he needed a little something extra for his team. But that doesn’t make you special, it makes you a commodity. Don’t ever forget it. And that little display in front of the others earlier? That will not happen again. Are we clear?”

Quinn nodded and felt Earth nudge his knees farther apart. The ghoul was still clothed behind him, but he felt the slick head of him settle into place as he manoeuvred himself, holding eye contact through the mirror the whole time.

“Speak. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” he gritted out, and he couldn’t help the shiver that ran through him.

It was the primal instinct of fear, fear of being at the mercy of a bigger, stronger creature, and it was hard to ignore. Earth knew exactly what he was thinking, though, and he smirked.

“Look at yourself. I want you to see what happens when I own you.”

He moved his gaze across and stared at his own reflection. His pupils had also dilated most of the way, and his pale blue eyes glowed with quintessence fire. His lips were parted and he could see his fangs. He licked his lips and panted as the earth ghoul slowly breached him and sank his way in. His eyes rolled back and he tipped his head to rest on Earth’s shoulder.

“Look. At. Yourself,” he growled.

Quinn gritted his teeth and groaned as the ghoul finally seated himself all the way. It hurt. The sheer size of him was enough to bring tears to prick at his eyes. When he looked back at himself, his cheeks were flushed and he held perfectly still, trying to prepare himself for what he knew was coming next.

Just for a second, Earth’s carefully constructed wall of dominance cracked and some of the sorrow that he’d bottled up trickled out. Quinn inhaled sharply at the sting of it. Earth rested his cheek on the back of his neck, nuzzling it, and Quinn sent him some of his mojo. That snapped Earth out of it though, and he growled in frustration. Any gentleness disappeared, and he fucked Quinn completely.

He watched his reflection as the bigger ghoul lost himself in his lust. Earth gripped Quinn’s hips with his claws, drawing blood from him. He closed his eyes and took what he was being given, getting pushed closer to the edge with every thrust. Quinn could sense that Earth was close, too. His strokes had become more erratic, but he suddenly slowed. He ground his hips, slowly dragging himself along Quinn’s prostate, causing him to gasp and spasm underneath him.

“Touch yourself," Earth growled next to his ear. “Look at me while you do it. Think about me while you do it.”

Quinn tried to catch his breath as he braced with one arm on the desk. He raised his eyes to Earth’s reflection again and dropped his left hand to stroke himself. The gentle touch of his own hand contradicted the brutal hold that Earth still had on his hips and the bittersweet feeling of fullness from the still very hard ghoul inside of him.

Earth bared his fangs in a feral smile and began to move again. Quinn knew he wasn’t going to last long now. The helpless feeling of giving up his control to another was heady, not just because of its rarity, but because he probably needed this just as much as Earth did. It had been so long since he’d belonged anywhere and he didn’t want to admit to himself that he would do whatever it took to make this work. Even if it meant submitting to Earth.

Quinn’s eyes rolled back again as he felt himself letting go, felt his balls tightening up in readiness. Earth’s hand moved from his hip to grab his hair again, forcing him to look at their reflection in the mirror.

“I. Said. Look. At. Me," Earth gritted out between thrusts.

Quinn met his eyes again and broke apart as Earth’s hand dropped in front of them to cover his own. The jets of hot seed covered them and his belly as Earth joined him, burying himself up to the hilt and growling into his ear as he came.

Their harsh breaths rang out in the silence of the room and Earth rubbed his hand across Quinn’s stomach, spreading the cooling wetness there. He dropped his face to the back of his shoulder and gave him a bite that was firm enough to leave a mark, but not quite enough to break the skin.

“Stay there, don’t move,” he said as he pulled out and walked away into the bathroom.

Quinn propped himself up on his elbows. His legs were weak and he tried to calm his racing heart.

Earth returned a moment later with a washcloth. He gently wiped it over Quinn’s stomach and around his thighs, catching any mess that had gathered there. He felt strong hands on his shoulders as Earth spun him around to face him. He took his chin and tilted his head back so that they were face to face.

“Are we going to have any more problems?” Quinn shook his head. “Use your words, Quinn.”

“No, Earth.”

“Good boy," he said, placing a kiss in the middle of his forehead. “Get dressed and get out.”

He stepped back and went into the bathroom without another word, closing the door behind him. Quinn released a harsh breath and quickly dressed as he’d been told to do.

He could hear that some of the others were back. There were sounds of movement coming from the kitchen and he took a deep breath before stepping out into the hallway to face them. He would have to walk past the kitchen to get back to his own room. The others would know exactly what had happened. Aside from Quinn being covered in Earth's scent, they had probably heard some of it, depending on how long they’d been there.

“Hey Quinn,” Water said nonchalantly when he stepped into view.

He glanced at them and raised his hand in greeting, but he carried on past them down to the end of the hallway. It didn’t bother him that they knew, but he needed to be by himself for a while to sort out his headspace.

When he reached his room, he locked the door behind him and knelt before his makeshift altar to contemplate what had just happened.

Chapter Text

Quinn spent his second evening on Earth locked in his room, reading one of the books he had taken from the library. He couldn’t figure out how he felt about what had happened with Earth. For now, offering his submission had been the right thing to do, though. He hoped that Earth would be more accepting of him if he didn’t see him as a threat, and that the rest of them could heal from losing Quintessence. Quinn could deal with being the bottom of the pile for the time being. It made no difference to him. He was the newest ghoul, after all, so he would always have had to prove himself, anyway.

It still stung, though. It had been a long time since he’d been the people-pleaser quintessence ghoul trying to keep the peace and he'd forgotten how much he resented that side of himself. That’s what Secondo wanted from him. He wanted a traditional quintessence ghoul for the time being and had made that very clear. So Quinn would do what he could to restore the balance and worry about his own wounded pride later.

He glanced over to the shelf where the skulls of his family sat and he sighed. If it wasn’t for one stupid decision, his life would have been so, so different. He knew that he shouldn’t think like that. What he had done had been the right thing to do, whichever way he looked at it. It was so hard not to be bitter when he was the one who'd had to pay the price, though. He tried to resist thinking about it. In his current state of mind, and with the upheaval of the last few days, he didn’t have the mental energy to push the memory back down where it belonged.

He woke with a start. The cry of some nocturnal bird had startled him from his sleep. Ashtoreth stirred beside him and snuggled into his side. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes again.

The vision hit him hard and without warning.

A coven of witches gathered on the outskirts of a village not too far from them; the village where Ashtoreth's family lived. Their pet ghouls waited silently nearby for their orders. The pale moonlight glinted from the inscriptions on the dull metal collars around their necks.

Someone in the village had betrayed them, offering their kin as slaves for the humans. The witches had come to retrieve their merchandise.

They should not have been able to breach the barrier between worlds. Humans should never have been able to make it here into the hell dimensions, so some powerful sorcery must have been involved.

The leader gave the order and the ghouls went to fetch their brethren. It was a slaughter. The villagers were no match for the highly trained ghouls who were under the control of the witches. Before long, they had gathered twelve ghouls and ghulehs in the market square. The village burned around them and the cries of the dying who were left behind were the last thing Quinn heard before he snapped out of it.

The moon in the vision had been full, and the full moon was five days from now.

He registered Ashtoreth’s concerned face when he came around and he sat up, taking deep breaths to try to calm his racing heart. The bedroom door flew open and Zaya ran inside.

“Did you see it too?”

The guilt he felt every time she experienced a vision stabbed at his heart and he ran a hand down his face. His curse had thankfully missed Lyssa, but Zaya had not been so fortunate. It usually skipped a generation. Quinn's was passed down from his grandsire, although his sire had held a touch of it. That was one reason he had tried to stay away from the Council for most of his life.

There were two types of seer. Some ghouls were just unlucky and would be randomly born with it. Others, like Quinn, it ran in families. It was that type of seer who was the most secretive. There were many in power who would think nothing of taking a seer such as him and keeping them to use for visions and to breed from. They had ways of forcing both of these things. It had been drummed into Quinn from an early age that he should avoid being captured at all costs. This was one reason that he had cut all ties with his family and wandered off on his own as soon as he was old enough. It was also the reason that Quinn and Ashtoreth had made sure that Zaya did not, under any circumstances, talk about her visions to anyone outside of their little family. Not even her grandparents.

“Yes. I saw it,” he said, weary already because he knew what he would have to do.

Since he left his family almost three centuries ago, he had wandered from place to place, relying on the visions to guide him. He’d saved lives and changed the course of fate countless times, stopping the visions of death and destruction from coming to fruition. He had tapped into the ether to guide him on many an occasion, but around sixty seasons ago, something had told Quinn he needed to settle down and take a break. That was when he had settled on the outskirts of the village in the cottage by the lake. He'd decided to only act on the worst of the visions. He had liked to call it his retirement, and he’d been happy in his own way to help the villagers with healing and a touch of foresight. Fate had rewarded him with his mate and his daughters, or so he’d thought.

They settled back down to sleep for the rest of the night, but at first light, he left the three of them to warn the village elders.

He looked back over his shoulder and waved goodbye. The kits looked so much like their mother now it was unreal. In a few seasons, they’d be fully grown and he would have to worry about ghouls sniffing around them, but not yet. He smiled as they waved goodbye, not realising that acting on this particular vision would be the thing that would change the course of his future.

Fate had finally decided that he had interfered one too many times.

Quinn stood up and stretched out his aching shoulders. He needed to get out of there. Some fresh air would do him good and clear his head maybe, so he grabbed his jacket and left his room. Earth and Air were in the living room as he passed and he stopped in the doorway. Earth looked up, gave him a once over and nodded a greeting.

“Off out somewhere?” he rumbled.

“Just needed some air.”

“Want some company?” Air asked him.

Quinn tilted his head. He had wanted some alone time, but now that Air had offered, he thought maybe the company would be nice. He nodded.

“Give me a minute then,” he said as he jumped up and went to his room to get his jacket and boots. Quinn hovered in the doorway.

“You okay?” Earth asked him.

Quinn frowned.

“Fine.”

“You seem rattled,” the earth ghoul said.

Quinn sensed genuine concern and it surprised him.

“It‘s nothing some fresh air won’t sort out.” 

The big ghoul held his gaze for a couple of seconds as if trying to figure out if he was lying and then nodded.

“Okay. Just let one of us know if you have any issues. Contrary to what you probably think I do care about my pack.”

Quinn didn’t know what to say to that so he just nodded. He heard Air leaving his room and they headed off outside.

The sky was clear and it was freezing, but it was exactly what Quinn needed to clear the fluff out of his head.

“Smoke?” Air said as he offered him a packet of something. He laughed when Quinn frowned. “Oh, I forget all this is new to you. Here, try it.”

He lit a cigarette and handed it to him. He took a drag and coughed. They had something similar back home and he thanked Air. They walked in silence towards the woods before Air spoke.

“Listen, we all miss Quintessence, and it must be hard for you having to replace him. I know it isn’t an excuse for Earth, but he is very protective of us all. You are nothing like what Quintessence was.”

“So they keep telling me," he said sarcastically.

Air huffed a laugh.

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing. But Earth doesn’t like change. Whatever you did to him this morning has helped, I think. We can all feel it. So thanks.”

“I don’t think it would have mattered if Secondo summoned a replica of Quintessence. Earth wouldn’t have accepted them either. I’m just trying to make this easier on everyone.”

Air gave him a sideways glance.

“He needs someone to stand up to him sometimes. I know what you did earlier was probably the right thing. But once everything has settled down, don’t just roll over and let him push you around.”

Quinn grinned at him.

“Oh, don't worry, I won’t.”

Chapter Text

Quinn spent most of the next day familiarising himself with the Abbey and figuring out the quietest times and places for wandering. He had a couple of minor visions, but they were so insignificant that he didn’t mention them to the others. In the evening, Sister Imperator summoned him to her office. Fire dropped him off there and gave him a sympathetic look as he left him by her door. He knocked and she called him inside.

The first thing he noticed about her was that she was much younger than he was expecting. She held a position that would usually have been filled by someone much older, which told him a lot about her. The next thing he noticed was the crack in her soul. It was barely there, but he could sense it and it had the potential to get worse. He would need to let Secondo know that he should keep an eye on her. Beings who loved nothing more than to corrupt humans could easily exploit something like that.

She sat behind her desk and beckoned him to stand before it. Her shrewd eyes regarded him for a moment and he got the impression that she was used to people squirming under the scrutiny. He didn’t give her the satisfaction though as he stood calmly, waiting to see what she wanted.

“So, you are our latest acquisition. Secondo tells me that you are special. What’s so special about you, ghoul?”

“Everything, I suppose.”

He shrugged, unable to stop his mouth from running. She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Modest I see,” she said as she smirked. “We have rules here, ghoul. I’m sure Secondo has told you his rules, but now let me tell you mine. I will not tolerate disrespect from any ghoul, no matter how special they think they are. I can see already that you have the tendency to be a bit disrespectful. We might need to work on that.”

“I treat others how they treat me,” he stated simply.

Her lips turned up in a half smile and he knew that she didn’t like him. It wasn’t anything personal; he got the impression that she didn’t like any of the ghouls. Beyond what they could do for her at least.

“You are bound to Secondo, and Secondo is Papa. But you will soon realise who is actually in charge around here.” She stood and sauntered over, coming to a stop in front of him. She reached out and dragged a nail gently down the side of his cheek. “I will call on you in the next few days and I expect you to do as you’re told.”

He knew full well what she meant. As much as he would have loved to wipe that self-satisfied smile off her face, he didn’t want to get himself into trouble by letting her see what he was really capable of.

“I think I’m going to be pretty busy for a while. I’m not sure I’ll be able to fit you in with my schedule.”

He felt the flash of anger from her. She was clearly used to people giving her exactly what she wanted, when she wanted it.

“That’s a pity. I think you might find that I can make a ghoul’s life here fairly uncomfortable if I have the inclination to. Especially a seer. I know how sensitive your kind are to certain magics. It would be a real shame if someone were to mess with your connection to the ether.”

He thought that he hid his surprise well enough, but he was surprised. Not many knew about the ether, let alone how to manipulate the ties with it. He curled his lip, exposing his fangs to her as he raked his gaze down her body and back up again. She was attractive, but he didn’t do blondes, and she had just gone even further down his list of potential bed mates.

“I think I would rather take my chances than end up as one of your playthings,” he said, and she laughed.

“Well. We know where we stand at least. I will be sure to let Secondo know that he has impeccable taste when it comes to his ghouls,” she said with a sneer. “You are dismissed. I’m sure at some point you will come to change your mind.”

She went and sat down again behind her desk, pointedly ignoring him as she shuffled a stack of paperwork. Quinn turned and left, not bothering to close the door behind him. Fire was waiting around the corner for him and the ghoul had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Thanks for the warning there, Fire,” Quinn said as the fire ghoul laughed.

“I’m sorry, but that would have ruined the surprise! I take it you turned her down then?”

Quinn scowled at him.

“What do you think?”

“Damn, I had a twenty on you keeping her occupied for the rest of the night.”

Quinn stopped walking.

“You took bets on me?”

Fire laughed again.

“Earth and Air had faith in you. Me and Water didn’t. Sorry my man, we shouldn’t have doubted you.”

Quinn smirked.

“So how many of you ghouls have been there and done that then?”

“Just Air. It was purely scientific. We all wanted to know if she’s as cold as she makes out and he volunteered.”

“And is she?”

“Nope.”

“Who knew?” Quinn said.

“Oh, Secondo said he wants you to find Zephyr. He said it isn’t optional.” Quinn sighed. “Zephyr’s okay. It could be worse. At least you’ve got stuff in common.”

“What do we have in common?”

“You know, quintessence, being elderly...” Quinn scowled at him. “How do you look so young, anyway?”

Quinn opened his mouth to give some vague response because he didn’t want to get into that right now, but was saved when they rounded a corner and almost bumped into a Sister.

“So sorry!” she said automatically, and then she registered that it was two ghouls that she was confronted with.

Quinn smiled as he realised it was Sister Martha. She was wearing normal clothes instead of her habit, so it took him a second to place her and it was her scent that did it. He could feel her apprehension and he sent her some calming energy. She sighed and smiled back at him.

“Are you okay, Sister Martha?” 

“Yeah, I just wasn’t paying attention. Daydreaming,” she said. “Were the clothes all okay for you?”

She glanced at him, clearly noticing that he was wearing some things that she had picked for him.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

Quinn noticed Fire smirking from the corner of his eye.

“Okay... Well, I’ll leave you to it then,” she said as she strolled off down the hallway.

Quinn turned and watched her go.

“What was that?” Fire asked, clearly amused.

“What was what?” he said with a scowl.

Fire shook his head and led him towards the infirmary.

“Zephyr is just finishing up here, and then he’s all yours. I’ve got stuff to do, so I’ll probably see you later.”

He left, and Quinn went to find Zephyr. A Sister was sitting at the reception desk and she smiled warmly at him.

“Can I help you?” she asked him.

“I’m looking for Zephyr, I was told he is here?”

“Oh yes, he’s just looking in on a patient. I’ll take you to him.” Quinn thanked her and she beckoned for him to follow her. He felt a pang of excitement coming from her. “You’re Secondo’s new ghoul, right?”

“Yes. I just arrived.”

He knew where this was going, and he was getting sick of this shit already.

“Oh, well, if you need someone to show you around, just ask for me.” Quinn growled at her before he realised what he was doing, and she stopped mid step. “Or maybe not.”

Quinn could scent that Zephyr was in one of the rooms up ahead.

“He is in there?” he growled out as he pointed to the door. She nodded sharply. “I’ll find him myself," he said as he carried on walking.

Quinn didn’t bother to look back. He didn’t want to see the hurt look on her face. He could already feel that he’d scared her, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel bad. The quicker the word spread that he wasn’t interested, the sooner they would leave him alone.

The door swung open and he stepped into the room with the scowl still on his face. Zephyr was sitting on the edge of the bed and he looked up. He was holding the hand of an elderly Sister who was laying there sleeping, and Quinn could tell that she wasn’t long for this world. It took him a second to realise that Zephyr was crying silent tears and Quinn subconsciously sent him some quintessence to soothe him as he walked over to the bed.

Quinn went and stood with him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He realised what he was witnessing and his heart broke for the older ghoul. Zephyr was elderly as far as ghouls went. Their usual lifespan was around a thousand seasons, maybe twelve hundred if they were really lucky. In Earth years, that was maybe 1500 to 1700. Zephyr must have been at least a millennium old. Ghouls didn’t age the same way humans did, so Zephyr maybe looked around sixty in human years, even though he was close to the end of his lifespan. This Sister must have been the equivalent of his mate. Or wife? Quinn struggled to remember the human term for it.

“I’m sorry Zephyr, I didn’t realise,” he said in Ghoulish.

“You weren’t to know, Quinn. And thank you. I think she maybe has a few days left. We’ve had fifty years together, and I couldn’t have asked for a better fifty years.”

Quinn closed his eyes as he thought of Ashtoreth. They’d had a similar amount of time together, and it wasn’t anywhere near long enough.

The door opened, and the young Sister slipped quietly into the room. Her eyes slid to Quinn warily before she focused on Zephyr.

“I’m sorry Zephyr, do you want me to sit with her for you for a while? You need to go and get some rest and something to eat.”

Zephyr nodded sadly at her and stood.

“Thank you Alice, I won’t be far away.”

She smiled and stroked his arm before taking her place by the bed. Zephyr led Quinn from the room and he felt like a total bastard for being so harsh to the Sister just now.

“Shall we take a walk?” Zephyr asked, and Quinn nodded, silently following Zephyr outside into the chilly evening air.

Chapter Text

“Are you hungry?” Quinn asked Zephyr, suddenly remembering what the Sister had said about him getting some rest and eating.

“Not really,” Zephyr answered.

Quinn sighed as he let his quintessence nature rise to the surface. It felt strange to be relying on it again after spending so many years trying to train himself out of it. He supposed he should get used to it though as it looked like he would need it more than he realised here.

“Come on, we will get you something. You should eat anyway, even if you aren’t hungry. You need to keep your strength up.”

They took some sandwiches and coffees from the canteen, as that's all that had been left at this late hour, and they went outside to eat them. There was a grassy hill at the edge of the gardens and they sat there looking at the stars while they ate.

“She has been failing for a while now. I’ve been sending her healing energy, but she’s been getting more and more tired. She told me last week that she wanted to go, that she’s too exhausted to go on.”

Quinn put his arm around Zephyr’s shoulders and sent him soothing energy. He melted in to his side.

“She is fortunate to have had you, Zephyr.”

“No, I am the fortunate one to have had Rosie. As soon as I saw her all those years ago, I knew she was the one for me. I can’t explain it, I just knew. I think that you might understand it, yes?”

Quinn huffed out a breath. Fire was right. He and Zephyr had more in common than he’d realised it seemed.

“Yes. I do,” he said sadly.

“Then you will know that fate has a hand in all of our destinies. I would not have changed any of the years that we spent together, but I do wish that we hadn’t run out of time.”

“How can you not be angry at fate though, Zephyr? Why did they pair you together with Rosie so late in your life? Why did they not have you cross paths earlier? They could have given her to you sooner, so that you could have bonded and lived a long life together. Humans can bond with ghouls, can they not?”

He seemed to remember reading something many years ago about that, that they could bind their life forces together.

“I cannot be angry at fate, Quinn, that is futile and a waste of my energies. Everything happens for a reason.”

“Then that is why fate has fucked me over then. I must have angered it so by acting on the visions.”

“And where do you think the visions come from? If not from the fates?” Zephyr asked.

“I don’t know. Even after all of these centuries, the ether has never explained to me why. Why would it show me the future and tempt me to defy fate? If the visions come from the fates, then why would they punish me for acting on them?”

Zephyr breathed out a tired sigh.

“Who are we to try to understand such things, Quinn? We just do the best that we can and that’s all we can do.” Quinn growled in frustration and Zephyr gave him a sympathetic look, the one others usually got when they found out about his family. “What happened to your mate? I caught something when we met yesterday.” Quinn frowned. Zephyr must have had a bit of sight somewhere too. It could happen with age. Quintessence ghouls could sometimes pick up stray thoughts as well as emotions if they were in close proximity to someone, but it only happened as they got older. “Please know that I will not divulge anything you tell me, not even to Primo or Secondo. Secondo has asked me to help you settle in. He is concerned about you and about some of the thoughts that he saw from you. But he doesn’t expect me to report back to him. All he is worried about is that you will be happy here.”

Quinn smiled a humourless smile as he thought about being happy. He couldn’t even remember what it felt like anymore. The happy memories that he had were a double-edged sword. For every one he remembered there was a corresponding stab of pain at the loss. He glanced at Zephyr and he sensed that the old ghoul wanted something to take his mind off his own troubles. Quinn always trusted his gut when it came to others that he met. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seemed to click with someone the way he felt he had with Zephyr yesterday, so he took a chance and opened up to him.

“I had a family. It was almost five centuries ago now. We were a perfect little tribe, and I thanked the Dark Lord every day for them. He saw fit to give me sixty seasons with Ashtoreth and eighteen with our kits. I tried my hardest to live a good life, to do the right thing and to treat them well and I tried so hard to do my best for them. But it turns out that fate is a nasty bastard and whatever I did was not enough to make up for my past transgressions. I should have realised that I did not deserve such a precious gift. I should have known that the curse I was born with would not be satisfied with me being contented for long.”

He felt Zephyr sending him his own soothing energy, and he let himself accept it. The tingles of magic reminded him of Ashtoreth. Her quintessence had been very similar to Zephyr’s.

“Quinn, I can see what you think of yourself and I can see that you carry the burden of blame for this. You should not. I know that is easy for me to say, but from what I can see of you, it’s the truth.” Quinn looked down at him and he shook his head, ready to deny it. “No. Let me finish. Secondo said you are broken, and that’s what you’ve talked yourself into believing also. But I don’t see that. You are changed, yes, but not broken. You need some love, Quinn, and you will find it here. Secondo’s ghouls are all good ghouls. They will do anything for him and for each other. You are one of them now, and you need to embrace that. You’ve been on your own for too long.”

Quinn begrudgingly admitted to himself that Zephyr was right. He had been alone for too long. He had spent a couple of centuries in the company of demons and it had been easy enough to forget what he was and to be corrupted by them, but he had been in denial the whole time. Quinn couldn’t change his nature as much as he had tried. He could shut himself down and turn off the empathy he felt towards others. He could block out their emotions and use his quintessence for things that it had not been intended for. But when it came down to it, he was still a quintessence ghoul and now that he was here, amongst other ghouls; it was harder to fight his true self.

“How can I not blame myself, Zephyr? It was my fault. If it wasn’t for my curse and my messing with fate, then the witches who murdered them would never have turned their attentions towards us. If I had never approached Ashtoreth that night when we first met, she would have been safe and she would have lived a happy life with some other ghoul.”

Quinn felt Zephyr’s anger rising, which caught him off guard.

“If you and her were meant to be together, she would never have found happiness in the same way she did with you. She would never have had the kits you had together. Her life would have been lacking. Don’t ever wish another life on her, Quinn. From the impressions you just gave me, she would not have wanted her life to be any other way if it meant that she couldn’t be with you.”

Quinn could feel the sorrow he always tried so hard to contain welling up again as his mind cast back to a few weeks after they’d first met.

Quinn knelt before his altar to give thanks for the healing abilities that he had. One of the kits from his village had fallen ill and the family had come to him for aid. He had managed to heal the kit enough that she had survived, and as always, Quinn was grateful to the Dark Lord.

He felt Ashtoreth’s presence as he knelt there, shirtless, eyes closed and with his back to the door. His lips quirked into a smile and he pretended he didn’t know she was there, creeping closer to him.

They had spent the night together after the solstice party, and he had seen her almost every day since. His instincts had been right about her from the moment he’d met her, and he already felt the bond that was starting to form.

He sensed her moving closer and just as she was about to grab him, he spun around and caught her. He pulled her down to the ground and came to rest on top of her, his eyes glowing with blue fire. His hands rested on either side of her head and she giggled as she beamed up at him. Her nose wrinkled in amusement and she reached up to stroke his cheek.

“And what might you want with me, ghuleh? It must be of grave importance for you to interrupt such a serious session of prayer,” he said in a mock angry tone.

Ashtoreth shivered underneath him, and her eyes glowed in response. As he’d predicted, her scent drove him crazy and he couldn’t get enough of it. He bent lower and kissed along her jaw, nibbling her every now and then, much to her delight.

“Do I need a reason to come and see you now, quintessence? Should I have made an appointment?”

Her hands roamed his bare chest, claws scraping the skin, and it was his turn to shiver.

“Maybe you should have. I’m extremely busy at the moment.” She pouted at him and sighed, and he sensed her mood change to one of apprehension. “What is it?” He said, his tone serious now.

He pulled away and knelt before her. She sat up and gave him a half smile.

“My sire wants to speak with us. I can’t hide anything from him and he knows that I’ve met someone. He wants to know what your intentions are.”

“Oh,” he said, suddenly nervous.

“Don’t worry! He will love you, I’m sure of it.”

Quinn wasn’t so sure that he would. Everyone in the surrounding villages knew the rumours about him, the healer who lived by the lake. If it was his kit, he didn’t think he would want them anywhere near someone like him. Ashtoreth, perceptive as she was, knew what he was thinking.

“Never be ashamed of what you are. You’ve helped so many of the villagers here. Everybody loves you and they are very protective of you, my sire included.”

Quinn raised his brows in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“Outsiders sometimes ask about our healer. They ask about seers and magic and the villagers deny all knowledge.” She furrowed her brow at his confused look and then smiled. “You have no idea how grateful the people here are to you, do you?”

He frowned. He had assumed that they kept away from him because he scared them, only visiting when they needed something from him.

“They keep away from me. I make them uneasy. The unknown is always scary.”

She leaned over and kissed him, putting her arms around his shoulders.

“For a seer you are extremely blind, aren’t you?”

She laughed.

He had trusted her with his badly kept secret because he’d zoned out a few times when they were together and one of the visions had concerned her friend. He’d had to warn her about it and, in turn, he’d let her know about his curse.

She stood and grabbed his hand, pulling him up to his feet. She ran her gaze over his torso and licked her lips.

“Put your shirt on. Let’s go and get this over with. If we stay here much longer, I’m going to have to jump your bones and it maybe wouldn’t be appropriate to go and speak to my sire with our scents all over each other.”

He laughed and did as he was told and before he knew it, they were sitting in the main room of her family’s cottage, face to face with her sire and her mother. He had walked there in a daze, but his fears had been for nothing, as she had tried to tell him. His welcome had been a warm one, and both her sire and her mother seemed to approve of him.

“So you have already started to bond, I see,” her mother said as they sat around the table. “We knew that Ashtoreth had found someone. She has been floating around in a dream world for the last few weeks.”

“Mama!” she scolded.

Her cheeks heated, and Quinn smirked at her.

“It is clear to me that you are a good match. And we already know your worth. Your actions speak for you and it is obvious how happy you have made our daughter. We would be honoured to call you family.”

Ashtoreth snaked her arm around his waist and he pulled her closer to him.

“Thank you. You have no idea what that means to me. To be accepted.”

Her mother reached out and stroked his arm before rubbing the centre of her chest.

“You forget that we are quintessence as well. Of course we know.”

Quinn closed his eyes and let the love that he felt from them all wash over him.

He blinked the tears from his eyes as Zephyr stood, holding his hand out to him.

“Come on, let’s get back inside. I want to be there in case she wakes. She gets confused if I’m not there. Plus, it’s freezing out here.”

Quinn hadn’t even noticed, but suddenly he felt the chill as a snippet of intuition made his heart sink.

“Do you want me to sit with you tonight, Zephyr?” he offered.

Zephyr smiled and nodded his thanks, and Quinn followed him inside. The older ghoul would need the comfort tonight, as Quinn’s intuition had told him that Zephyr and Rosie’s time together was coming to an end before the dawn broke.

Chapter Text

Quinn left the infirmary the following morning when Primo and his other ghouls had arrived to take care of Zephyr and Rosie. As he had known she would, she died peacefully in her sleep a few hours after they returned and Quinn had sat with them until dawn. He did as much as he could to comfort Zephyr until he was ready to call for Primo and the other ghouls.

It was still early when he got back to the lair. Earth was up already and just leaving his room, even though it was Sunday. He inwardly cursed, but carried on walking.

“Busy night?” the earth ghoul asked, a hint of something in his voice that Quinn couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Yes. Pretty busy.”

“Which lucky Sibling was it then?” he asked sarcastically.

Quinn narrowed his eyes at him.

“Sister Rosie. And Zephyr.”

Earth paled, and Quinn sensed the regret at his words.

“Shit. What happened?” he said, concern on his features now.

Quinn sighed.

“He lost her. They were together at the end and she didn’t suffer. I saw her light fade to nothing. It’s the best death any of us could ask for, I suppose, but that is of no solace to Zephyr.”

He cursed at the waver in his voice, and Earth must have noticed it, too.

“Come here.” The tone had command in it, but it was also full of sympathy, so Quinn obeyed and walked over to him. The bigger ghoul wrapped his arms around him and he allowed it. “I know this is tough for you quintessentials. Do you need anything from us, from me?”

He was wary of this different side to Earth, but his senses knew that this was the real Earth he was experiencing. The one that he had encountered so far was the wounded, bitter Earth, so he let himself accept the comfort.

“No. But thank you. I think I just need to sleep for a bit. It’s been a tiring night.”

Earth let him go.

“Secondo was looking for you. He asked if you will go and see him later? Around lunch time. I’ll take you.”

He nodded and headed back to his room. The first thing he did was to light a candle and say a prayer for Rosie. He found it hard to understand why Zephyr was not angry at the situation, at the unfairness of it. Maybe he would be angry at the fates on his behalf.

He lay down on the bed for the first time since he'd arrived and it didn’t take long for exhaustion to pull him under. It only seemed like ten minutes though before Earth’s voice woke him. From the light streaming in, it must have been midday and he dragged himself from the bed where he’d fallen asleep.

“Are you ready to see Secondo?” he asked.

Quinn opened the door a crack, poking his head out.

“I should clean up and get changed.”

Earth looked through the crack in the door at him and shrugged.

“I wouldn’t bother. You’ll probably be getting messed up, anyway.”

Quinn frowned.

“Okay...” he said as he left the room and followed Earth down the corridor and to Secondo’s study.

His interest was piqued. Air was on bodyguard duty and he let them in. He and Earth did a little handover for their shift swap and Air left.

“Primo tells me you helped Zephyr last night. He sends his thanks. Everyone here was very fond of Sister Rosie.”

Quinn nodded and he felt Earth watching him from the other side of the room.

“I know I said that you should report for duty tomorrow, but I have a minor problem and I was wondering if maybe you might be the one to solve it for me.” He got up and came to stand at the front of his desk, leaning against it casually. There was nothing casual about his intense stare, though. “We have been investigating the death of Quintessence and have uncovered some interesting facts. There is a ghoul who knows more than he is letting on. Usually this would not be a problem for me,” he said as he tapped his temple with his fingers, implying that he could take the information straight from their head. “But this ghoul is different. He belongs to a Cardinal from one of the other Abbeys, and before he was summoned, he was part of the Elite Council guard. He has some extra protections that prevent me from accessing his thoughts. We have tried the traditional persuasion methods and he is proving to be... Shall we say...stubborn?”

Earth growled, clearly frustrated with the situation.

“And what makes you think he will speak to me?” Quinn asked, but he could feel his eyes glowing in anticipation already.

The broken part of him was giving his eagerness away at the prospect of getting rid of some of the anger he felt for Zephyr. Secondo smirked.

“I think you might already know the answer to this Quinn, si? Why don’t we call this your first test? Show us what you’ve got.”

Earth tossed him a file. The Clergy kept detailed profiles of all of their ghouls. Before a ghoul was summoned by the Clergy they had to go through all kinds of rigorous personality checks, tests and background checks. Usually. Quinn had been a special case, of course.

But this file contained all the information that the Council had gathered on this ghoul. He had quite an extensive file because of his service to the Council, and Quinn lazily flipped through the Ghoulish notes and documents. After he was summoned, the added notes were all in English, but this didn’t bother him as he could read English better than he could speak it. He noticed a few interesting things and some incidents that had been logged. He also had a bit of intuition that some things were missing from the file. Sure enough, some dates from the months before he was summoned didn’t add up.

Quinn looked over to Secondo, who was studying him.

“What has he told you already?”

Earth answered.

“Not much. He’s pretty tough. But none of us can figure out why he put himself forward to be summoned rather than stick with the Council. He was one of the personal bodyguards to the ruling family. That’s a good job to have. Being summoned to a lesser Clergy member after that makes no sense.”

Quinn flicked back to the pages before the ghoul was summoned.

“Are the pages that are missing from the file somewhere else? Do you have them?”

Earth and Secondo looked at each other.

“We didn’t think there were any missing pages?”

Quinn pointed out the dates to them, and Secondo frowned.

“How exactly did Quintessence die?” Quinn asked, knowing that it would cause them both pain.

If he was going to try to help with their investigation, he needed to know, and so far, nobody had told him. It was Earth who answered again and Quinn felt the sadness he felt when he revisited what had happened.

“It was out in the human world. We had been out to a private party at a nightclub. Quintessence had been having a bad week, so he’d let his hair down and he was pretty drunk. He went off with a human woman to one of the back rooms.” Earth was looking down at the ground as he spoke, and Quinn sent him some of his mojo. He took a steadying breath and continued. “Usually we go in pairs when we are outside the Abbey, but because it was a private party, we let him have his fun alone. She was small. She posed no threat to him. It was not long after that, our bond was suddenly severed and we knew he was gone. We found them not long after. Someone had shot both of them, execution style. A bullet to each of their heads.”

Quinn closed his eyes. He had realised that Secondo kept his emotions in check usually. Some people bled emotion through every pore. Everything they felt was there on the surface. But others were more carefully controlled, and Secondo was probably one of the most emotionally controlled beings that Quinn had ever come across. They were bonded though, so the stab of pain that he felt at reliving the memory of that night stabbed at Quinn as well.

“We have not managed to find his killer yet, but my questioning of the Siblings was interesting. I picked up a few things to follow up on, and this ghoul is at the end of the trail I’ve found. We could not get any further.” Secondo stood up straight. “So, do you want to see what you can find out?”

Quinn nodded and followed Secondo and Earth out of the study and through the Abbey. They led him through an inconspicuous door on one of the ground floor hallways, which led to a narrow stone stairway. The further down they got, the more Quinn’s instincts started prickling.

“What is this place?” Quinn asked, although he already knew the answer.

It had a very similar feel to the prison at the Council chambers and, sure enough, as they exited the stairwell, he found himself standing in a corridor of cells.

“Welcome to the Dungeons,” Earth said with a grin.

The place stank of blood and fear. It looked clean enough, but no amount of bleach could erase the filth that probably permeated the stones underneath their feet.

“He’s over here.” Secondo gestured to a door leading to a small block of cells.

As they passed the other cell doors, Quinn felt a few human presences inside them. The souls that they possessed were not ones that should have been roaming around the Abbey and he was glad that they seemed to be in the right place here.

He followed Secondo and Earth into the small hallway that branched off from the main one and the smell of the ghoul that was locked inside the end cell hit him. He scented blood, charred flesh and other bodily fluids as Earth swung the cell door open. They stepped inside and Quinn stopped on the threshold, zoning out as his eyes rolled back and a barrage of images flooded his brain.

Chapter Text

Typically, a seer saw visions of the future. That was the accepted consensus, at least. Quinn, being Quinn though, was not typical. The bulk of the visions that he saw concerned future events, but occasionally he would also see things from the past.

He had learned a lot about himself and how his visions worked after Andras had taken him under his wing. One thing that had become apparent was that in certain situations, he could influence some of what he saw, and he could use the ether differently to usual to see past events. This was one such situation.

He shook his head to clear it and stepped into the cell. The ghoul was an air ghoul and Quinn grinned as he noticed the resemblance that this one bore to the one he had encountered at the Council buildings just a few days ago. His intuition told him they were brothers and wasn’t that interesting?

Morax, the ghoul in question, lay on his side on the cot in the cell. He wore chains around his wrists and ankles and he was shirtless. The evidence of his interrogation was there on his skin for all to see. He was awake and he glared at Secondo as the three of them stood over him.

“Get up,” Secondo commanded.

Morax continued to glare defiantly at him. Secondo nodded to Earth, who went and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him out of the cot and to his feet. He hissed when Earth’s grip made contact with the burnt flesh of his arm and he swayed slightly as he stood. His eyes slid to Quinn and he huffed a laugh.

“Brought some quintessence to heal me so you can torture me some more, have you?”

Quinn’s eyes glowed with blue flames, and he smiled at the ghoul, showing his fangs.

“Not quite, Morax.”

The air ghoul frowned at him. Quinn sensed his confusion and the tiny spark of fear that he was doing a pretty good job of hiding. Someone had trained this ghoul well.

Morax tilted his head and he could tell that the air ghoul was studying his aura. He wasn’t sure what he saw, but it was clear it was not what he was expecting. He didn’t seem afraid though, merely curious, it seemed.

Quinn closed his eyes momentarily and took a cleansing breath, reaching within himself to separate the various facets of his being. With Andras’ help, Quinn discovered that he could compartmentalize his quintessence nature. So he found the part that felt empathy for others and he closed it off. He wouldn’t be needing it today.

“This is my replacement quintessence. He is a little bit wishy-washy on the rules of interrogation, I think, so you will have to forgive him. He is new. But we need to know what happened to my ghoul. And I think that you have the answers we seek," Secondo said.

Morax raised his head and spat at the Papa. Within a heartbeat, Quinn launched himself and pinned him to the wall by his throat. His long body pressed the other ghoul against the stones and he drew their faces level, nose to nose.

Morax hid his surprise well outwardly, but Quinn felt his shock at the uncharacteristic display from a quintessence ghoul. He sent him a strong wave of his mojo and he felt the ghoul relax in his hold.

“Not a good idea to disrespect Papa that way. We need to establish some boundaries here, some simple rules that everyone understands,” Quinn said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. The air ghoul growled at him and Quinn could feel him trying to shake off the mojo he’d just sent him. “For every unsatisfactory answer or act of defiance, there will be a consequence. Do you understand?”

Morax frowned, and Quinn raised his brow in question. The air ghoul bared his fangs and Quinn smiled.

“I will take that as a yes.” He stepped back slightly, still keeping his forearm on Morax’s throat to hold him against the wall. He stroked a claw along the ghoul’s eyebrow. “This is consequence number one, to prove to you that I mean every word that I say.”

It was just a small, quick slash of claw along skin, but Quinn applied just enough pressure to slice through the ghoul’s eyelid and into his eyeball. It was enough to cause irreparable damage. Morax’s remaining eye widened in shock. His pupil was blown and he went to scream, but Quinn sent him another powerful wave of mojo to calm him down. His face showed the shock that he felt, but the most he could manage was a confused whimper.

Quinn could feel the other ghoul's heart rate gradually slowing as the quintessence did its thing, and he gave it a minute to work. He drew their faces level again and let go of the ghoul’s throat. Morax slid down the wall to sit on the ground, and he looked up at Quinn in confusion. He was shaking now.

“So now you know where you stand.” Quinn glanced over his shoulder and saw the green glint of Earth’s eyes. “The next consequence will be the other eye. Just so that you know.”

The air ghoul's gaze went from Quinn to Secondo and back again as Earth dragged him up and dumped him back to sit on his bed. Quinn stepped back and let Secondo crouch down in front of him. Earth stood protectively nearby, ready in case of any move against him.

“Who gave the order to have Quintessence killed?” Secondo asked him.

Quinn felt the ghoul warring with himself. He was loyal to whoever it was, and Quinn knew he prided himself on his loyalty. He would rather die than break that trust. Morax looked over to Quinn again and even though he’d started to hyperventilate, he saw the moment that the air ghoul resigned himself to the fact that he was going to lose his other eye too.

Quinn pursed his lips and shook his head. He sent the thought to Secondo that pain and the threat of maiming were not going to work here. Secondo sighed.

“It seems you are very loyal to your master. That is an admirable trait, and they are lucky to have such a dependable minion. You are foolish though. Your death will be futile. Such a waste of your talents.”

“I will not betray them. I cannot,” he gritted out.

Quinn stepped forwards again and sat down next to Morax. The ghoul flinched, but he kept his composure.

“There is another option for you.”

Quinn felt Secondo’s surprise at his words, but he kept quiet. The snippets of vision he’d seen as he entered the cell had given him insight into the missing pages from Morax’s file, and the reason why he had been summoned to Earth. It was starting to make sense now.

“W-what?” Morax asked.

His teeth were chattering and he had his chained hand pressed against his ruined eye socket.

“I know where they keep the kit.”

Morax turned his head to look at Quinn. His breath hitched, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

“How? How could you know about that? Did he send you too?” he breathed out.

Quinn called up the vision in his mind’s eye and sent what he had seen to Secondo. Morax had been dismissed from his position as bodyguard to the mate of the Ghoul Council leader for his indiscretions. The Prime Ghoul was coming to the end of his life and had been unable so far to provide an heir. His younger mate had fallen for her bodyguard, who also was an air ghoul. The feeling was mutual and they had agreed to have a kit and pass it off as the Prime Ghoul’s heir.

Their plan had been discovered, however, when the kit was born and Morax could not contain his protective instincts over the two of them. So the kit had been removed and used as leverage to keep Morax in line. The part Quinn did not know was why he had been sent here to Earth, and what he had to do with the murder of Secondo’s ghoul. But the ether had seen fit to show him who had the kit and where it was. Secondo looked at him and nodded his thanks.

“Tell us who gave the order and why. We will do all we can to keep your kit safe. We know who holds her and where she is kept. She has been summoned to Earth.”

He closed his eye and shook his head and Quinn felt his wariness.

“What do you have to lose, Morax? You should not feel loyalty to those who have manipulated you thus. You would have died here in the Clergy’s cells anyway, but now you have the chance for your kit to be safe. Surely she is better raised here and loved by the Clergy than she would be at the mercy of those corrupt fucks? What will they do to her if they think you’ve stepped out of line?”

Quinn reached over and removed Morax’s hand from his face. He placed his palm over the wound and sent some healing energy to slow the bleeding and numb the pain a bit. Morax growled in frustration.

“It was Ose, the Prime Ghoul’s chief advisor. He wants to return to the old ways and he is trying to gather as much support as he can. I don’t know why he chose your ghoul and I don’t know what he stood to gain from it. All I know is that he told me to arrange it.”

Earth growled and Quinn felt his anger rising at the admission that this had been the ghoul who set the plan into motion. He sent some calming energy to Earth and the ghoul backed off. It was up to Secondo to decide what to do with Morax now.

The Papa stood, and Quinn joined him. Earth stood by one shoulder and Quinn on the other. Secondo glanced at Quinn and he felt the Papa’s rage and sorrow at the realisation that one of the reasons Quintessence was dead was sitting on the bed in front of him.

“Take his other eye, and then he will tell us everything he knows," he growled out.

Morax whined as Earth grabbed him and Quinn did as he’d been told. He took the remaining sight from the air ghoul and let the pain bounce off the wall he’d put up to surround his empathy.

Chapter Text

They spent another couple of hours with Morax after Quinn had healed his eyes as much as he could. Morax’s future was uncertain, but if, by some miracle, Secondo spared his life, he would still be able to function as an air ghoul. He didn’t need his eyesight to sense auras.

He hadn’t known too much more, but they went through what he knew in fine detail. They also found out some more about what had happened with the Prime Ghoul and his family. By the time they left an exhausted Morax alone in his cell, they had a much better picture of what was going on. It seemed corruption was rife amongst the Ghoul Council.

Secondo assured him they would retrieve the kit and keep her safe. Morax used his air ghoul powers and seemed satisfied that Secondo would keep his word.

Which was how Quinn found himself on the Clergy’s private jet the next day with Secondo and the other ghouls, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. They were flying to Italy to find the kit.

“Quinn, seriously, the view is amazing,” Air said with amusement.

“That’s great, Air. I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” he said as he studiously didn’t look anywhere near the windows of the aircraft.

This was not fun. Not fun at all.

The others found it hilarious that Quinn had realised very soon after they took off that he hated flying. It didn’t help that the ether taunted him by sending little images of future plane crashes to him now and then. He couldn’t wait for this to be over.

Fire handed him another whiskey and he downed it. He’d lost count of how many that was if he was honest, but the alcohol did seem to be helping a bit. It wouldn’t take long for him to process it though, so by the time they got to where they were headed, he would have burnt it off and have a clear head again. He thanked the fire ghoul and closed his eyes.

Mercifully, he must have fallen asleep because when Earth shook him awake, they were back on the ground. He muttered a quick prayer of thanks to the Dark Lord before getting out of his seat and following the others out of the plane.

“Who would’ve guessed that such a vicious little bastard would be scared of flying?” Earth said and the others laughed. Quinn growled at him, but he knew the words were meant in jest and Secondo patted him on the shoulder on his way past.

Two cars were waiting for them and they climbed inside. Secondo, Earth and Air took one and Quinn, Fire and Water the other. It was driven by a water ghoul from one of the nearby Abbeys and he introduced himself as Lago.

This was another first for Quinn. They didn’t have vehicles like this in the hell realms. The last time he had been to Earth, they hadn’t invented them yet. Horses or your own feet had been the modes of transportation. Thankfully, though, it wasn’t like flying and the ether remained quiet during their journey. He would be sure to get drunk enough to fall asleep again on the return flight.

They got to the rural Italian Abbey just after sunset, and Lago arranged for them to have food and rest for a couple of hours. Quinn liked it here. It was warm compared to their Abbey and the surrounding countryside was peaceful.

Their first job once they were rested and fed was to question one of the Abbey’s witches. She didn’t know that they knew it, but she was the one who had performed the summoning to bring the kit to Earth and bind her here. Quinn had seen it in the visions.

As soon as Quinn entered the small office where they would be speaking to her, he could see that she was corrupt. She had hidden her scent well, but he knew a black witch when he laid eyes on one. He rumbled a growl and felt his eyes glowing. Fire stepped in front of him while Water gave him a questioning sideways glance.

The witch swung her eyes to him and looked him over. She was beautiful on the surface, but Quinn could sense the price that innocents had paid with their blood to keep her that way. He saw the gleam in her eyes as she must have realised what he was as well. Black witches seemed to have a sixth sense for recognising different types of magics, and they always seemed to know that he was a seer instinctively. Quinn sent a thought to Secondo, warning him what she was as the others wouldn’t have been able to pick up on it.

“Interesting,” she said in heavily accented English. “I wonder why Secondo would go to all of this effort just to speak to little old me?”

Quinn saw Secondo smirk as he sat in the chair opposite her.

“It is a pleasure Ginevra, a shame I have not made your acquaintance before now though,” he said to her. “I will get straight to the point so as not to waste any of our time. I am here to ask you about a ghoul kit you summoned a couple of years back. You will definitely remember it. It is highly unusual for one so young to be summoned by the Clergy. In fact, I will go so far as to say that it has never happened before.”

She didn’t even try to hide her surprise at Secondo’s knowledge of it, and she didn’t try to deny it either. Quinn noticed the shimmer of magic that began to gather around her though, and he was about to do something to stop her when Secondo shut it down with a flick of his wrist and a surge of his magic. He was both surprised and impressed at the Papa’s command of sorcery, but he kept quiet. The witch tried and failed to hide her anger, and she let out a frustrated screech.

“I will not say a word about it. I will die before I tell you where she is.”

“Oh, we already know where she is. We came to find out about those who sent her here, but you have just given me all the information I need. Thank you.”

Secondo stood, and Earth and Air clamped warded chains around her wrists that would cancel out her magics. She stared at them, openmouthed.

“You cannot be serious,” she shouted after him as he left the room.

She launched into a tirade of abuse in Italian and fought like a wildcat to get free of the two ghouls who had dragged her towards the door. She was feisty. He’d give her that. She raked her nails along Earth’s arm, drawing blood. Quinn saw Air’s annoyed glare at her and he sent a powerful wave of his quintessence to knock her out. The two ghouls nodded their thanks, and Earth picked her up and threw her over his shoulder to carry her to wherever she was going.

“Thank you for the warning,” Secondo said to him as they walked to the cars.

“No problem. I know a black witch when I see one,” he huffed.

“I will send her to Milan. The Abbey there is better equipped to deal with her. They have a big ritual coming up soon also, so her sacrifice will be useful to them.”

Quinn rode with Fire and Water again, and it took about an hour to get to where they were going. The small farmhouse was in darkness when they arrived. They stopped the cars about a half a mile away and walked the rest of the way in silence. The moon gave enough light that Secondo could see, but it didn’t matter to the ghouls. Their eyesight was almost perfect, even in the lowest of light conditions.

The witch had been cleverer than they’d anticipated. She had bound the kit to an orphaned boy who was in the care of the local Abbey. He wouldn’t have even been aware of it, as he was only a few months older than she was. Tethering her to an orphaned child would keep her on the Earth and was easy to cover up. There was nobody to notice and the child was under the control of the corrupt Clergy members. The kit could be moved anywhere and nobody would be any the wiser. It was lucky that Quinn had been sent the vision as when word got out that Morax and the witch had been taken into custody, she would likely have disappeared, never to be seen again.

Air did a sweep of the perimeter to check what was what and when he gave the all clear, they moved towards it. Quinn sensed two human men inside, and the sleeping kit. Fire and Water went first, subduing the humans. The one that was supposed to be on watch had fallen asleep, and Quinn shook his head at their stupidity.

They gathered in the living room, and a loud noise from the bedroom made them all jump.

“What the fuck? Have they got a hellhound guarding her?” Earth said, only half joking.

Quinn chuckled and rolled his eyes as they all approached the door. Water swung it open and they stepped just inside the room.

The kit was standing up inside her crib, and she was screaming blue murder. She wore cute pink pyjamas with pictures of unicorns on them and she held a stuffed black cat. Her face was red from the effort of crying and the six of them stood there, stunned for a second.

“Why is it making that noise?” Air said, and he heard Secondo chuckle.

Quinn frowned and walked over to the crib. He reached in and picked up the tiny, dark-haired, loud ghuleh kit. He rested her on his hip and stroked her back gently. She quieted instantly and sighed, snuggling her head against his chest and grabbing onto his shirt. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head, talking soft nonsense in Ghoulish to her. He swayed gently, rocking her to soothe her, and just for a second, he was transported back to another time. A time when he was holding another tiny ghuleh just like this, and his heart ached at the memory.

He opened his eyes again and turned around to face the others. The ghouls all stood with their mouths open in shock.

“What?” he said to them.

“Oh nothing," Air said. “But how did you do that?”

Quinn shrugged, but Secondo gave him a knowing look, which he dutifully ignored.

“Here,” he said as he held her out to Air.

The ghoul took her and smiled, but within a few heartbeats she started screaming again, reaching her arms out towards Quinn. He sighed and Air gave her back.

“Guess we’ve found our new babysitter then,” he laughed. “What’s her name?”

Quinn didn’t hear what the others said, though, because he saw the kit’s future and he smiled.

“Cirrus. Her name is Cirrus."

Chapter Text

They took Cirrus to one of the other European Abbeys in Holland. Secondo had people he trusted implicitly there, and there was a family of ghouls who were more than happy to add another kit to their brood.

She clung to Quinn the whole way and he found that the flight wasn’t as bad this time. He was glad when it came time to say goodbye to her, though. He had a feeling he would be seeing her again many years from now. Although she was adorable, it hurt him to look at her. It hurt to have her sleeping form snuggled up to him and it hurt to want to keep her safe. She was a reminder of everything he had lost, and he felt so shitty for feeling that way.

He stuck to his original plan of drinking himself to sleep for the flight back home and thankfully; it worked. The ether remained quiet and he slept the entire way back.

The first thing he did when they arrived was to go and check in on Zephyr. The old ghoul was doing okay, his pack was doing a first-class job of looking after him and they were having a ceremony to remember Rosie later that week. Quinn promised he would attend. He spent a couple of hours there before Zephyr realised how exhausted he was and sent him back to his lair.

The others were asleep in a ghoul pile in the living room and he tried to creep past as quietly as he could. Quinn looked over to see Air’s dark purple eyes watching him, though. The air ghoul beckoned Quinn over to join them, but he shook his head. He wasn’t ready for that yet. He needed to be on his own just now. Air gave him a weak smile and he went to his room.

As soon as he opened the door, he knew someone had been in there. She hadn’t even tried to hide it. In fact, she had left him a note on one of the pillows on the bed. He picked it up and unfolded the sheet of paper. He knew who it was from before he read the words. The paper stank of her perfume and it made his nose twitch.

Care to reconsider my offer, ghoul? Come to my office and we can renegotiate.

I.

P.S. enjoy the vision.

Quinn clutched his head as a powerful memory hit him and he staggered, slumping down on the bed before he fell down.

The battle had raged for days, and Andras was making headway. He was confident that it wouldn’t be too long until victory was his. After all, Quinn had foreseen it.

He didn’t often fight on the front lines, Andras didn’t allow it, but he was giving this final push everything he had. It was chaos, and there was barely enough room to swing a sword. Quinn tripped over a fallen demon and fell. The hilt of a sword smashed him in the temple and he was knocked out cold.

When he woke, his head was throbbing and he groaned as he rolled onto his back. The clinking sound of chains registered in his fuzzy mind, and he tried to move his hand to rub his aching temple. The chains around his wrists prevented it, though. Fuck.

His brain caught up and he realised he'd been taken prisoner. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw that he was in some kind of cave.

“Ah, seer, you’re awake!” He swung his eyes towards the rumbling voice and met the amused stare of a large fire demon. “Time is of the essence, so forgive us if we are a little rough, but we need this information quickly.”

Quinn frowned and before he could say anything, another demon appeared and wrenched his jaw open. He poured some foul liquid down Quinn’s throat and he coughed and gagged, but a fair amount of it made its way down and into his stomach.

The smaller demon was blind and he realised it was a pathos demon. They could read the thoughts of others through touch and guide them to find out information.

When he had finished coughing and could breathe again, he growled at them.

“What the fuck? What is this?”

He struggled with the chains, but the fire demon held them, and he was too strong.

“I need some foresight and Andras’ pet seer is the best there is, or so I’ve been told. I’ve heard that this won’t be pleasant for you, but needs must. It shouldn’t take too long to work.”

Quinn’s heart rate picked up as he realised what the pathos demon had just poured down his throat. There was a potion that could link a seer’s mind to the ether in a constant stream of consciousness. He had heard of this being abused and this was yet another reason why seers were secretive creatures. They had often been enslaved and given the drugs to bring on the visions. Sometimes when the drugs wore off, they were no longer themselves. It was too much and they had been driven mad. Their minds had been so badly broken beyond repair, leaving them linked to the ether and enduring the rest of their sorry existences, constantly bombarded by agonizing visions.

“No. You can’t do this. Andras will not stand for it. Do you know what he will do to you when he finds out?”

The fire demon’s face hovered above his, and he grinned.

“We will be long gone by then, seer.”

Quinn’s head snapped back. He felt it bash the stones underneath him. His whole body went rigid with the strain of it.

“Put something under his head. We don’t want him killing himself before we’ve got our vision!” the fire demon growled. Something soft was roughly shoved underneath his head and the last thing he felt before the visions took over was the pathos demon putting his hand across his forehead.

Sometimes the visions hurt, like when a flash of bright light is shone directly into your eyes, but magnified tenfold. After the initial shock of it, though, it became bearable and then the vision would be over.

But with this, there was no recovery time between them. Every few seconds, a new one would hit. The pathos demon could sift through them and pick out the ones he wanted. He could hold on to the ones that interested him, or he could skip back and look at them again. That was a pain all of its own as Quinn’s consciousness tried to rip away from one vision and onto the next, but was forced to go back.

It was hours and hours before he seemed to have any kind of relief. The first clue that the drugs were wearing off was that he tasted blood and he realised he must have bitten his tongue at some point. He was wracked by shivers and tried to roll onto his side, but the most he could manage was to turn his face enough so that he wouldn’t choke on his own vomit as he retched.

A hand grabbed his hair and turned his head towards them. It was the fire demon.

“Very interesting. I am tempted to keep you, but you would only slow us down. A shame to waste you, though. Maybe someone will find you. Maybe not,” he said as he stood up.

He removed the chains, clearly realising that Quinn posed no threat to anyone in this state. Then they turned and left him on his own.

His mind kept on flashing with images from the visions. The remnants of the potion must have been still in his system. He screamed at the pain as his abused brain suffered every time another little aftershock hit him. His vision was covered with a red haze and the pressure he felt in his head was like nothing else he had ever experienced. He wished for either madness or death to take him as he lay there, helpless. But he wasn’t so lucky.

Quinn came to on his bed and he was shaking. He wanted to think it was with rage, but he couldn’t lie to himself. The fear of going through that again chilled him to his bones and he sat up, trying to think what he should do. The paper of the note must have been laced with some of the potion, so Imperator clearly had access to it. His brain had kicked up that memory because it had recognised the substance.

Quinn ran his hand through his hair, messing up the already unruly strands as he tried to think how he should handle this. He could call her bluff and go and meet her. He could lay down and do as she wished, for a quiet life. Or, he could go to Secondo. He took a deep breath and tried to feel what was the right thing to do. Quinn had only been here a few days now. He didn’t want to deal with this shit on top of everything else. He was exhausted already.

His gut told him that the right thing to do would be to get help. He didn’t know what she was capable of yet. It could all just be a little game with no consequences at the end. But then again, this was clearly a threat and she had pushed just the right buttons to rattle him.

He sighed and got up, feeling bad that he was going to be involving Secondo in this, but what else could he do? From what he knew about him already, he would understand. Quinn hoped so anyway as he walked off towards Secondo’s apartments.

Chapter Text

Secondo opened his door a crack and peered out.

“Quinn? Is everything alright?”

He looked concerned and Quinn suddenly felt guilty when he sensed another human presence inside the apartment with him. He should have checked before he knocked on the door.

“Oh, I’m sorry Secondo. It can wait. I didn’t realise you were entertaining.”

Secondo frowned and opened the door for him. He wore a black silk robe and it was clear he had been in bed.

“No, it obviously cannot wait. Come in and tell me what happened.”

Quinn sighed and followed him inside. He glanced over at the open bedroom door and saw a delicate foot sticking out from under the covers. Secondo went and quietly closed the door.

“She is sleeping. Come, sit down.” He gestured to the sofa and Quinn sat. Secondo rubbed his chest absentmindedly. “So, you are upset, si? But you feel like you shouldn’t be bothering me. Please never think this. I will always be here for you. You can talk to me about anything. I told you, we are family now.”

Quinn looked up and met his eyes.

“I think I’m going to have a problem with Imperator.”

Secondo let out a long-suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“What is it about that woman and the ghouls? What did she do this time?”

“She propositioned me not long after I arrived. Tried to lay down some rules. I turned her down and she wasn’t happy.”

“Nothing new there, then. So why do I sense that there is more to this? You do not strike me as the type of ghoul who would tell tales lightly.”

Quinn smirked.

“She threatened me. Usually I would not be worried, but when I got back just now, she had been in my room. She left a page on my bed that was laced with the potion that's used to control visions. It brought up a memory that I would rather forget.”

It tried to surface again, and Quinn closed his eyes. He pushed it back down, but the flash of fiery anger that he felt from Secondo made him realise he hadn't been quick enough. The Papa had caught a glimpse and he didn’t like what he’d seen.

“Imperator and her mind games!” he gritted out. “Wait here. We will finish this before it has even started.”

He went into his room, and Quinn heard the sounds of him dressing. The woman in his bed must have woken up because Secondo gave her reassuring words that all was fine and he told her she should go back to sleep. The door opened again and a fully dressed Secondo came out. His face was still free of its paint and he wore slacks and a shirt.

They left the apartment and walked to Imperator’s office. The people they saw on the way greeted Secondo respectfully, but they ignored Quinn. He felt fear at his presence coming from some of them, and that was fine by him.

Quinn remembered what he had noticed about the crack in Imperator’s soul and he sent the thought to Secondo as he didn’t think he should say it out loud with so many potential ears around. Secondo glanced at him.

“You seem to be dealing with me pretty well so far.”

Quinn gave him a questioning look.

“How do you mean?”

“It takes most people a while to be comfortable with me once they find out I can read their thoughts. But you seem to be okay with it, and you’ve subtly used this knowledge a few times already without having to be told about it.”

“I have spent a lot of time around beings who have the same skill.”

“Ah yes,” Secondo said. “It is a demon trick also, si?”

Quinn nodded as they reached Imperator’s office. Secondo knocked and walked straight in, not waiting for a response. Imperator was behind her desk and she jumped as they entered. She stood up with an indignant look on her face.

“You cannot just barge in here uninvited, Secondo!” she shrieked.

“It is Papa to you. And I can barge in wherever I like. This is my Abbey.”

She smirked at that but didn’t comment on it. Her eyes slid to Quinn and he saw her distaste for him there.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Papa?”

“Sit down,” Secondo growled. She did as she was told, perching on the edge of her desk. “You are an asset to the Clergy in many ways, Imperator, and we appreciate your skills. But this little obsession you have with the ghouls will cease now. I have turned a blind eye for a while, but this time you have taken things too far.”

She glared at Quinn, and he snarled at her. She gave him a self-satisfied smile.

“I meant no harm Secondo. The ghouls like to play. I was just letting him know he can play with me. Your ghoul is just being over-sensitive. He is new. He will toughen up soon enough. I’m surprised actually, you usually pick them with a bit more backbone.”

Quinn moved quicker than her eyes would have been able to track and she squeaked as she ended up on her back on the desk. He loomed over her, pressing her into the wood, and he closed his hand around her throat. Her hands went to grip his forearm, and he let her feel his strength. He put his face close to hers and rumbled out a growl. His eyes glowed as he felt the sting of her fear, but he bared his fangs at her when he scented the evidence of the arousal that she felt at his display.

Her pulse fluttered under his fingers, and he cursed his body’s reaction to her as the excitement of the hunt got to him. She wriggled purposefully underneath him and a spark of triumph lit up her eyes when she realised she could feel the physical effect that this had on him.

“Call off your dog, Secondo,” she said.

There was steel in her voice, but he heard the quiver there as well.

Quinn shoved her, and he backed off, going to stand behind his Papa. He could feel his eyes still glowing and he admonished himself for losing his temper like that. He shook his head to clear it and realised that the potion was still in his system. A couple of fleeting visions whipped through his mind, and he winced as the pain stabbed at him.

Imperator sat up and straightened her clothes.

“Well, if you cannot keep this one under control, I will have to involve the Council. We can’t just have ghouls laying their hands on senior Clergy members like that! He needs a leash!”

Secondo chuckled.

“Don’t pretend that you are unhappy about that Imperator.” She opened her mouth to speak but he shushed her, his serious and deadly demeanour taking over from his amused one in an instant. “I want you to hand the seer potion over to me by midnight tonight. You will not blackmail my ghouls and you will not be reporting anything to the Council. You are getting above your station and I am nipping this in the bud right now.”

“You’ve misunderstood him Papa. I don’t know what you mean. It is clear his command of English is not perfect yet. I have no potion.”

Secondo strode over to her and Quinn could tell it was taking a lot for him to contain his anger at her. Quinn sent Secondo the basics from the vision he’d just had about Imperator and it seemed to calm him and focus him.

“I will give you a little food for thought, Imperator. I am tired from our journey, so I do not have the patience for this. Italy is a long way away, as I’m sure you already know. I have some very strong ties to the Abbey we visited yesterday. I believe the same is true of you as well.” Imperator’s smug look cracked and her brow furrowed. “So I believe you will bring the potion to me by midnight. Do you know how I know this?” She shook her head, but Quinn felt her defeat. “That sweet little boy that you dumped in the orphanage there might just up and disappear if you don’t. It would be a shame if you never heard from him again, wouldn’t it?”

She gritted her teeth and her eyes welled up, but Quinn could tell that she was spitting mad.

“Anything you say, Papa,” she bit out.

“Good. I’m glad we got this sorted," Secondo said as he turned to leave.

Quinn glanced back at her and shivered. If looks could kill, he would have just dropped down dead on the floor of her office.

Chapter Text

Over the next few weeks, things stayed quiet at the Abbey. Quinn had gotten used to the routines there and he had learnt a lot from the other ghouls about ghoul/human interactions. Imperator had thankfully left him alone and the Siblings had realised that they shouldn’t approach him.

He was getting on well with the other ghouls, despite his initial reluctance to get to know them. He found it hard to resist the pull of their bond, as much as he had tried to. Water and Air had worn down his resolve by constantly trying to include him in everything pack related. They knew when not to push him now, though, but he had interacted with them a lot more than he thought he would. He had grown fond of them all, even Earth. Although their relationship was still one of edging around each other. 

Despite Quinn’s initial submission, Earth now knew that he couldn’t bully him into doing something he didn’t want to do like he sometimes did with the others.

Quinn was closest to Air out of all of them and they often spent time together when they weren’t on duty. The ghoul had a spark of chaos about him, and it was difficult not to like him. He was also very thoughtful and patient when Quinn asked him questions if something new came up. He was popular with the Siblings, and he knew it.

It was Secondo's birthday and he had arranged a get together in the gardens. Several fire pits were dotted around and the residents of the Abbey had bundled up in warm clothes, drinking mulled wine under the stars. Quinn and Air were both off duty and huddled together by a fire at the edge of the gathering. The ghouls had a different type of drink. It was stronger than the human version, and Quinn was enjoying the warmth it brought him.

A group of Siblings were milling around by the fire next to them, laughing and joking. Quinn watched them intently. Well, them wasn’t quite right. He was watching one of the Siblings.

“Why don’t you go talk to her?” Air said, breaking him out of his thoughts. He turned to the ghoul who was grinning at him. “You’re glowing, Quinn. You’re probably scaring the Siblings.”

“What?”

“Your eyes,” he said as he pointed to them. “And Sister Martha. She’s definitely willing. She watches you back sometimes.”

Quinn frowned.

“I don’t watch her.”

Air snorted.

“You watch her like you want to eat her for dinner. It’s a wonder she hasn’t run a mile away already. Just get it over with. It isn’t healthy, Quinn. You haven’t fucked any humans yet. It’s wrong to deny your impulses.”

Quinn gave him a sideways glance.

“I don’t deny them.”

Air snorted a laugh and shoved at him.

“Fucking me doesn’t count. I’m pack,” he laughed. “Are you worried about breaking them? Humans aren’t as fragile as Secondo makes out. Sometimes they like it rough. I think that’s the appeal.”

Quinn choked as he sipped his drink.

“I’ll be sure to remember that, Air. Thanks.”

“What is it? Why won’t you go to her? She obviously attracts you.”

The other ghouls knew Quinn had lost his mate and his family by now. He hadn’t gone into the details, but at one of their whiskey nights, Water had asked him about his reaction to Cirrus, so he had told them he'd had kits a long time ago. They hadn’t pushed him, and he was grateful to them for that.

“I just can’t. I can’t get attached to someone. I can’t have them getting attached to me. It would feel like I was betraying her.”

Air sighed.

“Quinn, I’m sure Ashtoreth would have wanted you to be happy. She wouldn’t mind. But you shouldn’t worry about that, anyway. You can fuck whoever you like. You don’t need to get attached to them.” He rested his head on Quinn’s shoulder, purple eyes looking up at him. “Just let them know exactly what you want from them. Sure, some of them want to get attached. But if you make it clear that isn’t what it’s about, there are plenty who would take you up on getting their itch scratched. You're pretty, which helps.”

Quinn barked out a laugh and pushed Air away. He downed the rest of his drink. It made his eyes water.

Maybe he was right. If he set out the rules, then maybe he could do this. Pack was good and all, but he did sometimes crave a female underneath him. 

Air handed him another drink and he downed that one too, shuddering as the strong alcohol burned its way down into his gut.

“Are we doing this?” Air said with a grin, his own eyes flashing purple.

Quinn growled at him.

“Fuck off, Air.”

“Yesss!” he said as they stood.

Sister Martha was standing chatting with another Sister and the two humans went quiet when they realised that two of Secondo’s ghouls had approached them. Air smiled his most charming smile, and the other Sister beamed back at him. He elbowed Quinn, who glanced at him, and Air’s smile widened. Quinn realised he was scowling and he tried to relax a bit.

“Oh, hi, Quinn, Air,” Sister Martha said. “This is Sister Jane. What can we do for you?”

“Just checking you’re both enjoying Secondo’s little get together. Can we get you another drink?” Air asked.

“Sure, thanks,” Sister Jane answered for them both.

Air held out his hand for her.

“Are you going to help me?”

She looked to Sister Martha, who smiled and nodded, so she took Air’s hand and off they went.

Quinn went to stand by Sister Martha. She smelled good, like citrus fruits. And her soul was pure. The light from it held steady and he smiled at her. She leaned in closer to him and whispered.

“You should smile more often, Quinn. It makes you a lot less scary.”

“And that would ruin my reputation completely, wouldn’t it, Sister Martha?”

She shivered and he saw her cheeks blush.

“Just Martha is fine.”

Quinn could feel eyes on them as the other Siblings wondered why he had approached her. He glanced around and they all looked away.

“It is very busy out here. Do you want to take a walk with me?”

He felt her anxiousness as she looked around at the safety of the others. He clamped down on his natural instincts to soothe her with quintessence. If she was going to go with him, she had to be 100% sure about it without any prompting from him.

“I assure you I will take good care of you. Secondo would have my balls if anything happened to you that you did not want.”

She stared up at him for a few seconds, trying to figure him out, and a smile lit up her face.

“You’re pretty funny, for a ghoul,” she said, and he huffed a laugh.

“You think I was joking?” She laughed and smacked him on the arm, and he felt his eyes glow. "Oh, I think you might pay for that later,” he said with a slow smile, and Martha shivered again.

Air and Sister Jane came back with the drinks and she snuggled into the air ghoul's side after they handed them out.

“We’re going to take a walk,” Martha said to her friend and Air grinned a shit-eating grin at them.

Quinn narrowed his eyes at the ghoul and led her off towards the woods.

They sipped their drinks as they walked, and he felt her relaxing. He could feel that she wanted to ask him something, though.

“Go on. Ask,” he said.

She glanced at him and smiled sheepishly.

“I hope you don’t think this is rude, but the Siblings gossip. And when you arrived, it was big news.” She glanced at him again as they walked. “They’ve noticed that you haven’t mixed with them the way the other ghouls do. Why is that? I’ve heard the way they talk about you. You could have anyone you wanted. Wow, did I just say that?” she said as she shook her head.

He stopped walking, frowning.

“They don’t interest me. Not the way you do.”

She looked up at him.

“And why is that?”

He pursed his lips and tried to think of the words he should use.

“I have some… requirements.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Oh, here we go. You’re going to want to drink my blood, aren’t you? Or make me call you daddy? Or pee on you?”

He smirked.

“Only if you want to.”

She sighed.

“Go on then. Hit me with it.”

He stepped closer to her and she looked further up at him.

“I need you to do as you are told. Without question. At all times. I don’t do kisses or cuddles and you will touch me only when I tell you to. I will touch you whenever I please. If there is something that makes you feel uncomfortable, you will tell me immediately and I will stop. Ghouls can be rough and I have never been with a human before, so you need to tell me if I do something wrong.” Her lip quirked into a half smile and he sensed she would like that. “In public, you will not approach me unless I ask you to. I don’t want someone to become possessive of me and think that they have some claim over me because I chose them. I am not looking for someone to warm my bed at night. I am looking for someone to fuck.”

He saw the way her eyes widened, and she worried her bottom lip with her teeth. He also saw the spark of excitement that she felt at his words.

“Wow. Okay...”

“I will not be angry if you turn me down. And if you find I am not what you want, then there will be no hard feelings. I sensed you might be exactly what I am looking for. And maybe I am something that you might need, too.”

Her eyes roamed his face and she nodded.

“Well, okay then. Let’s give this a go.”

Chapter Text

"I need you to do as you are told. Without question. At all times. I don’t do kisses or cuddles and you will touch me only when I tell you to. I will touch you whenever I please. If there is something that makes you feel uncomfortable, you will tell me immediately and I will stop. Ghouls can be rough and I have never been with a human before, so you need to tell me if I do something wrong.” Her lip quirked into a half smile at the thought of him being rough with her. “In public, you will not approach me unless I ask you to. I don’t want someone to become possessive of me and think that they have some claim over me because I chose them. I am not looking for someone to warm my bed at night. I am looking for someone to fuck.”

What the hell was she doing? Martha looked up at Quinn and bit her lip as she thought about what he’d just said. This wasn’t like her. She wasn’t usually this bold. Especially since what had happened with Tom. She’d sworn off men for life.

But Quinn wasn’t a man. And as much as Secondo’s ghouls scared a lot of the Siblings, never once had anyone been hurt by them. Unless they’d asked for it, of course. Or if they’d deserved it. If the whispers about them were right, then just the opposite was true.

“Wow. Okay...” she said.

The list he had just dumped on her played in her mind and she must admit it gave her a little thrill. Quinn tilted his head and smiled. It seemed to her he was trying to make himself look less intimidating and it was working because that smile was devastating.

“I will not be angry if you turn me down. And if you find I am not what you want, then there will be no hard feelings. I sensed you might be exactly what I am looking for. And maybe that I am something that you might need, too.” 

Jane had pointed out the way he'd been looking at her for the last few weeks. She’d played it down at first, because why would a ghoul be interested in her? There were so many more Sisters who were prettier, smarter, more experienced than she was. But then she’d noticed it herself. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end every time he was around. And sometimes even when she didn’t see him, but she knew he was there. She’d felt like prey and she found she liked it.

What did she have to lose here? Quinn had given her an out, and she didn't doubt that the threat of Secondo’s wrath would keep him in line. He had zero tolerance for abuse, which was the reason that she hadn’t mentioned what happened with Tom to anyone. He was a dick, but he didn’t deserve to disappear.

What the hell, she thought. Why not explore some of those little fantasies she’d been cultivating ever since she arrived here at the Abbey? No strings fun? Perfect.

“Well, okay then. Let’s give this a go.”

His eyes did that thing where they glowed blue and it gave her goosebumps. She definitely felt like prey here alone in the woods with him.

He looked around, and his brow furrowed.

“We need a place where we can go. The lair won’t work because ghouls are too nosey.” He looked expectantly at her. Her heart sank, because she couldn’t take him back to her room either. She had a roommate who always seemed to be there, and she didn’t get the impression that Quinn wanted an audience. She sensed he was very private with this stuff.

She suddenly remembered she had the key to the laundry building in her coat pocket. It was the weekend so it was closed. Nobody would be there. There were plenty of rooms there that could work for their purposes. She smiled up at him.

“I have somewhere we can go. That is, if you want to go now?”

He tilted his head again as he considered it, and then she sensed the change come over him.

“Take us there,” he said, his voice gruff. And she obeyed.

She flicked on the lights and made her way towards the office. It was spacious, with a desk and a sofa along one wall, and she turned on the desk lamp. The room was warm and she took off her shoes and her jacket and hung it up. Quinn looked around and seemed satisfied with the space. He closed the door behind them, clicking the lock into place. She shivered as he regarded her and she tried to stay calm.

“Come here. Let me look at you properly.” 

She walked the few steps over to him and stopped an arm’s length away. He reached over and took out her hair clip, releasing the dark curls. He took a strand between his thumb and forefinger and gently twisted it. She saw him lick his lips.

“Take off your clothes.” Martha felt a stab of anxiety just for a second. The lights in here weren’t bright, but she felt exposed as it was now, let alone being naked and on display. He noticed her hesitation and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Did I mention that there would be consequences if you do not do as you are told? I think I forgot.”

She swallowed and felt a throb in her core at the threat. She shook her head.

“No. You didn’t mention that.”

“Is that going to be a problem?”

She felt herself trembling, but it wasn’t fear that she felt. It was excitement. She dipped her eyes and answered him.

“No.”

“I will repeat myself just this once, then. As an apology for my oversight.” She felt her breathing pick up. “Take off your clothes.”

His accent did funny things to her, and she felt another throb as she slowly removed her top and her skirt. His gaze roamed her body and that blue glow lit up his eyes again. He was beautiful. His skin was slightly tan, which made his blonde hair and blue eyes stand out even more. He had that lazy surfer kind of look, and she found herself wanting to see more of his sun-kissed skin as she took him in. His voice broke her out of her musings.

“You still have some clothes on.”

She quickly removed the bra and panties and instinctively wrapped her arms around her torso to cover herself.

“Arms down. I want to look at you the way you just looked at me. Turn around, slowly.”

She could feel chills on her exposed skin, but she did as he asked, turning in a slow circle in front of him. She felt his gaze on her skin as if it were his touch. When she had turned all the way around, she looked up and met his stare.

“You are beautiful, and don’t let anybody ever tell you otherwise.”

She scrunched her brow. Because how could he know that was one of her biggest insecurities? She felt tingles across her exposed flesh and realised that he was the replacement for Quintessence, so he must have used some of his magics on her. It felt nice, like a warm breeze caressing her skin.

She waited to see what he would do next. His eyes slid over to the desk behind her and his lips twitched. He looked back at her.

“Take off my clothes next. Boots first.” Martha crouched in front of him and untied the laces of his boots. She felt his hand rest gently on the top of her head. His claws softly scratched her scalp, and she had to resist the urge to lean into it. She pulled off the boots one by one and stood. "Shirt next.”

She stepped in closer and hesitated, remembering what he said about not touching him. She reached out slowly and took the hem of his shirt in her hands, slowly pulling it up. Martha tried not to look at the flesh that was being uncovered, but it was too difficult to resist. He raised his arms and she stood on her tiptoes to pull the shirt over his head.

She stood back and looked down at his torso. He was big, but not overly bulky. The lean muscles of his stomach flexed as he put his arms back down by his sides. His jeans hung low on his hips and she saw a brand on the edge of one of them poking out of the waistband. She forced her eyes upwards and met a tattoo at her eye level on his chest, just over his heart. She didn’t realise she’d done it until her fingers were skimming the design that was etched into his skin.

A low growl rumbled out and she felt the vibrations under her fingertips just before she remembered herself and pulled her hand away. It was too late, though. She’d already earned the consequence.

Her eyes met his and she held her breath.

He kept quiet and held her gaze. She could see in her peripheral vision he was removing his belt. Her mind raced at the possibilities, but she didn’t panic. She let his gaze hold her there and she waited.

He grabbed her shoulder firmly and spun her around so that her back was to him. He took her wrists and wrapped the leather around them. It was tight enough that she couldn’t move, but it wasn’t too uncomfortable.

His breath tickled her neck as she felt the heat of him leaning in behind her.

“Consequence number one,” he breathed out. She whimpered and felt that tingle again, and her heart rate slowed. She took in a shaky breath and breathed it out again. “No. Touching. Unless. I. Say.”

He pressed himself against her back and his hand snaked down in front of her and between her legs. She gasped as his fingers moved through the slick that had pooled there and spread the juices around. He gave her ear a sharp nibble and she flinched, but his fingers found her clit and she forgot about the stab of pain for a second.

“Sit on the desk,” he said as he removed his hands and stepped back from her.

She turned her head to look over her shoulder and did as he asked. The wooden surface felt cold underneath her skin, but when she looked at him, that didn’t matter. He undid his jeans, letting them drop to the floor and stepping out of them. Of course, he didn’t wear underwear. What had she expected?

She took him in from his toes upwards, and she shuddered, eyes widening when she realised just how big he was when compared to her. He was perfect, but she suddenly felt very small and very weak at the sight of him. She gazed at the evidence that he was just as into this as she was, and he smirked when he noticed where her eyes had lingered.

“Consequence number two,” he said, and Martha's eyes snapped up to his. She frowned, trying to think of what she had done wrong. “You did not finish your job. I had to do it myself. You were too distracted by breaking the touching rule. So here is your consequence, seeing as you want to touch me so badly.”

He palmed his cock with his left hand and gave himself a stroke. His head tipped back and he smiled. The tips of his fangs poked out and caught his bottom lip. He drew the claws of his right hand down his pecs and around the tattoo over his heart.

Martha felt her clit throbbing in time with her heartbeat as she watched him. Her inner muscles clenched at the thought of touching him like he was touching himself. She whimpered again in frustration at her hands bound uselessly behind her back. Quinn’s eyes flicked to hers and he raised a brow at her. The hand on his cock stilled.

“What’s the matter? You need to learn some impulse control. There is no point complaining about it now. Just watch and take the consequence.”

The gleam in his eye and the way he started stroking himself again had her rolling her hips in annoyance. She wanted to get off the desk and drop to her knees in front of him, but she knew she had to stay here and take her punishment.

Martha couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he brought himself closer to the edge. She shifted uncomfortably. The leather of Quinn’s belt chafed her wrists and her core was getting so needy, with no outlet other than the view before her.

She licked her lips and watched as he pleasured himself. His fluid movements became more jerky the closer he got. His gaze locked onto hers and he gritted his teeth, clenching his jaw and growling as he came. He covered the head of his cock with his free hand and caught the ropes of cum.

Her eyes met his and she sighed. He gave her a satisfied smile as he prowled towards her, blue eyes glowing in the dim light. She instinctively opened her legs, all shyness about being naked and open to him had disappeared now. He came to rest between her thighs and she looked up at him. He loomed above her.

“You took your consequence well, Sister Martha. Maybe you deserve a little reward.”

She nodded slowly and he smiled that devastating smile at her.

His hand went between them, and she felt the wetness he had gathered mixing with her own. He smeared it over her aching centre, and she rubbed herself wantonly into his touch. She moaned at the slick feeling and jerked as he circled her clit a few times with the pad of his thumb.

“Now any of the other ghouls that come sniffing around you will know I was here first. They will know it is me you will compare them to.”

He slipped two long fingers inside of her and fucked their combined juices in and out, agonisingly slowly. Martha’s ass cheeks perched right on the edge of the desk now, and she braced her toes on the floor to steady herself. It took all of her self control not to bury her face in the crook of his neck as he drove her mad, and she dropped her head back instead. It hung back and her hair tickled her spine.

She moaned his name, the ache he was making her feel intensifying. Quinn used his thumb to apply pressure to her clit in time with curling his fingers to hit just the right spot inside her. She could feel the coil of need getting closer to snapping and she closed her eyes, concentrating on the movement of his fingers. He leant in close to her ear.

“Not yet, Sister. You will wait until I say so.”

She whined, but it soon turned into a moan as she felt those tingles of quintessence magic again. They concentrated on all the right nerve endings. She tried her best to think of something else, to stop the orgasm that was so rapidly building. She whimpered again, her hips bucked in time to his fingers stroking her and blissfully he whispered next to her ear.

“Let go, Sister. Come for me.”

Her knees gave out with the force of the orgasm. She clamped her teeth together and squeezed her eyes shut as she came on his fingers. She couldn’t catch a breath and those maddeningly electrifying tingles of magic didn’t let up.

When she could finally form a rational thought, she realised Quinn had pressed himself up against her. The warm skin of his torso felt so good against her own. He reached behind her to undo the belt, and she had her legs wrapped around his waist.

When her hands were free, she leant back on her elbows and looked up at him. She could feel him growing hard against her again, but he moved her legs and stepped away. His eyes glowed with blue fire, and his trademark scowl was back in place. 

He held out his hand to her and she stepped down from the desk.

His gaze roamed over her, and she smiled.

“Are you okay, Martha?” he said, tilting his head. She nodded slowly. Her brain was still fuzzy from the quintessence that seemed to have spread out throughout the rest of her body. He went and got her clothes and helped her to get dressed. "So, do you think this arrangement will work?” he asked her.

If that was the taster of the no strings fun? How could he even ask her that? She put her poker face back on, though.

“I think it should work for me.”

He nodded and went to get dressed.

Chapter Text

It had been a long day filled with tedious Clergy business. Quinn had been on bodyguard duty with Earth away from the Abbey. Secondo had some unavoidable financial meetings in the city that he had to attend in person. Quinn didn’t mind being away from the Abbey too much, but he hated having to be there during the long meetings. He didn’t understand finances too well anyway, but as well as the meeting being mind numbingly boring, the ether had been tormenting him. It had been sending him a steady stream of lots of small and insignificant visions, and each one made his brain throb.

By the time they got back to Secondo’s bulletproof town car, his head was pounding. Earth got behind the wheel, and Secondo and Quinn climbed into the back.

“Are you alright, Quinn?” Secondo asked once they’d got settled. “You seem distracted.”

“I’m fine. Just tired. Lot of visions today. More than usual," he said as another one played through his mind. “Earth, take the long way round.”

The earth ghoul met his eyes through the rear-view mirror.

“Why?” he grumbled out.

“Truck will be blocking the road.”

Earth rolled his eyes and turned down the street that would take them the longer route back to the Abbey. It was rush hour, so the traffic was moving slower than usual. Secondo chuckled.

“Why don’t you take the day off tomorrow, Quinn? You haven’t had much of a break the last few weeks.”

Secondo was right. Since his little session with Sister Martha, he’d been avoiding down time. He’d volunteered to help with menial tasks in his spare time and he hadn’t socialised much with the others at all. Any other free time he’d had, he spent sleeping or training or kneeling before the altar in prayer.

He hadn’t been to see Zephyr too much either, which he felt pretty bad about. They’d become close and went for walks around the Abbey grounds to recharge. They were a relatively similar age, so a lot of the things the younger ones didn’t understand, Zephyr got. And if Quinn had any quintessence questions, Zephyr would answer them for him.

He knew he was being irrational, but that didn’t mean that he could stop himself. The session with Martha had made him want to see her again, to finish what they’d started. The way she had responded to him had made him think of the possibilities of what else they could do together.

He’d enjoyed it too much and he felt guilty.

It wasn’t that he was falling for her. He still stuck by his rules and he knew it would only ever be about sex, so it wasn’t that he felt guilty about betraying Ashtoreth. He supposed he felt guilty for relaxing and having a good time without her. Everything he’d been doing in his spare time for recreation, he’d enjoyed. He felt like such a bastard for it.

“It’s okay, Secondo. I don’t need any time off. I’m helping with felling some of the old trees at dawn to build the new cabins. And Air wanted to spend some time with Sister Jane tomorrow night, so I said I would pick up his security shift for him for a few hours.”

Secondo and Earth looked at each other, and Secondo shook his head.

“No, Quinn. You aren’t doing any of those things. You’re going to relax, rest and do nothing.”

Quinn frowned. He didn’t want to do nothing, had always hated doing nothing because that’s when the memories usually caught up with him. He growled in frustration, and Secondo raised a brow at him.

“Why don’t you spend the day with Zephyr? Primo has taken three ghouls on his trip, but Zephyr stayed behind. He is probably at a loose end.”

“I will go to see Zephyr, but I can still help with the other stuff.”

Earth growled.

“I don’t think you understand what Papa is saying. You will take the day off. Air can wait until his night off to fuck a Sister. There are plenty of other ghouls helping with the trees already. I will do your shift tomorrow. Take. The. Day. Off. That is an order.”

He folded his arms and looked out of the window.

Fucking Earth. Fucking Secondo.

He sensed the Papa’s annoyance at him and realised he hadn’t closed off his thoughts. He chanced a sideways glance and saw Secondo glaring at him.

Sorry, he projected to him as he resumed staring out of the window.

Secondo dismissed him when they arrived back at the Abbey, telling him he didn’t want to see him for thirty-six hours. Great.

It was dark by now and he strode off towards the woods without saying another word. A run was just what he needed right now.

He ran for a good hour before he realised he was still wearing his Clergy uniform. He vaguely remembered snagging his sleeve on a branch while running through the woods, realizing that the uniform wasn’t really made for such activities. Sure enough, when he looked down, there was a tear in the black material.

“Fuck,” he growled.

Quinn walked back towards the Abbey and noticed that the lights were still on in the laundry. He should probably drop the jacket off to be repaired on his way past. He didn’t need it for a couple of days, so it should be fixed by his next shift.

He opened the door and walked into the reception area. He had not been back to this place since that night with Martha, and as soon as he entered the reception area, he sensed Martha’s scent, but it held a subtle trace of fear. 

Quinn heard muffled voices coming from one of the back rooms; one male and one Martha’s.

The hunter in him was suddenly interested in whatever human business was happening. He stalked along the corridor towards the back area. He noticed a storeroom filled with different types of garments and peered around the doorframe to see what was going on.

Martha was standing with her back against the shelves and a human male was getting up into her personal space. It wasn’t lust that the male was feeling; it was anger. Quinn soon realised that this was the male that had caused Martha enough pain to put her off a relationship.

He casually but silently strolled into the room, coming to a stop behind the human. Martha noticed him first. Her eyes strayed behind the male to Quinn and they widened in surprise. The human male noticed her reaction and turned around.

He jumped when he came face to face with Quinn. The fear was intoxicating to him. He let his eyes glow and captured the human's gaze, tilting his head and letting some fang show as his lips curled into a smile. Without breaking eye contact, he addressed Martha.

“Is everything alright, Sister Martha? You are here very late tonight.”

Her eyes flicked to the human and then back to Quinn, and she swallowed.

“Tom was just leaving. Weren’t you Tom?” she said.

Quinn had to hide his annoyance that she would protect this piece of shit.

The human turned back to Martha.

“I haven’t said my piece yet. This isn’t over.”

Quinn growled and the human snapped his attention back to him.

“I think this is over, Tom. I think maybe you will not speak to or bother Sister Martha again. I think that if I find out that you have, we will have a problem. A bigger problem than we have already, that is. What do you think, Tom?”

Quinn scented that fear again and he smiled.

“Whatever you say. I won’t bother her again," the pathetic human said with a waver in his voice.

He suddenly wasn’t so brave when faced with a ghoul.

“Good. I will see you out then, Tom. The Sister needs to get home. You have taken up enough of her precious time already.”

Quinn escorted him to the door and made sure he left, before returning to the back to check on Martha. She was shaking, but didn’t seem to be hurt.

“Are you okay?” he asked. She’d wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold. “What did he want?”

She huffed out a breath.

“He just thinks he still has a claim on me. Even though he made it very clear I meant nothing to him," she said with malice.

Quinn scowled. Fucking humans. A ghuleh would not have let that happen. A ghoul wouldn’t have treated her that way in the first place.

“If he gives you any more trouble, come and find me or any of the other ghouls. I will let them know to watch out for him.”

She shook her head and he felt her anxiety spike.

“No, Quinn, it’s fine. He’s just a douchebag. I’m sure he won’t cause any more problems.”

He frowned at her and held out his hand. She hesitated.

“It’s okay, special circumstances,” he said with a smirk.

She laughed and took it.

He gave her the jacket that needed repairing and she put it in the pile for the next day’s tasks. She locked up the building and Quinn walked with her back to the dorms, just in case Tom was as stupid as he looked and tried to bother her again.

“Have you been okay? I haven’t seen you for a while.”

He felt her reluctance to ask him that and he knew she thought she'd done something wrong, or that he didn’t want to see her again. He felt shitty for it, but he didn’t explain his reasons. Now that he was with her again, his rational self came to the forefront. He should try to make more time for himself. He could try not to enjoy himself too much. But like Air had said all those weeks ago, it wasn’t healthy to deny his impulses. He could beat himself up about it at a later date if he had to, and he knew he would.

“Secondo has kept me very busy," he said. “I will have some free time next week, though. I expect you will be free as well.”

He felt that delicious excitement from her, and she nodded.

“Yes, I’ll be free.”

Chapter Text

Quinn sipped his coffee and watched the sun rise over the horizon from the edge of the gardens. He sat on the ground on the grassy hill. His feet were bare and he savoured the feel of the earth underneath them. He figured he might as well start his day off right if he was going to be forced to rest.

He felt a presence behind him and turned to see Zephyr. The old ghoul sat down next to him and gave him a brief hug.

“I love this time of the day. So peaceful.”

Quinn nodded his agreement.

He'd discovered at an early age that he enjoyed the early hours of the morning. When everyone else was still sleeping, he could find peace. There was no turmoil to balance out and no stress. It was the only time of the day that he could feel truly alone.

He didn’t mind Zephyr joining him today, though. The ghoul still carried the sadness of losing Rosie, but it wasn’t extreme anymore and Quinn didn’t begrudge him anything, anyway. He was one of the few beings that was peaceful to be around. As a quintessence ghoul, it was a rarity that he appreciated when he came across it.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been a distant lately, Zephyr. I hope you don’t think I was avoiding you on purpose.”

“Quinn, don’t apologise to me. I can see straight through you. I’ve said it before, you’re too hard on yourself. What’s been bothering you?”

He picked some blades of grass and fiddled with them absentmindedly. Although Zephyr was easy to talk to, the kinds of things they talked about were difficult to speak of. Zephyr jokingly referred to himself as Quinn’s shrink and he smiled as he thought of that.

“I’ve been feeling guilty.”

“I thought so. I could see it the last time we talked. What have you done that’s made you feel guilty?”

That was the question, wasn’t it?

“Lived, I suppose.” Zephyr frowned at him. “When I was with Andras, I was not really my own ghoul. I mean, I was, but I had a role to play and I played it. It wasn’t a life. But here? This is more like a normal life for a ghoul. All the Clergy ghouls are happy here. They worked hard to get here and they love their lives.” Zephyr nodded, but he let him continue to purge his thoughts. “I’ve found myself becoming settled. I like the other ghouls. I like Secondo. I like my duties mostly, and I’ve been doing things I enjoy.”

“That’s it, isn’t it? You feel you don’t deserve these things.”

Quinn looked down at the grass under his feet. He thought about all the things he'd done since his family was taken from him. 

He didn’t deserve this life.

“Many times after they died, I wanted to end it all. Andras said that I should live for them. That I should avenge them. And that’s what kept me going at first. The promise of ending the witches.” He shook his head and Zephyr put his arm around Quinn’s shoulders. “But then, after that was done, my life was not my own anymore. It was not mine to take anymore, as much as I wanted to. And Andras would not allow it.”

He felt the tingles of Zephyr’s magic as he tried to soothe him. The memory of his first encounter with the witches rose to the surface, and he found himself telling Zephyr what had happened.

The ghouls and ghulehs of the village, who the witches would target, had escaped to the safety of the nearby mountains by the time the night of the full moon arrived. There was a system of caves that was only known to the locals, and that is where they hid.

One of the village elders was the one that had betrayed them. They left him bound and gagged in the village square, waiting for the witches and their slave ghouls to arrive.

Quinn and a few of the warriors from the surrounding settlements waited and watched from the safety of the woods as the scene from his vision played out.

The witches and the ghouls gathered on the outskirts and then descended upon the village.

This time, though, there was only confusion when the ghouls found the place empty except for the ghoul who they had dealt with. The black-haired witch, who was the leader, made quick work of slitting his throat. The look of anger on her face was plain to see, even from their distance away.

The warriors were there as a line of defence in case they turned their sights on trying to find the missing ghouls, but Quinn knew that their time here would be very limited, so they wouldn’t risk it. Sure enough, they set the village alight and then turned to head back to the spot that they’d arrived in. All except for the black-haired witch and her two pet ghouls, who stood silently behind her. The metal collars they wore kept them under control and they would do whatever the witch commanded, whether they wanted to or not.

Quinn’s intuition told him to send the warriors back to the others, and it told him he needed to stay behind. The leader argued with him, wanting him to go with them to safety, but he refused.

He broke the tree line and headed closer to the village. He kept his fear under control and kept a safe distance away from the witch. The ghouls saw him first and they both growled, their eyes glowing in the darkness.

The bigger one was an air ghoul. He was old and he was tired and Quinn’s quintessence self wept for him. His emotions had become subdued and numb, like a dog who loses all of its fight and gives up after being beaten enough times. Whatever horrors he had endured at the hands of these witches had eventually broken him.

The smaller one was different. He was a fire ghoul and he was young. If Quinn had to guess, he’d say no more than thirty seasons old. His absolute stillness betrayed the turmoil that Quinn sensed in his emotions. He was a mess. Panicking, scared, and the thing that stood out above everything else was that he would rather die than carry on in his current existence.

The witch turned to him, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“What is this?” she said as she eyed him. She spoke in one of the Earth languages that Quinn knew; Latin. “A seer? What kind of ghoul is he?” she asked the air ghoul.

“Quintessence,” the ghoul answered.

His voice was flat, devoid of all emotion.

Quinn had never seen a witch before, but he had read about them. She smelled of blood and sulphur and her soul was a tangled mass of blackness. He shuddered at the evil that he felt there. Her eyes were a dark brown and as sharp and calculating as anyone he had ever met.

“I take it you are to blame for this?” she said as she gestured to the empty village. “You do not know what the cost of this will be.”

“It was worth it to keep the village ghouls free,” he said as he looked at the witch’s ghouls with pity.

“That is rather hasty for you to presume, ghoul. I wonder if you will still agree it was worth it the next time we return here?”

Quinn bared his fangs at her, and she laughed. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he shivered.

In the next heartbeat, the witch and her two ghouls disappeared. The smell of ozone hung in the air. They’d been called back to Earth. Whatever sorcery they’d used had run out.

“So that’s how the witches came to notice me. They knew I had warned the villagers and they cut out my heart as payment.”

He didn’t realise that he had curled into Zephyr’s side at some point. The older ghoul was rubbing slow circles on his back to comfort him. He hadn’t ever told anyone about what had happened. Andras knew because he plucked the thoughts from Quinn’s head, but he’d never had to speak the words out loud to recount any of it before.

It felt good to get it out there, but it also felt like his soul was being shredded all over again.

He shrugged out of Zephyr’s hold and let out a harsh breath.

“I think I need to run again. Or fight. Or both.”

He laughed a humourless laugh, and Zephyr smiled at him.

“A couple of centuries ago, I would have joined you in both pursuits, but alas, it would probably finish me off.” His eyes sparkled with amusement. “Go, run. You will feel better.” 

Quinn nodded his thanks, turned and ran.

Chapter Text

Quinn tried his best to switch off his brain as he ran. He ran hard and he ran fast, making use of all the open spaces the Abbey’s grounds had to offer. The woods were the best place, though. There were obstacles to jump, uneven terrain and trees galore to weave in and out of.

When he thought about it later, his reaction was maybe extreme. But, it was one of those the right place, the right time things. Or maybe the wrong place, the wrong time, depending on how or who was looking at it.

Quinn came across Earth in a clearing in the woods. He was sitting cross-legged and shirtless, meditating. His fingers raked the loose earth and Quinn sensed the peace that he felt. The ghoul heard his approach and stood up to greet him, shaking stray leaves from his jeans.

Quinn was breathing hard from the effort of the run, and he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his system. He swiped the back of his hand along his forehead to move the strands of hair that were stuck with sweat to his skin and he glared at Earth.

The need to run had escalated as his ghoul nature became more prominent. The wilder side of him was begging to be set free and Earth realised this within a second or two.

The big ghoul rumbled out a warning growl and took a step towards him. Quinn answered with his own growl.

Of all the ghouls to stumble across while he was feeling like this, why did it have to be Earth? Any of the others, it would have been a quick scrap and a roll around. Play fighting. But with Earth? He couldn’t do that.

There was always the extra dynamic just below the surface between them. Earth knew that Quinn had submitted to him willingly. He hadn’t earned it. He’d submitted to Earth for the good of the pack and to make his transition to life at the Abbey easier for everyone when he had first arrived. Quinn knew that had stung Earth’s pride; the fact that he hadn’t made Quinn submit.

Since then, even though he had mostly kept himself in check when it came to their pack leader, Quinn often found himself pushing back. He wouldn't do anything that he didn’t want to. Earth had noticed and he had allowed it to go ahead with no repercussions. He’d seemed to enjoy the challenge and as much as it pained him to do it, Quinn had more often than not backed down after his minor acts of rebellion. To keep the peace.

But right now? He didn’t feel like backing down. He wanted to hurt something. He wanted blood on his claws and to bite flesh with his fangs. The run had gone a long way to purge the feelings that the memories had brought up, but he needed something more than that. He wanted Earth to submit; he wanted to make him submit.

Earth did not drop his gaze from Quinn’s. He carried on slowly walking towards him. His movements were slow and graceful, and Quinn readied himself. He knew that this was the quiet before the storm.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Quinn? Why don’t I join you for the rest of your run?”

Quinn snarled and lunged for him. Earth was pretty quick for a ghoul his size, but Quinn was quicker.

They met in the middle and tumbled to the ground; the momentum causing them to roll a few times. It was messy. There was nothing graceful about two ghouls scrapping. Punches half connected with faces, fangs caught random pieces of flesh, claws scraped skin as they fought for a while to gain the upper hand.

Earth was stronger than him. That was clear from the beginning. So as the fight wore on, Quinn looked for his chance to counteract that strength. As soon as he got the opportunity, he head-butted him on the bridge of his nose. The grunt that Earth let out was satisfying, and it dazed him for a couple of seconds. That was all Quinn needed.

He flipped the ghoul to his stomach and twisted his arm up behind his back, using his bodyweight to pin the bigger ghoul to the ground. He could smell Earth’s blood from his busted nose and he felt him struggling underneath him.

Earth had his face turned to the side, pressed into the dirt on the ground. He gritted his teeth and let out a frustrated growl. Some of his long hair had come loose from the tie that held it back. The strands were a mixture of the colours of autumn leaves; golds, oranges and reds. He was panting from the exertion, and Quinn sensed his mood change as he struggled underneath him. He sensed fear from the ghoul, but it wasn’t anything as simple as fear of him. It was a fear of being vulnerable and of being the one who was helpless. A fear of the unknown.

Quinn's eyes glowed brighter as he felt Earth’s fear turning to arousal at being trapped beneath him and he responded in kind. He got the impression that Earth had never let himself get into this position before. He was always the one who was in charge. There was never any question of it.

He pressed his weight into him, pushing the earth ghoul’s body further into the dirt, and he gave him a nip on his shoulder. He made sure to bruise the flesh with his teeth and Earth shuddered beneath him. Earth’s eyes flicked to him and he ground his hips into the floor, panting as Quinn held him there. He felt the bulky muscles between his teeth tense up and he had to fight himself hard not to sink his fangs in all the way, but he resisted and let go.

“Why the fuck did it have to be you, Earth? Why couldn’t I have found Air or Fire out here? Fuck!”

He shifted his weight and Quinn knew the exact moment that Earth felt just how hard he was because he sucked in a breath. The fight or fuck instinct that often surfaced when ghouls ran together was so hard to resist and he’d forgotten how good it felt to just let go and act like a simple ghoul.

He tried to calm his heart because in the back of his mind something was trying to tell him he needed to pull back, that he needed to draw a line under this and walk away. But he soon realised that the small voice of reason was Earth trying to use their pack bond to take back his dominance. Quinn grabbed the hair at the nape of his neck, wrenching his head back.

“No. Not today,” he gritted out next to Earth’s ear. “You hold no power over me except for what I allow. Don’t even fucking try it.”

Earth growled.

“Just take your prize, Quinn. Just fucking get it over with.”

That was all he needed to hear. He pulled Earth’s head back further and latched onto his neck just below his jaw. He sucked the skin hard and grazed his teeth along the pale expanse. Earth groaned and Quinn let go, seeing the purple bruise that was forming already and the thin trails of blood from where his fangs had nicked the skin.

He moved back slightly, releasing his grip on Earth’s arm and letting him go. His hands moved to the ground next to his head and he clawed at the soil. Quinn roughly grabbed his hips, lifting them up. He waited for Earth to flip himself back over, to try to fight, but he offered himself up. Quinn felt the tingles of excitement that he felt at the unknown.

He gasped when Quinn roughly unbuttoned his jeans and moved them out of the way. He leaned over again, pressing his front along Earth’s back and letting him feel what he was going to be experiencing any minute now.

“Shame you can’t see yourself getting owned Earth. Such a pretty little bitch for me.” Quinn shucked his own jeans and moved them down enough to free himself. He spat on his palm and rubbed it over the head of his cock, closing his eyes for a second to breathe. He leaned in next to Earth’s ear and whispered, “My pretty little bitch," as he slowly pushed his way in.

It felt so good, and there was less resistance than he was expecting. The earth ghoul was slick for him. He felt Earth tensing up, so he sent some quintessence mojo to relax him and stroked his claws down the muscles of his back.

Earth was breathing in shallow pants, fisting the ground. Quinn reached down in front of him and wrapped a hand around the ghoul’s massive erection. The ghoul jerked and hissed in a breath, bucking into the touch, and Quinn stroked a hand down the skin of his side in praise.

He took a moment to appreciate this little victory; he sensed that Earth was not expecting to want this, not expecting to enjoy it. It went against every instinct he thought he had and wasn’t that empowering?

Earth whined and tried to roll his hips. He didn’t know what he wanted. Quinn circled his hips ever so slightly, eliciting a groan from him. The earth ghoul’s heart was beating frantically and Quinn grinned at the effect that this was having on him. It only added to the excitement.

Quinn unleashed his inner ghoul on a snarl and fucked Earth into the ground. He raked his claws down his back and drew blood. Earth yowled and moaned and muttered nonsense, but Quinn heard his name in amongst it more than once.

It was fast; it was sweaty and it didn’t take long for Quinn to near his peak. He leant over Earth and bit his shoulder again, but this time he felt flesh give way beneath his fangs as he bit down into a chunk of muscle. The taste of Earth’s blood sent him over the edge and he filled the bigger ghoul with his seed, snarling against the skin of his shoulder.

He felt Earth spasming around him, and he growled out a curse. The ghoul had come, untouched, and Quinn gave one last shove into him with a look of satisfaction on his face.

He pulled out and stood up, fixing his clothes and dusting the leaf debris from his knees. The sight of the earth ghoul on his hands and knees on the ground, utterly spent, made him grin.

Quinn offered his hand and Earth briefly met his gaze, but he didn’t accept it. He stood up clumsily, a dazed look on his face. He could feel Earth’s confusion over what had just happened, and he knew the ghoul would be unpacking a lot of shit in his head today.

He shrugged it off and turned to leave.

“Thanks for picking up my shift today Earth, looks like I’m going to enjoy my day off now that I’ve relaxed a bit," he called over his shoulder as he set off towards the Abbey.

Chapter Text

Air and Fire were in the living room chatting when he got back to the lair. He figured he’d better clean himself up. Earth had clawed him during their fight, ripping his shirt and leaving three gashes along his abs, along with various minor cuts and bruises. He was filthy from rolling around on the ground, as well.

The two ghouls greeted him and he saw their eyes taking in his appearance, but they didn’t comment on it. Fire’s nose twitched, but again, he kept quiet.

“Air, I’m sorry, but Secondo is making me take the day off so I won’t be able to do your shift later.”

Air smiled a sad smile.

“That’s okay. I can see Jane another time. She wasn’t feeling too well yesterday anyway, so she should probably rest too. I’ll drop her off something nice on my way to work.” The air ghoul was so thoughtful. It was annoying sometimes. “Have you got plans today? I was thinking maybe you’d want to go for a wander in the city with me? I need to pick up some things. We can take one of the Abbey’s cars.”

He thought about it. He had made no plans, but things that kept his mind busy were probably best, so he nodded.

“Okay. I’ll go clean up then.”

“Want some breakfast? I’ll make you something for when you’re done.”

Quinn thanked him and headed back to his room. When he’d showered, had tended his wounds and got dressed, he knelt down by the altar for a couple of minutes. He had upgraded it in the months since he’d arrived. It was more permanent now, different from the portable collection of statues and crystals and minerals that he had gotten used to. Anya, the Clergy’s head witch, had found him the things he needed and she told him to take whatever herbs and candles he wanted from the apothecary.

Quinn sensed Earth returning and heard the ghoul’s door slam. He didn’t feel bad for him. This would have happened sooner or later, anyway. He wouldn’t have been able to put up with Earth thinking that he could own him whenever he wanted to or wielding his authority. Secondo was their leader. Earth was unofficial. Hopefully now they could just get on with their lives without issue.

He left his room and went to eat breakfast. Air had made him French toast, which he had discovered not long after his arrival that he loved. It was one of the few sweet things that he genuinely liked.

They headed down to the garage to get the car. Driving was on the list of things that he needed to learn, but he was reluctant to. Secondo agreed that he shouldn’t drive too much, but he needed to know how to in case of emergencies.

The visions made Quinn zone out now and then, which made having him in charge of a speeding vehicle not such a great idea. They were coming across minor issues like this all the time and having to make changes in his duties to accommodate them.

When he was working security for Secondo outside of the Abbey, there would always be someone else there as well, just in case. For the same reason - if Quinn zoned out, then it could mean the difference between life and death for Secondo if somebody chose that moment to attack him.

Quinn felt guilty that Secondo had summoned a defective ghoul, but the Papa just took it in his stride. Already Quinn had provided him with intuition and visions that were beneficial to the Clergy and the residents of the Abbey, so he had proved that summoning him had been worth it. He had become the number one ghoul to take to meetings because he could sense things that the others could not, and steer Secondo in the right direction with his decisions.

“Earth wasn’t happy. You messed him up pretty bad,” Air said casually as they reached the row of cars that were available for the ghouls to use. He unlocked a black one and climbed in.

Quinn cursed. He didn’t want to discuss this.

“That’s his issue to deal with. Not mine,” he growled out.

“Okay...” Air said and he kept quiet for a while, thankfully.

They made sure their human glamour was in place before they drove through the gates at the end of the long gravel driveway and left the grounds of the Abbey.

Air wound the windows down. It was spring and the temperature was becoming more pleasant than the freezing cold that Quinn had tried and failed to get used to. As they drove towards the city, the scents changed from clean nature to more human things. It wasn’t nice, but he would get used to it.

He’d been to the city before, of course, on duty with Secondo. But so far, he had avoided going on his time off. The others had tried to get him to go with them for nights out, but he’d declined.

Air needed to buy a few things, so that meant shopping. Secondo paid them well for the jobs that they did. They each had a salary and access to money. So far, Quinn hadn’t used any of his, though. He had a stash in his room, and he could get the rest any time he wanted from the treasury at the Abbey, but he hadn’t needed it so far. He’d brought some cash with him now, though, just in case he saw something he wanted.

They parked up and walked along the city streets. There were a lot of humans here, and the amount of stress and sadness that they carried around with them surprised Quinn. So many of them felt broken and after a few minutes, he had to shut off his quintessential self, as it was just too exhausting to be around them. No wonder Zephyr didn’t venture out of the Abbey too often if this is what it was like in the human world.

Air led them around various shops for the things he needed. Quinn picked up a few more clothes and other things that he would need. They went to a record store and Air bought more LPs. He had a ton of them already and Quinn didn’t know how he found the time to listen to them all.

They took the bags back to the car.

“Hungry?” It was midday by now, so Quinn nodded. Ghouls could eat a lot. They had a high metabolism and his stomach rumbled at the mention of food. “Have you had McDonald’s yet?”

He shook his head. He had no idea what that was, which Air realised, and he laughed.

It turns out McDonald’s was food and around half an hour later, the two of them were sitting in the sunshine on the grass in a park, digging around in paper bags full of goodies. They had a few burgers each, some chicken nuggets, some fries and drinks.

“You like?” Air grinned at him.

He nodded and made mmm-hmmm noises through the mouthful of food. These were way better than the burgers from the canteen at the Abbey.

Quinn watched the humans enjoying their time in the park. These humans seemed less stressed than the others had been. They must have had the day off, too.

He found himself enjoying being here and he waited for the familiar guilt to creep in. Ashtoreth would have loved a place like this. She loved new experiences and she loved socialising.

“What is it?” Air asked. 

He must have sensed his melancholy mood change.

Quinn sighed.

“Just thinking.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t.”

He glanced at the air ghoul. It was always strange to see him looking so human. He wasn’t sure that he liked it.

A group of human women were sitting nearby with their own lunch and Quinn had noticed the way they’d been looking at the two of them, casting glances their way now and then. Two of them got up and walked over.

“No growling, Quinn. I mean it. Secondo will not be happy if he gets reports of hysterical human women,” Air said under his breath when he noticed them approaching.

He put his charming smile on, and Quinn tried not to scowl at them.

“Hi,” the blonde one said, looking back and forth between them. “We were wondering if you wanted to join us?”

They were bold; Quinn thought. He was just about to say no before Air agreed to it, when the other ghoul put his arm around Quinn’s shoulder and leaned into him.

“Sorry honey, we’re just having a quiet lunch together. Enjoy yours though.”

The women looked disappointed, but they waved and walked away, putting their heads together as they discussed them. Quinn found himself smiling.

“What? Better that than you bite their heads off and scare them away,” Air said. Quinn pushed him away and chuckled. “Come on, we’re done here, anyway. What should we do next?”

Quinn shrugged and they wandered for a bit, people watching and chatting about insignificant things. Strangely, Quinn had had no visions or intuitions so far, but that changed when they turned a corner onto a little side street. He got the feeling of dread that he sometimes got. He stopped and Air looked back at him, confused.

“I think we should go another way.”

“Why? I want to go this way,” Air said.

“I don’t know why, but I’ve just got a bad feeling.”

Air looked around and scented the air before turning back to him.

“Looks okay to me. I know what’s wrong though, look,” he said as he pointed towards the small shops that were dotted around the street.

There were fortune tellers and new-age supply stores. Air got a mischievous glint in his eye and he smiled at Quinn. No good would come of whatever idea he'd just had.

“No. Whatever it is, just no.”

Air grinned at him and carried on walking.

“Well, I’m going this way and Secondo said we have to stay together so...”

Quinn shook his head and jogged to catch him up.

“Where are you going, Air?” But he didn’t need a vision to tell him when he noticed the sign above the door of a nearby building. He cursed. “No! Absolutely not!”

The sign read:

Stone Age

Metaphysical Supply Store

Fortune Telling, Palmistry, Tarot and more!

It was too late, though. He heard the bell jangling above the door as Air walked in and he dumbly followed him.

The smell of incense hit him first as he crossed the threshold. The tingle of weak magic was next, and he furrowed his brow. There wasn’t much magic in the human world beyond witches and sorcerers, and you couldn’t really class them as fully human.

Air was wandering around the shop, picking things up and putting them down again, sniffing things and prodding them. The girl behind the counter looked at them indifferently. She looked like a teenager, and she clearly didn’t want to be there. Quinn went over to Air.

“You love all of this shit. I know you do. Look!” he said as he held out a chunk of lapis lazuli to him.

Quinn took it from him and turned it over in his hand. He could feel the tingles from it. It was one of the stones he used when connecting with the ether. Maybe he could use some more supplies. Air gave him a knowing look and went to speak to the human girl.

Quinn picked up a few crystals and some incense and looked at a few of the other things they had. Air came back a few minutes later.

“So, don’t growl at me, but...” Quinn growled. "I said don’t growl! Humans, remember?” Air hissed.

Quinn rolled his eyes.

“What is it Air?”

He got that glint in his eye again and nudged Quinn towards a beaded curtain that separated the main store from a back room. An older human woman looked up at them as they stepped inside, and her eyes widened when she saw them. She was looking at Air’s forehead and Quinn looked at the ghoul to check his glamour was still up. Thankfully, it was. 

Quinn looked back at the woman and narrowed his eyes. There was something different about her and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. He felt confusion coming from Air and he glanced back to him. The ghoul had a line of concentration between his brows, the same one he got when he was checking out someone’s aura.

“Hi,” he said to her.

The woman composed herself and smiled. Whatever she thought she had seen didn’t worry her.

“Greetings. I see you would like to hear your futures?”

Quinn choked on a laugh, and Air nudged him.

“She’s the real deal, Quinn.”

Quinn looked back at her, and he saw it. She had a little touch of foresight. He could sense the ether on her, even though it was very faint. He didn’t think that humans could actually do that, but apparently, they could.

The woman looked at him. Her shrewd brown eyes took him in and he could see her confusion at what he was. She must have sensed the ether on him, too. She gestured for them to sit.

“Come, gentlemen, sit down.”

They looked at each other and sat at the table. The woman sat behind it.

“Where are my manners? I’m so sorry! I am Madam Bucur. I was just so surprised to see two of your kind.”

“Our kind?” Quinn said carefully.

“Demons,” she said plainly.

Air laughed.

“Oh, we aren’t demons,” he said.

She glanced at their foreheads again.

“But what about those?” she said, pointing to their horns.

Quinn sighed. She could clearly see through their human glamour.

“We are not demons, but we are related to them,” he said.

She raised her brow in surprise.

“You don’t seem scared of us," Air said.

“Well, no, I can see that your intentions are pure. You are very welcome here,” she said with a smile. “Now, who wants to go first?”

Air looked expectantly at Quinn and he scowled. She held her hand out for him and gestured for him to give her his.

The second their skin touched, his eyes rolled back and the woman’s future played out across his mind. It must have taken a few seconds, and when he came aware again the woman was staring at him wide eyed and he felt the tremor of her hand where they were linked. He let go and stood up. Air was looking between them, confused.

“Beware the seer,” she said to him, and he frowned. “She is not what she seems.”

“The seer?” he said. “Which seer?”

“Pale hair and the face of an angel. She is damaged.” She shook her head and seemed to calm down. “Please be careful. That’s all I can tell you.”

“Okay...” Air said as he stood.

He took some bills out of his pocket and went to hand them to her, but she refused. Quinn felt a spike of annoyance at her.

“Take the money. You will need it. Do not become complacent. You must pay him back quickly.” She looked confused for a second, and then her eyes widened. “Do not owe him for any longer than you have to. He is not the type of man who negotiates or who takes excuses. In fact, here, pay him back today.”

Quinn took the wad of cash he'd brought with him out of his jacket and put it on the table in front of her. He hadn’t counted the exact amount, but he knew there was enough to pay back the man that this old clairvoyant had borrowed from. He did not want the future that he saw to befall her or her granddaughter, the girl behind the counter.

She shook her head at first, but he smiled at her.

“Please, I could not live with myself if I just sat back and let the events I just saw happen.” He held out the things he’d picked up to buy and he shrugged. “I will just think of it as an expensive shop.”

She half laughed, but she looked stunned.

“Thank you. If you ever need anything, just let me know. You are always welcome here.”

He turned and left, suddenly needing to get out into the fresh air. He shoved the items he’d picked up into his pockets and strode out into the afternoon sun with Air dutifully following. Try as he might, he couldn’t get the image of the woman and her granddaughter’s charred remains out of his head. He just hoped that she did as he told her and paid the human man back today.

“Home then?” Air asked when they’d put a fair bit of distance between them and the shop. 

Quinn nodded. Home sounded good.

Chapter Text

🖤 See Air inspiration board 🖤

https://pin.it/3TZ5nW6U3

Quinn watched the scenery pass by on the way back to the Abbey. The encounter with the clairvoyant had soured his mood. He wouldn't think too much about what she’d said. There wasn’t much he could do with that little information to go on. The only other seer he knew also matched that description and he couldn’t see himself encountering her again anytime soon, so he would just have to sit back and wait.

He snapped out of his thoughts and realised that they’d passed the turnoff for the Abbey and were heading out into the countryside.

“I think you missed the turn,” he said as he glanced at Air.

The ghoul shook his head.

“Detour.”

“What? Where are we going now?”

“I don’t have to be a quintessence ghoul to realise you’re thinking again. Stop it.” Quinn rolled his eyes. “I heard that eye roll, Quinn. I don’t have to be at work for a few more hours, so we’re going for a run.”

“I already ran today,” he said, not hiding the annoyance in his voice.

“I know, but you didn’t run with me,” Air said with a shrug. “Plus, forbidden territory. Secondo doesn’t let us run in the human world.”

That got Quinn’s attention.

“Okay, I’m listening," he said.

Air grinned at him again.

“I knew you’d like that.”

They pulled off the main road and drove towards a small forest. It reminded Quinn of the ones back in their hell dimension. It was old and it looked dark. Air parked the car in a layby and they got out. It was mid afternoon and the sun had clouded over, making way for some ominous-looking storm clouds. They both took off their jackets and boots, preferring to run barefoot. Quinn could feel the other ghoul’s excitement and it ramped up his own.

This would be much different to this morning’s run. That was about burning off sadness and frustration and it had turned into power games.

He had Air with him this time though, and from the way his eyes glinted with purple fire he could tell that this was going to be fun; it was always fun with Air.

The heavens opened and rain began pelting them. Air sprinted off without warning and Quinn responded quickly, chasing him. Air was fast, even for a ghoul. He was built lighter than the others were, with no excess bulk; just lean, efficient muscles and long, graceful limbs. He could run for hours without seeming to tire, and Quinn enjoyed running with him because it gave him a challenge. He had to work hard to even remotely have a chance of keeping up.

They headed uphill through the trees, and it was hard going. The rain made it more difficult to keep a fast pace, but Air was managing fine and Quinn soon lost sight of him. He could still scent him, though, and he followed the trail. The rain had soaked him to his skin, but it didn’t matter; he felt better already. His eyes glowed when he sensed Air was nearby.

He slowed and looked around, trying to get an idea of where the other ghoul was. The rain wasn’t so bad up here. The dense canopy of trees provided a certain amount of shelter, but also made it darker than it should have been at this time of day.

Quinn spun around when he felt movement behind him and he glimpsed Air drop down from the trees above. He jumped to the side, but it was too late; the ghoul grabbed him and pushed him to the ground. They rolled around playfully, snarling and laughing, nipping at each other with their fangs, and wrestling around on the forest floor.

Quinn found himself grinning as he came to rest on his back with Air straddling his waist. The other ghoul narrowed his eyes and ran a hand down Quinn’s chest and back up towards his face. His fingers softly brushed the wet hair from Quinn’s forehead and traced his cheekbone before he dragged a claw along his bottom lip.

Air smiled and leaned over, nipping Quinn’s jaw with his fangs as his hands roamed down his body. Quinn ran his claws through the dark strands of the other ghoul’s hair and breathed in his scent. He had become familiar over these last few months, and it grounded him when he was feeling off kilter.

Air sat back and lifted the hem of his shirt, pulling it up over his head and dropping it onto the ground behind him. He unbuttoned his jeans and stared down at him. Rivulets of rain ran down his face and dripped onto the tattoo on his chest. Quinn growled and skimmed a hand over his ribcage and down to his ass, grabbing it. Air bared his teeth.

He pushed Quinn’s shirt up and frowned when he saw the gashes that Earth had given him this morning. He shifted backwards and leant down to lave them with his tongue. Quinn flinched, but his already hard cock gave a twitch at the brief sting of pain. Air's hot breath sent chills over Quinn’s skin and he squirmed away from it, causing him to huff out a laugh.

He pulled Quinn’s shirt off the rest of the way and dropped it with his before he crawled his way back up his body. He leant in closer and put his lips to Quinn’s ear, nibbling his earlobe gently.

“You’re being awfully submissive, Quinn. Are we going to try something new today?” he whispered.

Quinn could hear the smile in his voice and he snarled, grabbing Air’s hips and flipping them both over so that he was on top and resting between the other ghoul’s thighs.

Air’s eyes lit up at being manhandled and he laughed, playfully wriggling to get away but not trying hard enough that he actually had a chance of escaping. Quinn placed a hand around the base of his throat to still him, and he gave a low growl. Air shivered and rolled his hips upwards to grind against him. The friction was delicious and he ground his teeth to stop a groan from escaping him.

“I don’t think so, Air,” he gritted out as he glared down at him. “Not today.”

He reached between them and delved into Air’s jeans, wrapping his hand around him and gripping firmly. Air closed his eyes and moaned. He liked a rough touch and Quinn never disappointed him. He watched as the air ghoul’s lips parted.

He nuzzled his neck, biting and sucking the skin with more force than was necessary. Air’s claws scraped his shoulders and he growled a warning.

“Careful, Air. Remember what happened last time?”

Air whimpered and opened his eyes and Quinn felt the spark of excitement as he remembered what Quinn did to him after the last time he’d clawed him and drawn blood. They didn’t have time for that today, though.

Quinn pulled away and stood up, looking down at the ghoul laid out before him amongst the fallen leaves and moss. He grinned when he saw Air’s hooded gaze and he smiled back up at him. His hands went to his jeans and he slowly took them off without breaking eye contact. Air licked his lips and shivered, removing his own and leaving them both gloriously naked and dripping wet from the rain.

Air’s eyes roamed his body, and Quinn tilted his head.

“Turn over,” he said. “Show me what you’ve got to offer.”

The other ghoul obeyed, and within a heartbeat, Quinn was on him. He gripped Air’s hips hard enough to bruise and snaked a hand around the front of him, giving his balls a squeeze. Air sucked in air through his teeth and his whole body tensed up. Quinn bit gently at the top of his spine as he took his hand away. He slowly sank a thumb into the air ghoul, testing his slickness as he worked it in and out of him. He was ready for him, as he didn’t doubt that he would be.

Air keened and groaned as he worked him, and Quinn let go with his teeth.

“What do you want from me, Air?” he growled next to his ear. “Do you want it slow and gentle?”

He sucked Air’s earlobe and gently rolled it between his teeth. Air slowly shook his head, pushing his hips back towards Quinn, who had removed his thumb and was lining himself up.

“You know what I want,” Air breathed out.

“I want to hear you say it,” Quinn growled.

“Give it to me rough,” he whispered, and Quinn impaled him in one smooth thrust of his hips.

Air cried out and Quinn put a hand on the back of his neck, pushing him down towards the ground to get a better angle as he fucked into him. His claws broke the skin as he gripped him too hard and Air pushed back and squirmed towards him with every snap of his hips.

“Hold still!” he growled and leaned down, tilting his head and taking the top of Air’s spine between his fangs again, pinning the ghoul down underneath him. He whined and Quinn felt him fluttering around him. “Not yet! You wait for me!” he bit out against his skin.

He reached around and gave the head of Air’s dripping cock a hard squeeze, causing him to gasp and twitch.

Quinn felt the skin give way beneath his fangs as he gave him a final few hard thrusts and snarled, burying himself all the way as the orgasm hit him full force. His hand still covered the head of Air’s cock and he felt the warm jets of cum spilling out over his fingers as he joined him. He moaned and shuddered with the force of it, clamping down on Quinn’s cock and drawing out his pleasure.

Quinn brought his fingers to Air’s lips, breaching them and feeding him his own seed. He sucked the tips into his mouth and groaned again at the taste.

Quinn lapped at the bite on the back of Air’s neck. He’d made more of a mess of it than he’d realised but he never needed to hold back with Air, he would take whatever Quinn gave him. He ran his hand over the wound anyway, sending him some healing energy, and he sighed at the tingles of magic.

“You don’t need to do that, Quinn. You know that,” Air said, turning his face to the side.

Quinn pulled out and sat back on his knees. Air turned around and sat on the ground, drawing his knees up to his chin.

“I know. I wanted to, though.”

Air shrugged and stood up, going to fetch their clothes. They were absolutely drenched, but they put them on, anyway. It was unlikely, but they might bump into humans on the way down, which could be awkward.

“Feeling better now?” Air asked as they walked back down to the car.

“Much. Thank you.”

Air grinned.

“So you’ve had a pretty good day off, then?”

“It’s not over yet though,” Quinn said, and Air laughed.

“What could possibly go wrong?” he said as he shrugged.

Chapter Text

The drive back to the Abbey was thankfully uneventful and Quinn was finally feeling relaxed. Until they crossed the threshold of the wards that surrounded the perimeter, that is.

Something wasn’t right.

There was no vision to warn him of anything, but he got that feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach again. This time, though, it felt magnified, tenfold.

As much as he hated having the visions, he hated this even more. The knowledge that something was coming, but no clue as to what it was. At least with a vision, he could prepare them for it.

Air frowned at him as they walked back to the lair, gaining funny looks and sideways glances from everyone they passed because they were still soaking wet and covered in forest debris.

“What is it? Are your Spidey senses tingling?” Air asked.

Quinn gave him a confused look and carried on walking.

“Something just feels off,” he said. “Be careful tonight, Air.”

They both went to get cleaned up. Air’s shift was starting soon, so he grabbed food from the canteen on the way up to eat while he got ready.

When Quinn had finished his second shower of the day and got dressed again, he headed out to get something to eat for himself from the kitchen. He heard the door open and he sensed Earth’s bad mood before the ghoul came into view. He let his quintessence self do its thing and sent some calming energy towards him because he seriously didn't want his good day going to shit again.

When he stepped into view, the earth ghoul looked rough. He looked exhausted, and from the way he moved, he was stiff and sore. He stopped in the doorway and looked over at Quinn, who was eating his sandwich.

“Want one?” he asked, holding it up. Surprisingly, the big ghoul nodded and came to sit down at the table. He hissed as he sat and Quinn winced. He felt a little sorry for him. A tiny bit. He got up and quickly made Earth’s sandwich, handing it to him and pouring him a glass of milk. “Do you want me to heal your shoulder?” he asked, preparing himself for the outburst of anger, but it never came.

Earth tucked into his sandwich and nodded.

“Maybe. Thanks.”

Quinn frowned. As if his bad feeling wasn’t enough, now Earth had to start acting all weird as well. He got up and went to stand behind him, carefully removing his jacket and top. Earth sat meekly and let him do it, munching on his sandwich.

Quinn sucked in a breath when he saw the wound on Earth’s shoulder.

“Fuck, Earth, did you even clean that this morning?”

It was angry and red and weeping. A whole chunk of flesh was missing. If he’d been a human, it would leave an ugly scar.

“Couldn’t reach it properly and didn’t have time. Had to get to Secondo,” Earth rumbled out.

Quinn went to grab a first aid kit that he’d seen in one of the kitchen cabinets and set about cleaning it properly. He sent some quintessence to numb it while he worked, and he felt a pang of guilt. Sometimes he could be rough, but this was bad, even for him. He shouldn’t have left the ghoul to deal with it, he should have known that he wouldn’t have asked for help.

“How was the shift today? Thanks for covering for me," Quinn asked as he worked.

Earth sighed and huffed out a laugh.

“It was long. And tiring. Secondo and Elizabeth are having dinner in his suite now.”

Quinn nodded. Elizabeth was the second witch after Anya at the Abbey. She was older than the Russian witch, but not as powerful. It hadn't bothered her being passed over for the head witch even though she had been here longer than Anya, though; she wasn’t like that. Her soul was a rare and pure happy one, and she wasn’t ambitious in the slightest.

She was good for Secondo. He would never admit how much he loved her, but it was plain for Quinn to see. He never mentioned it. Secondo liked to keep those kinds of matters private. But Quinn had access to the behind closed doors Papa and he doted on Elizabeth. She wanted for absolutely nothing in the way of love, affection, and material gifts.

“Air is in for a fun night on bodyguard duty then,” he said. He healed the wound as best he could and added a dressing to it. “Don't get it too wet. It should be okay in a day or two. I can do some more healing on it tomorrow once it has settled down.” He went to stand next to Earth and cupped his jaw gently, tilting his head up to look at him. “Anything like this happens again? You come to me, yes? I don’t care about the circumstances. Just swallow your dumb pride.”

Earth rumbled a growl and stood up, looking down at Quinn now. He tilted his head back and gave the bigger ghoul a half smile. Earth reached out to touch his face gently, but he stopped short.

The ether chose that exact moment to send Quinn a vision and he jumped back, cursing.

“Fuck! We need to get to Secondo. Right now!”

Earth didn't question him by now, and he turned around. They sprinted off towards Papa’s apartment.

“What is it?” Earth asked as they ran.

“We need Anya. It’s Elizabeth. Something’s wrong with her.”

Sometimes when he saw a vision, it was days, weeks, or even years in advance. Other times, the events were happening almost instantly. This was one such occasion. There were a couple of minutes to spare. By the time Quinn got there and Earth had caught up after going to get Anya, the events had already started to unfold.

He threw open the door to be met with Secondo on the floor, cradling Elizabeth in his lap. He was mumbling a spell, but he was frantic and he couldn’t concentrate. Elizabeth was twitching and her skin had taken on a blue hue.

Quinn knelt down beside them and tried to send her some mojo, but it did little to help. She wasn’t dead yet, but she was fading fast.

“What happened?” Earth barked at Air, who was just as frantic.

“They were eating dinner and she started choking, but there was nothing there to choke on.”

Quinn’s intuition had already told him what it was.

“Poison.”

Earth cursed.

Anya had arrived by that point, and Quinn gently took her from Secondo.

“Secondo. Stop,” Quinn said, adding more force to his voice than he probably should have. “It won’t work. She’s almost gone.”

Secondo met his eyes and he saw and felt the raw pain there.

“No,” he whispered as he shook his head.

“You need to focus. Will you let me help her?”

He sent a powerful wave of quintessence to him to clear his head and mask some of the pain.

“How can you help her?” he said, becoming a bit more like himself.

“I know a spell that could work for now, but it is Infernal magic. I cannot wield it, but you can. It will trap her soul in her body. I can show you what to do.”

Secondo had been around a long time and he knew what the cost of such magic could be, but they didn’t have time for soul searching. Secondo picked up on his stray thoughts.

“Si, Quinn, I know that there will be a hefty price. I am willing to pay it, whatever it may be.”

"Are you sure, Papa? Because these things have a habit of backfiring."

"I don't care. If she lives, then I will accept whatever is thrown at me."

Quinn respected the Papa’s ability to make crucial decisions under pressure, but he hoped with everything he had that it would indeed be worth it.

The spell required a personal sacrifice from the one who cast it, but the cost would not become apparent until after it was done. That was the kicker of Infernal magics sometimes, and a spell of this magnitude would demand a high price.

Secondo nodded his agreement and Quinn sent him the knowledge he had learned from the demon lord he had served.

They worked quickly. Secondo was a powerful sorcerer and this magic was well within his limits. These spells always required blood, and after he sent Secondo some more quintessence to steady him, Quinn offered his arm willingly.

He kept an eye on Elizabeth. Her body had given up, but her soul was still there for now. Once they completed the spell, it would give them time to heal her body, but they hurried regardless. The quicker they did it, the less chance there was that she would suffer permanent damage.

Secondo gave him a grateful look and sliced into Quinn’s arm and then his own palm before splashing Elizabeth with flecks of their mixed blood. Quinn’s would add extra power to the spell and give it a better chance of working.

Secondo recited the spell and Quinn saw both the physical manifestation and felt the sting of the Infernal magic as they got to work.

A black mist curled around Elizabeth and settled in her heart. Her eyes flew open for a split second and she sucked in a breath, but the consciousness was fleeting and she slumped back down again. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, though, and Quinn knew the spell had worked.

Earth lifted her up, and Quinn helped Secondo to his feet. He sagged against him and he bore his weight, doing what he could to support him physically and sending him soothing energy to keep him going.

Air opened the door and they rushed her along to the infirmary.

Earth placed her still form gently onto the bed in a side room and Anya and the Siblings who staffed the infirmary got to work. Secondo stayed by her side, holding her hand. Her colour had come back slightly, but they needed to figure out what kind of poison had been used and how to counteract it. At least they had more time now, but they worked quickly and efficiently, drawing blood to test and hooking her up to various drips and other medicines. Anya cast healing spells to boost the human medicine.

Fire and Water slipped quietly into the room to be with them, offering comfort to Secondo. Hours passed and Quinn had been sending a steady stream of quintessence to help both Secondo and Elizabeth. He was exhausted by now, but he knew he could carry on for much longer if necessary.

He felt Elizabeth’s consciousness spark brighter and winced as a vision stabbed at his mind. It hurt more than usual, but he realised why as soon as he processed it. The ether had shown him the price of the magic and he knew he wouldn't get any rest from Secondo any time soon.

She opened her eyes and Quinn felt the happiness and the relief that Secondo felt when he realised she was awake. That just made what was coming next so much worse, though.

She blinked, confusion furrowing her brow.

“Amore mio. You are awake,” he whispered as he peppered her forehead with kisses.

She groaned and pushed him away, wrenching her hand out of his. Her confused look turned to one of fear.

“Secondo? What are you doing?”

Secondo looked at Anya, who also looked confused.

“It’s me, Lizzie, you are confused. Lay down and rest. Sleep, tesoro mio. You will feel better once you’ve rested and we can get you settled back at home with me.”

“Anya? What’s going on?”

Quinn saw her start to panic. She was looking from Secondo to Anya and back again, and he could hear her heart rate picking up.

Quinn went and took Secondo by the shoulders, guiding him to his feet and away from her.

“We have to go, Papa,” he said.

Secondo looked at him, and he felt a spike of anger.

“No! Take your hands off me, Quinn.”

He didn’t let go, but looked to Earth for help. The big ghoul came and put his arm around Papa.

“We can come back later, Papa, but look, she needs to rest and your being here is upsetting her.”

He guided Secondo towards the door.

“I don’t understand. She is confused, but I should be with her. She needs me.”

Secondo’s carefully controlled emotions were cracking and Quinn looked to Earth and shook his head. The ghoul looked sadly back at him. They got him back to his apartment and sat him down on the sofa by the fireplace. Earth sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. Quinn went and poured him a large glass of scotch and handed it to him.

“You need to drink that, Papa.”

Secondo looked confused again. Quinn had closed off his thoughts after he saw the vision, as he didn’t want Secondo freaking out in the room with Elizabeth. It would only make things worse.

“I don’t want to drink, Quinn. I want to get back to Elizabeth.”

“I’m sorry, Papa, but we can’t let you do that.”

“And why is that, Quinn?” he was getting angry now and he downed the scotch, slamming the glass down onto the coffee table in front of him.

Quinn sighed and did what he did best. He didn’t sugarcoat what he said next and in hindsight he probably should have to soften the blow a bit.

“The price of the magic. I saw it when she woke up. Elizabeth doesn’t love you anymore, and she never will. She’s forgotten your life together. She despises you now, Secondo, and there will be nothing you can do to change it.”

Secondo just stared at him blankly. The other ghouls shifted uneasily from foot to foot, watching him to see what he would do.

Quinn opened his thoughts and let him see the vision. He blinked.

If Secondo was a ghoul, the sound that came out of his mouth next would have been described as a snarl. His white eye flashed and with it came a flash of white hot anger. Quinn had a moment of Oh fuck! as Secondo threw his hand towards him.

Even though he was standing more than an arm’s length away, it felt as though Secondo was choking him. His hands flew to his neck and his eyes widened. He tried to pry the fingers away, but there was nothing there to grab onto. Secondo was letting fly a stream of Italian curses and Earth was frantically trying to talk him down and get him to stop. With every curse, the hold on Quinn's throat grew tighter.

He collapsed to the floor as spots danced in his vision from the lack of oxygen. Air ran to him and knelt down. He was screaming something at Secondo, but Quinn had no idea what happened next, because everything faded to black.

Chapter Text

Quinn dragged air into his lungs and sat up way too quickly, if the ringing in his head was anything to go by. A hand in the middle of his chest gently pushed him back down again. His eyes scanned his surroundings and he realised he lay on the bed in his room. The hand that had made him lie down again was Zephyr’s.

“Stay still, Quinn, I don’t want you to pass out again,” he said.

It all came back to him then.

“Where is Papa? Is he okay?”

His throat was killing him, but he could feel the residual magics where Zephyr must have healed some of the bruising while he was unconscious.

Zephyr sighed.

“He is distraught, both about Elizabeth and about what he did to you.”

Quinn rubbed his throat. It was still tender. He would have to remember not to get on Papa’s bad side again in the future.

“Zephyr, he needs us.”

The old ghoul smiled a sad smile at him.

“He is sleeping, Quinn. He drank himself unconscious, so Earth and Air are staying with him to make sure he’s okay. You need to be resting too. It took Earth a while to snap him out of it. A few moments longer and he would have killed you.” Quinn felt surprised at that. “It seems the Council skipped the blood oath in their rush to get rid of you.” 

“Blood oath?” Quinn asked, confused.

“Yes, of course, you won’t know about that. You weren’t summoned in the usual way, were you? When the Clergy summons a new ghoul, the Council makes them swear a blood oath so they cannot intentionally cause any harm to them. That clearly didn’t happen with you.”

Why did that not surprise him? Maybe the Council hoped that Secondo would eventually finish the job that they couldn’t bring themselves to do. He draped an arm over his eyes and huffed out a breath. His head was throbbing, so maybe Zephyr was right about needing to rest.

He suddenly realised that this was the first time since he’d been at the Abbey that anyone else, except for Sister Imperator, had been in his room. It made him feel uneasy, even though it was Zephyr. Sure enough, when he opened his eyes, the ghoul was glancing over at the skulls on the shelf by his door with a concerned look on his face. Of all the things that he’d told the other quintessence ghoul about, he’d left out the part about the skulls. Ghouls had a different reason for keeping skulls and the ghouls here would not understand it.

Zephyr turned back to him, and Quinn felt his embarrassment when he was caught staring at them.

“Andras went back and got them for me. He thought it would be a fitting tribute that they stay with me. Believe it or not, it’s an old angel custom.” Zephyr raised a brow. That must have been news to him. “Ghouls collect the skulls of their enemies, angels keep the skulls of their loved ones.”

“Andras is a fallen angel?” Zephyr said, surprised.

“Yes. Although he doesn’t make it known. In fact, he would go to great lengths to keep that little nugget of information secret.” He shuddered at the memory. “He was one of the first. That’s why he differs from the others of his kind. He basically became a true demon long before I ever met him.”

“Interesting,” Zephyr said. “He has kept his secret well.”

He touched a hand to Quinn’s forehead and he felt him sending healing energy to soothe his aching head. It didn't take long to realise that he was also trying to put Quinn to sleep. He fought it for a few seconds but then gave in to exhaustion. Ghouls more often than not dreamed in memories and he slipped into one of the distant past as Zephyr continued to send him deeper into sleep.

Quinn remembered some of how he got there, but not all. He remembered the demon carrying him off into the forest and he remembered feeling like he was being ripped apart as they travelled through some kind of portal, but after that, there was nothing.

The minute he woke up, he knew he was no longer in his home dimension. Where was a mystery, but he sensed many other demons nearby.

Quinn rolled to his side and realised he lay in a bed of furs. The smell of tanned hide and the soft strands tickling his face were familiar, but everything else here was not. His eyes opened and he felt the soul of another nearby. He could tell it was corrupted, but he didn’t sense true evil. And this was no demon.

He met the golden eyes of the figure who was sitting not far away, and the vision of the raven flashed through his mind once again. He frowned.

“Welcome, prophet. It’s been a couple of days. I feared you would not wake up,” the figure said, and his stare danced with amusement.

Quinn rubbed his eyes. They were gritty, and his throat felt parched. He gave him another once over and realised that this was a fallen angel, not a demon, as he’d originally thought.

“Well, aren’t you an observant one? There are not many alive who are aware of what I am, and you figure it out within minutes. I’m impressed.” He must have taken the thoughts from Quinn’s head. “I am Andras, Marquis of this realm.”

He spoke in the Infernal language, which Quinn was familiar with.

“Why am I here?” Quinn asked.

He didn’t know what this demon lord could want with him, but it wouldn’t be good. The fact he wasn’t in chains or tortured yet put his mind at ease a little, but not much.

“My condolences on the loss of your family,” he said, and the stab of pain Quinn felt was suddenly overwhelming. The memory of the events of the last week slammed into him, and the pain in his heart was physical.

Andras cursed and between one blink and the next he was looming over Quinn, nose pressed to his, eyes burning with intensity. His long black hair brushed against Quinn’s shoulders and he smirked.

Quinn wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. He could feel Andras poking around inside his head. It was like an itch in his brain and he lifted his hands to claw at it but Andras caught them and shook his head.

“No. Just wait,” he said patiently.

The pain in his chest subsided a little, enough that he could think straight again. He didn’t know what Andras just did to him, and it unnerved him. It was almost like the effects of quintessence, but it felt colder, crueller.

He tried to pull back, but he was powerless to move. He had never come across an angel, fallen or otherwise before, but he knew how powerful they were, and this one was no exception.

Andras let go of his hands and held Quinn’s head lovingly. He was gentle, but Quinn’s breath caught. One quick twist and he would be no more. The thought bubbled up from nowhere and he suddenly wished for that more than anything else he’d ever wanted. A few quick seconds and Andras could end his existence.

He was nothing. He was an empty husk. His life had ended the moment the witches had left his little cottage by the lake. This was all just a formality now.

He felt his eyes glow in anticipation, willing him to do it, begging him. Andras sat back a little and he shook his head. He smiled sadly at Quinn.

“No, prophet. I know your pain. I can feel it pulsing from you in waves and as delicious as that is, you have a job to do. You cannot allow this to go unanswered. You must avenge them. The universe demands it to restore the balance.”

Quinn felt a tear escape from his eye. He didn’t have the strength to. He didn’t have the means. The witches and their pets were back on Earth now, well and truly out of his reach.

“That’s where you’re wrong. They are not out of your reach. Let me help you. I can take you to them and we can make this right. We will make them pay.”

Quinn’s mind raced. The only thing that he wanted more than to die right now was for the witches to suffer. In the days since they'd taken his from him, he had plotted revenge and pain, but he had known that it was unlikely that he would encounter the witches again.

But now? If Andras could give him what he had just promised? Then maybe he could stick around just long enough for it to be done. The savage part of him he hadn't known existed until mere days ago liked that idea.

Andras gave him a satisfied smile and patted his cheek.

“Then we shall prepare you, prophet. There will, of course, be a price for my services. As is to be expected.”

 Quinn frowned.

“What is your price?”

Andras stroked his claws through Quinn’s hair, petting him.

“I ask that you serve me for a little while. Your connection to the ether is stronger than the demon prophets I have come across. I could make good use of you.”

Later, Quinn would regret that he ignored the fact that Andras was basically a demon. He didn’t hash out specifics or think on it too much before he accepted, and that was a big mistake on his part.

The room was dark when he woke again and Zephyr slept soundly beside him on the bed with his arm draped over his chest. He could feel the tingle of magic coming from the old ghoul. Even in his sleep, his quintessential nature worked to seek out and balance emotions, to heal and soothe. He accepted the comfort and tried to get back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Zephyr knocked on the door to Secondo’s apartment, and Air answered. His gaze shot straight to Quinn and he looked him over, coming to a stop at the bruises around his throat.

“You okay?” he asked.

Quinn just nodded, and he seemed satisfied with that. He moved aside and they walked in.

“Is he awake yet?” Zephyr asked, but then he shook his head. “Never mind.”

Quinn felt it too, the sadness wafting out from the bedroom.

“Is Quinn there?”

It was Secondo’s voice. It held no trace of the turmoil he was feeling, just the usual command. A stranger would never know that anything was wrong.

“Yes, Papa. It’s Quinn and Zephyr,” Air answered him.

“Send him in. I want to speak to him alone.”

Quinn felt a tiny spike of anxiety at that, but then he remembered what Zephyr had said about Papa being distraught at his actions. He opened the door and walked in. Earth was just leaving, and he briefly rested a hand on Quinn’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze in support.

“Glad you’re not dead, seer,” he said and Quinn barked out a laugh before he could stop himself. Secondo raised a brow at them but didn’t comment.

Earth closed the door behind him, leaving Quinn and Secondo alone together.

“Sit,” he said, gesturing to one of the wing backed armchairs. Quinn obeyed.

Secondo’s world had just been ripped apart, but there was no outward clue other than the red-rimmed eyes.

He wore his paints and had dressed in his usual smart outfit he wore when he was working. The smell of alcohol coming from his pores would explain the redness of his eyes to anyone who didn’t know what had happened. 

Secondo's eyes flicked to the bruises on Quinn’s neck, just as Air’s had. He hadn’t thought they looked too bad when he’d checked them out in the bathroom mirror earlier, but he must have been mistaken.

“I know that an apology is not really appropriate here, but I will offer one, anyway. What I did was unacceptable.” Quinn went to speak, but Secondo held up his hand to quiet him. He’d learned that the Papa did not like to be interrupted when he was mid flow, but it didn't stop him trying. “No, Quinn, let me finish. I lashed out at you, and I know it was not your fault. I was well aware there would be a cost to the magic, but I had not expected it to be that. I was foolish. That is no excuse, though. I will contact the Council and swear the blood oath, as I realise now that in our haste we did not do that at your summoning.”

Quinn shook his head.

“Papa, that isn’t necessary.”

“I think it is, Quinn. You should be equal to my other ghouls. I will do it today. Councillor Shay can oversee it.”

“If it makes you feel better, then thank you. But I am not bothered either way. You almost did the Council’s job for them.”

He laughed a humourless laugh, and Secondo frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“They probably knew something like this would happen eventually, and then they wouldn’t have the responsibility of getting rid of a seer.”

Secondo sighed a tired sigh.

“The Council is giving me one headache after another lately, it seems,” he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “The more the Prime Ghoul’s health fails, the more Ose seems to be taking charge. Nothing good will come of it. Shay thinks he will be next in line because there is no heir to take over.”

That was worrying. Council business hadn’t ever really bothered Quinn before he was summoned. He kept out of their way and lived a nomadic lifestyle, so he hadn’t had to deal with them. But from what he’d learned while he was a prisoner in the Council building and in the time since, Ose was a dangerous ghoul. He wanted to go back to the old ways, before ghouls became more civilised. Which was bad news for seers like Quinn and again, the blonde seer he'd met there crossed his mind.

Secondo still hadn’t uncovered the motives behind Quintessence’s murder, even though they knew the who. He was having to bide his time, though, because he couldn't just make a move against the Council on his own. And now Elizabeth had been poisoned. It was too much of a coincidence not to be linked. Two personal attacks on Secondo within the space of a few months.

Quinn rarely wished for visions, but this was one of the very few times that he did. An idea occurred to him.

“Would you like me to see if I can pick anything up from the ether about what’s going on in the Council? It might not work. It does not like to give up secrets unless it feels like it, but I can try.”

Secondo studied him. He left his thoughts open and he frowned.

“I will not ask you to do this, Quinn. I know it costs you to do it.”

Quinn smiled.

“You may as well use me now that I’m here, Secondo. If it stops anyone else being hurt, killing a few brain cells is a small price to pay.”

He’d meant it as a joke, but Secondo scowled. Quinn could tell he didn’t want to make him do something that could hurt him, but he was also Papa, and he knew he had to use all the tools at his disposal for the good of his people.

It wouldn’t take long for Quinn to heal afterwards, and his mind was so full of horrific visions anyway that adding a few more would not matter.

When he linked to the ether, it was painful; similar to when he’d had the seer potion, but he had control over it. Sometimes afterwards he had nosebleeds from the pressure and a headache for a few days. Occasionally they were debilitating, which was the reason he hadn’t done this for a long time. With nobody to look after him afterwards if he needed it, he couldn’t take the risk.

It could take many hours of trying, and sometimes it didn’t work at all. Quinn was willing to try it, though. This was part of the reason Secondo had summoned him. It was one of the skills he had that the Clergy could use.

Secondo nodded his agreement and he sent Quinn away to rest some more. They agreed he would try that night. The connection to the ether was easier to find when there were no distractions, so night time was perfect.

Zephyr had left to catch up with his duties for Primo, and Earth had gone back to the lair to rest as well. He’d had no time off after his shift yesterday, and Quinn felt bad for him after all that had happened. 

Fire and Water were on duty for the day with Secondo. He had meetings that nobody would have blamed him for cancelling, but he wanted to keep up appearances. To most of the Clergy, it would just look like a normal break up.

Air left with Quinn.

“Well, that was a shitty night,” Air said. Quinn huffed a laugh. That was an understatement. “... And it looks like the day is turning shitty too,” he said as he glanced over Quinn’s shoulder.

He turned around and caught sight of Imperator marching towards him with that fucking human Tom in tow.

“Ghoul!” she snapped, and he presumed she meant him. He growled at her and she stopped a few feet away, out of his reach. He could feel Air’s amusement and glared at him. “I see Secondo hasn’t put that leash on you yet.”

“Hi, Sister,” Air said and she glanced at him.

Quinn felt a brief pang of lust from her when she acknowledged Air, and it made him smirk. She didn’t pay attention to him beyond that, though.

“What is it, Imperator?” Quinn asked her and she looked at him like he was something that she’d trodden in.

“That’s Sister Imperator to you, ghoul. And we need to talk about your temper. It is unacceptable to threaten the Siblings. I want to see Secondo right now and get this sorted out.”

“He is unavailable at this time,” Quinn stated simply.

“Then he will make himself available. He needs to deal with you. Why are you still so feral? What has possessed Secondo to give you free roam of the Abbey?”

She went to step around him and knock on Secondo’s door, but Quinn stepped into her path.

“I told you. Papa is unavailable right now,” he gritted out.

Tom was standing behind her, and Quinn grinned at him. He shrank further back, but Imperator glared at him. Clearly, their last encounter had not made her afraid of him.

“Sister, Secondo is very busy today but I’m sure if you speak to his secretary she can make you an appointment to sort this out,” Air said in that diplomatic way of his.

Imperator smiled at him, and it almost reached her eyes.

“I will be sure to do that, but this is not the end of the matter.” She looked back at Quinn and pointed a manicured finger at him. “I will keep my eye on you. And if you threaten any of the Siblings again, I will go over Secondo’s head and have you removed.”

Quinn bared his fangs at her, and she jumped back.

“And if this human shit lays a hand on any of the Sisters ever again, I will be picking his flesh from between my teeth for weeks to come,” Quinn growled.

Tom paled, and Imperator turned and shoved him away down the corridor. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as they retreated, echoing away from them.

“Your time here is limited, ghoul! I see your future and it’s in the Pit!!” she screeched over her shoulder.

Air chuckled.

“You can’t help yourself, can you?”

“Fucking Imperator. She is the absolute last thing Papa needs to deal with at the moment.”

“And you just probably made it a whole lot worse by threatening to eat a Sibling of Sin, Quinn.”

“Fuck off, Air. They know I didn’t mean it,” Quinn said, shaking his head. 

Air raised his brows.

“Not from where I was standing, brother," he said. Quinn sighed and Air clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, big guy, let’s get you fed and tucked in for your nap. I know how grumpy you get when you’re tired and hungry.”

Quinn growled at him and stalked off towards the lair to prepare himself for the night’s ritual.

Chapter Text

True to his word, Air fed Quinn and then insisted that they rested in his room. He’d been on duty all night and hadn't rested the day before either, so he was pretty tired as well. They curled up together on the air ghoul’s bed and slept.

Quinn managed a good few hours of peaceful sleep before Air shook him awake. He opened his eyes and ran a hand down his face.

“Were you dreaming? You were twitching,” Air asked.

“I don’t think so? I don’t remember. What time is it?”

It felt late to him.

“Five-thirty. We slept for a few hours. I forgot, it’s Terzo’s ghoul summoning tonight. We have to be there. Are you good for that? It shouldn’t take too long. He’s summoning five at once. Should be fun.”

Terzo, Secondo and Primo’s younger brother, had turned twenty-one the previous week and the Clergy had decided it was time for him to summon his ghouls. He would take over from Secondo when the time came, so the sooner he did it, the better. The more established a bond he had with them, the stronger they would be together.

“Yes, I’ll be there. I can go to the apothecary and get the things I need from Anya now and then do my thing later. It will be after midnight anyway when I begin.”

Air nodded and went off in search of food. Quinn had no idea where he put it all. He ate a lot, even for a ghoul, and he was still smaller than most of the others. He gave Earth a run for his money.

He dressed and went to find Anya. He knew she would be in the apothecary and sure enough, as he approached, he heard her pottering about in there. She looked up as he entered and smiled.

“Privyet Quinn. Do you need a restock?”

“Yes please. There are a few different things I need tonight, though.”

“Good, good. Just help yourself. You know where everything is.”

She carried on with her potion-making, and Quinn grabbed a basket to fill with what he needed. He noticed a few things were running low, so he mentioned it to Anya.

“Da, I’ve been having trouble with our supplier. They’ve become so unreliable lately. I’m thinking of looking elsewhere.”

He remembered the little shop from yesterday and the well-stocked shelves of just the kinds of things they were running out of.

“There is a place in the city we visited yesterday. They have pretty much everything we will need. And I bet they could find the things that they don’t have for us. I’m sure they could help us out?”

Anya smiled.

“Ah, yes! I will pay them a visit tomorrow and see if we can come to an arrangement. Thank you, Quinn. Here.”

She handed him a pen and paper to write the details on. He didn’t know the address, but Air would. He remembered the name, though, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find it. Anya thanked him again, and he took his supplies back to the lair.

Quinn, Air, and Earth went to meet the others in Papa’s study. He was tired, and Quinn sent him some quintessence to help him get through the rest of the night. He smiled gratefully and finished the coffee he was drinking. The ghouls all gathered in front of his desk.

“So we have made some enquiries and come to a dead end regarding the kitchen ghouls and the poison that someone gave to Elizabeth. I think that we all know who is behind it, though.”

“How is she doing, Papa?” Earth asked, and Quinn felt that stab of pain again from Secondo.

“She is very weak still, but getting there. I have not seen her though. It upset her too much.” Quinn felt Secondo locking up his emotions and he let out a breath. “So, we shall set up the chapel for the summonings, si? Terzo has spoken of nothing else but this for months,” he said as he rolled his eyes.

“Nothing like fresh meat,” Air said, and Earth smacked him up the side of his head playfully. “What?”

Terzo was already there with Anya setting up. He bounded over to Secondo when they entered the chapel. Quinn felt his buzz of excitement and the little snippet of a vision he had told him that Terzo was going to be a great leader one day and have a fabulous team with the ghouls he would summon. Secondo turned to him and smiled. Sometimes, if they were standing close enough when he had a vision, Secondo could pick it up too. Quinn’s thoughts were wide open and they just bled through to him.

Secondo was graciously patient with Terzo even when Quinn could feel his controlled emotions cracking. He patched them up with mojo wherever he could and soon they were prepared to summon the ghouls.

Secondo’s ghouls had offered their blood to use for the circle, and the ritual began.

The first ghoul to appear in the summoning circle was a tall fire ghoul with brown hair and bright blue eyes. They shimmered with orange fire when he took in his surroundings. Quinn felt he differed from Secondo’s fire ghoul. More intense, maybe? Quicker to anger, which was a typical trait of many fire ghouls. They named him Alpha because he was the first. Terzo bound him and he waited at the side for the others.

Next to appear was a small, timid water ghuleh with blonde, wavy hair. She looked around with wide eyes, shivering at the sudden change in temperature. She was very nervous and Quinn sent her some quintessence to calm her. She smiled shyly at him. Surprisingly, the fire ghoul was careful with her and he held her to him while they waited for the ritual to end, using his body heat to keep her warm. He offered her reassurance, and Quinn decided in that moment that he liked him. Terzo named her Mist.

The third ghoul was a sandy-haired earth ghoul. He possessed the steady calm that most earth ghouls did, but he was much smaller than they usually were. He was named Rho.

The next ghoul was an air ghoul and Quinn could feel Air positively vibrating with excitement next to him. He couldn’t wait to meet another of his kind. Quinn gave him a sideways glance. He’d fixed his eyes on the circle with rapt attention, eager to see what the new arrival would be like.

The ghoul appeared inside the circle, and he was very similar to Air in build. His hair was a honey blonde and his skin was a couple of shades paler than Air’s was. He was named Zeta and Air went straight over to introduce himself, even though Quinn tried to stop him.

Secondo glared at him in annoyance and he resumed his place next to Quinn again. He smirked and shook his head. It wasn’t often that Air clashed with Secondo.

Terzo was almost spent by this point. It was demanding, summoning and binding ghouls and he was young, so hadn’t yet reached his full strength. Quinn could see the exhaustion closing in on him, but he had one more ghoul to go.

He appeared in the circle, and Quinn frowned. A flash of something played out in his mind’s eye, but it was too fleeting for him to get a good sense of it. Whatever it was had been big, though.

This final ghoul was quintessence and he was typical of their kind. He was tall and stocky with the pale blue eyes and Quinn felt he was powerful. He had a calming presence and before he’d even spoken to the ghoul, his intuition told him they were going to be good friends. This last ghoul was named Omega. As soon as he was bound to Terzo, the young Emeritus collapsed.

Both Quinn and Omega rushed to him to help. Omega growled a warning at him though and he stopped short. The ghoul belonged to Terzo now and his instincts would be overwhelming him to take care of his new pack members and protect against outsiders. He shook his head to clear it.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to growl at you,” Omega said in perfect English.

“It’s fine. I understand. Come and get me if you need me, though,” Quinn offered.

Omega thanked him and helped Terzo up, sending him healing energy.

Secondo ushered the new ghouls into one of the side rooms that had been made ready for them and his ghouls followed. A fire was blazing in the massive granite fireplace, and they huddled close to it, shivering.

Quinn smirked and thought to himself they were lucky that they hadn't been summoned during the dead of winter like he was. It was much colder on Earth than in their hell dimension anyway, so that only made it worse. The late spring weather they were experiencing now was so much better than midwinter, so hopefully it wouldn’t take them long to get used to it.

The door swung open and Imperator and Shay came in with a stack of paperwork each. Quinn saw the way her eyes strayed to the new ghouls and he felt sorry for whichever of them would be stupid enough to take her up on her offer to them.

Secondo beckoned his ghouls to leave them to it and he dismissed all except Quinn. It was almost time for him to get some answers from the ether.

“Are you sure you will go ahead with this, Quinn?” He asked.

Quinn nodded.

“I can try. We may learn nothing, but it could well be worth it.”

“Should I meet you in the chapel, then? Do you need anything else to set up?”

“No, thank you. I have everything I need. I will get my things.”

They were going to use the small private chapel that the Papas used for personal prayer. It had a small altar and was much more personal than the large chapel. Secondo wanted to be with Quinn in case he had a rough time and needed help afterwards. He wasn’t comfortable having the Papa in his room, so they’d decided on the little chapel instead.

“Thank you for doing this, Quinn. You don't know what it means to me. This whole Council mess needs to be addressed and the more information we have, the better. I’ve asked Zephyr if he will be there too, just in case. I hope that is alright?”

Quinn nodded to him and arranged to meet him at one a.m.

Chapter Text

The others arrived early but Quinn had set up everything he needed, anyway. To his slight annoyance, Papa had brought Earth as his bodyguard. The more souls who were there, the more distractions there were. Give him his due though, the big earth ghoul stayed silently at the back of the chapel; he stood next to the door and stayed quiet. Quinn was grateful for that at least.

Secondo and Zephyr stayed nearer to the altar but far enough away so as not to interfere. Quinn had told Secondo that whatever it looked like to them from the outside, he should not try to pull him out of it. If he didn’t bring himself out of it properly, the aftereffects would be so much worse. Ashtoreth had once made that mistake despite his warning and he had been unconscious for a week straight.

Quinn turned his back on them and knelt down on the stone floor, trying to pretend that he was alone. He closed his eyes and tried to find the place in his mind that caught the visions. It always felt strange to actively seek it out when he had spent most of his life doing everything he could to avoid it and ignore it.

He felt the ether teasing him around the edge of his awareness. It could be fickle sometimes. He didn’t think it was a live being as such, but it definitely had consciousness. It liked to play games, like a scorned lover who was sulking at the lack of attention. Each time he sought it out, which was barely ever, it would play hard to get. This time was no exception.

After some to-ing and fro-ing, he felt his mind drop. The familiar jolt of pain stabbed at his brain as the tenuous link that he usually had with the ether clicked fully into place. He clutched his head out of instinct, but it did no good.

Quinn gritted his teeth, trying to hold on to his control and not get swept away in the tide of prophecy that threatened to overwhelm him.

In his mind’s eye, he was standing waist deep in a river. The current was strong and the sound of the rushing water blocked out everything else that he’d been able to hear inside the chapel. The water was made up of the ether’s knowledge of the past, the present, and the future.

He could trail his hands through it and feel the flow of time through his fingers. It felt like warm grains of sand, like silk and sandpaper all at once.

If he asked questions, he could guide it to where he wanted it to be and sometimes it would even co-operate. Sometimes it would see fit to show him visions that were specific to what he wanted to know. Not so much today, though.

He didn’t know why, but he got the impression that the ether was female. Something about the subtle nuances of how it interacted with him, or the way it presented the information he had asked for. He supposed he would never know one way or the other, though.

Quinn thought about Elizabeth’s poisoning, and sure enough, the ether showed him Ose giving the order. The fire ghoul indeed had ambitions of taking over when the Prime Ghoul died, and the ether threw in a little piece of foresight that it would not be long until that happened.

When he tried to steer it towards the reason Ose was targeting Secondo, the connection became fuzzy. He only saw vague impressions and tiny flashes of things that seemed to make no sense. All he could figure out was that Quintessence’s murder and Elizabeth’s attempted murder were definitely linked and part of a bigger plot. Nothing they didn't already know.

He tried to filter out all the unrelated visions, but his mind kept on flashing back to one in particular, a seemingly unrelated scene. It played out over and over.

The blonde Council seer.

She lay chained to the bed in a cell with a leather strap gripped between her bared teeth. Her glazed eyes moved sightlessly backwards and forwards. Sweat covered her brow and her whole body was tense. She looked in much worse condition than the last time Quinn had seen her. They had used their drugs to link her to the ether, and she was suffering. They forced the visions from her and, by the looks of it, she had been there for a while.

This wasn’t happening now, though. It was at some point in the future. The ether had decided not to let him know exactly when it would take place this time though, helpfully.

He tried to pull away and find out more about the Council, but again, the link was too fuzzy and it made his head pound.

It was futile, and he could feel himself tiring. It took a lot of energy to do this and the longer he stayed linked, the worse he would suffer afterwards. That was one of the dangerous things about it; he may have only been here for a few minutes, but it could just as easily have been hours. Time had no meaning here and he could not tell until he brought himself out.

Quinn carefully backed away, wading out of the water in his mind’s eye. When it was ankle deep, he felt the connection snap and he gasped in a breath.

He was suddenly back in the chapel and he honestly wished that he’d stayed there in the ether. The pain in his head was excruciating. He could hear a voice calling to him in the distance and he tried opening his eyes. Big mistake. Even the soft glow of the candles that lit the chapel was too much, and he groaned.

He felt himself being lifted gently and he smelled Earth. His vision wasn’t quite right. Something was in his eyes so he couldn’t see much, but he thought he caught sight of the earth ghoul staring down at him.

This was bad. It felt like he had been gone for a long time. He heard Secondo’s voice.

“Quinn? Can you hear me?”

He managed a groan and that was it because, blissfully; he passed out.

A cool hand on his forehead woke him and the soothing tingles of quintessence magic made him sigh. It felt so, so good and just for a second he convinced himself that it was Ashtoreth with her palm across his brow. It was only for a second though, because reality crashed back into him with an almost physical force. He bit back a sob, and the tingles grew stronger.

“Easy, Quinn, we’re here. Just try to relax,” a voice said in Ghoulish.

It was Zephyr. He should’ve known. He noticed he lay propped up and leaning back against a large body, and felt strong arms wrapped around him. It was Earth and he let himself sag into the bigger ghoul, recognising the comfort from his pack and allowing himself to accept it. He was too exhausted to even think about refusing.

He tried opening his eyes again and this time it wasn’t quite as bad; this time he managed to keep them open. The room was thankfully dark and Zephyr sat beside him on the mattress. The overwhelming scent was of Secondo and he realised he lay in Papa’s bed in his apartments. He couldn’t see him, but he could feel his presence nearby, and it offered him some comfort as well.

“You scared us, Quinn. We weren’t sure what to do. After a couple of hours passed, we started to panic. Secondo couldn’t hear your thoughts anymore and your emotions were almost nonexistent. And then you started fitting,” Zephyr said.

Quinn lifted a shaky hand to rub his eyes. They felt gritty.

“How long was I out for?” he asked.

“It’s been two days.”

“Fuck. Two days?”

The old ghoul nodded.

“We’ve all taken it in turns to sit with you. The others are outside with Papa.”

Right on cue, the bedroom door swung open, letting in a stream of blinding light. Quinn closed his eyes and whimpered and the door was quickly closed. He scented the rest of the pack and Secondo.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Secondo said. His tone was light, but Quinn sensed he was worried.

Air came and sat with him, stroking a hand down his arm.

“Do you need anything?” he asked.

Quinn chuckled and then groaned at the movement.

“I really need to piss.”

Air laughed.

“Come on then, I’ll give you a hand.”

“I don’t need a hand to piss, Air. I’m sure I can manage on my own,” Quinn growled.

“Don’t be shy, Quinn, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before.

The others laughed, and Quinn admitted he needed help to get into the bathroom. They managed to get him up and he leaned heavily on Air but he was thankfully fine.

He glanced into the mirror above the sink and cursed. The whites of his eyes were completely bloodshot, the pressure in his brain must have caused the blood vessels to burst.

Air saw him inspecting them.

“Yeah, those pretty blue eyes aren’t so pretty right now, huh?”

Quinn didn’t even have the energy to snarl at him, so he went for a glare instead.

Air laughed and helped him back out to the bed. The others were waiting for him and he had a moment of feeling like an imposter. Why were they taking care of him like this? Didn’t they know he was not worthy of their affection?

Secondo came over and took his hand.

“Come, Quinn, lay down with your pack,” he said as he led him over to the others. They made room for him and Papa and they lay down together. He tucked wayward strands of hair behind Quinn’s ear tenderly as one by one, the other ghouls curled themselves around them. “I got the gist of what you saw in the visions, but we can talk about them some more when you have recovered. Just to make myself clear, though. I will never ask you to do this again, Quinn. In fact, I forbid it.”

Quinn sighed.

“Papa, it looked worse than it was. And this does not happen every time. Sometimes nothing happens beyond a fuzzy head the next day. It was just unfortunate.”

He knew that wasn’t entirely true, though, and Secondo picked up on it.

“Whatever you say, si? But I will not ask you again, regardless. That is the end of the matter.”

For the first time since Quinn’s arrival, Papa and all of his ghouls lay protectively around each other, basking in the comfort of the pack.

Quinn knew that Papa very rarely joined a ghoul pile. His relationship with his ghouls was almost entirely professional. He was protective of them, yes, and he loved them with all of his heart also, but he mostly left them to it when it came to their pack.

But the last few days had taken its toll even on him, and he recognised that they all needed the comfort that came from falling asleep surrounded by family. Papa and Quinn lay in the centre of the bed, surrounded by the gentle embrace of the others. He gave into his exhaustion and let himself fall into a healing sleep.

Chapter Text

It was three more days before Quinn even remotely felt like himself again. He’d had a relapse on the first night that he was awake, which resulted in both Zephyr and Omega staying with him and trying to soothe the pain in his head. It didn’t help that the residual visions he had were some of the most painful that he’d ever experienced. It crossed his mind that maybe the visions were causing permanent damage to his brain, but he didn’t dwell too much on that because he was just too exhausted.

Secondo was worried about him. Quinn could tell by how Papa wouldn’t release him back to the lair to be cared for by the other ghouls there. He didn’t want him in the infirmary either, not with the threat still hanging over them all. He’d already lost one quintessence ghoul. He certainly didn’t want to lose another.

By the third day, though, the combined efforts of Zephyr and the new ghoul had got him back on track. He was up and about, and his eyes were almost back to normal. He was still exhausted, but the pain in his head was just a throbbing headache now.

Secondo reluctantly agreed that he could go back to the lair. Air and Water walked slowly by his side, fussing over him.

“I’ve set you up in my room,” Air said. Quinn scowled. He just wanted to be left alone. He hated relying on the others and he was well enough to look after himself now. “Don’t even bother arguing. I’ve already told everyone where you’ll be.”

It was a novelty to have a sick ghoul. They were usually pretty healthy creatures, barring injuries, of course. They didn’t tend to get illnesses like humans did. It seemed to have brought out Air’s protective streak.

“I’ll be fine. I can just sleep.”

“No. What if you die in your sleep?” Air said and Water nodded.

Quinn raised a brow at them.

“Seriously? I don’t think I’d be so lucky,” he huffed, and he was only half joking.

He didn’t have the energy for arguing, though. Air gave him a look and ushered him into his room and onto the bed.

“I’ll get you something to eat. You haven’t eaten properly this whole time, so you must be starving. What do you want?”

Quinn thought about it, and he didn’t want to eat anything. He’d grown used to not eating for long periods of time because sometimes he just forgot to. It wasn’t usually a priority for him like it was for most ghouls. But he humoured Air and asked for some soup.

Water left with Air, and Quinn closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

“Wake up quintessence, I’m hungry.”

Quinn smiled at the wake up call. It had become a regular thing these past few weeks. Ashtoreth lay propped up on her elbow, next to him on their bed, and she grinned down at him. Her pale hair fell over her shoulders, and she circled his nipple with her claw.

“You just ate, ghuleh. Surely you cannot be hungry again so soon?” he teased as he stretched the sleep away.

She lay back down on her side, and he shifted to face her. His hand automatically strayed to the round swell of her belly to stroke it. The bigger she grew with their kits, the more insatiable she’d become. And from the look she was giving him, she was ready to go again. She couldn’t get enough of him, and the feeling was mutual.

He huffed a laugh when he thought about how many months were left until the kits were due, knowing she would surely kill him by then.

“What a way to go, though.”

She laughed as she nuzzled into his neck and scraped her fangs over his skin.

Not too long after they’d bonded, it became apparent that they were one of the lucky couples who could hear each other's thoughts. It didn’t happen too often with mates, but he was grateful. It came in handy sometimes.

“Why don’t you just lay back and let me take care of you?” he asked as his hand strayed behind her to cup her ass.

She pouted.

“There’s no time for that quintessence, not right now. I need you inside me,” she murmured against his skin.

Her voice was so needy that it called to all of his instincts, begging him to give her exactly what she wanted. They screamed at him to fulfil his pregnant mate's every wish.

She bit the tendon of his neck and he growled, knowing that she would leave yet another bruise in her favourite spot. She loved to leave her marks on him, and he wore them with pride.

Her hand had moved southwards as she checked he was on board, giving him a gentle stroke when she found him hard and dripping and more than ready to go. His breath hitched, and he grinned back at her.

“Maybe I’m hungry too. Maybe you’re denying me and leaving me neglected.”

She shoved him onto his back and straddled his waist, running a hand down his chest and over the muscles of his stomach. Her touch gave him chills, and he shivered underneath her. She smiled and he knew she loved the effect she had on him; the power that she held over him.

“Poor, neglected ghoul.” He stared up at her and his heart clenched. She was so beautiful. Her cheeks held a blush and her pale hair was mussed from sleep and from where he'd run his fingers through it and yanked on it earlier. Her shape had changed so much recently, but he loved this new Ashtoreth just as much as he did the old. He would always want her, whatever shape she took. She lined herself up and sank down slowly onto him. Quinn's eyes rolled back and he gently grabbed her hips. It took every ounce of his self discipline to be gentle with her when all he really wanted to do was to let go, to mark her and to claim her all over again. She raked her claws down his chest as she moved languidly, and Quinn prayed he could control himself. “Has nobody been taking care of you, ghoul? How tragic.”

He started awake and instantly knew it had been a dream of a distant memory.

Sometimes it took a while for his brain to catch on that she was gone and that was worse; believing for a few seconds that all was okay and that he hadn't been left behind. The stab of pain was that much more agonising when his mind eventually shifted from that previous life and back to this one suddenly. The jolt back to reality was like a knife to his gut every single time.

This time, though, he was straight back into the real world and the ache he usually felt in his heart was familiar; the pain numbed just enough that he could tolerate it and could just about function.

“You okay?” Air asked.

He was sitting on the sofa reading a book. One of his new records was playing quietly so as not to disturb Quinn.

He ran a hand down his face and sat up.

“Yeah. Fine.”

Air gave him a knowing look, but didn’t press.

“Your head any better?”

It was bearable now and he savoured it. The last few days had been awful. He nodded and for the first time since before he'd linked to the ether; the movement didn’t make his eyeballs feel like they would explode.

“Lots.”

“Well, I ate your soup as you were sleeping and I figured it shouldn’t go to waste. There’s a sandwich there if you want it, though.”

Air gestured towards the plate on the table. There was a glass of orange juice too, and Quinn’s stomach rumbled at the sight of it. Air smirked.

Quinn swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood. He could feel Air’s eagerness to come and help him, but by now, the ghoul knew better than to be too helpful. He stayed where he was and watched.

He managed to make his way to the sofa and sat down next to Air to eat his sandwich. He could feel the ghoul watching him and he glanced sideways at him.

“What?”

“We were so worried about you, Quinn. Nobody has ever seen anything like that before. We didn’t realise it could be that bad. As far as I know, we haven’t had a seer as part of the Clergy before. You could have warned us,” he said playfully.

“I’ve never really had to warn people before. I just do it on my own usually. Not often, but when it’s been necessary.”

Air looked at him sadly.

“So, what did you do if this happened? Who took care of you afterwards?”

Quinn sighed.

“The times this has happened, I just came out of it eventually on my own. A couple of times I had Ashtoreth or Andras. But mostly just me.”

Air scowled at him.

“You could have died, Quinn,” he whispered.

He’d never really thought about it like that before. When he had Ashtoreth, she took care of him, or the kits did. Andras hadn’t allowed him to do it often, but had always made sure he was taken care of properly afterwards, so he was in no danger of actually dying.

After that, though, the handful of times he had done it, he’d been lucky. Only once he had been unconscious for a day or so and that was the worst time. The other times he’d just had a few days of headaches and that was it.

“Well, I didn’t,” he shrugged.

Air snuggled into his side.

“I’m glad. You’re a big part of our pack now. We were lucky to get you after Quintessence. He would have liked you a lot.”

Quinn frowned. He hadn’t expected this when he had agreed to become Secondo’s ghoul. Thought he’d be able to distance himself from the others, but he’d failed. He still kept to himself and was very private in a lot of things, but he’d allowed himself to bond with the others; especially Air.

He’d never really had a friend like him before. He’d made a point of keeping away from others when he left his birth family, and when he’d been with Ashtoreth, she had been all that he’d needed or wanted. Andras had become a friend of sorts, he supposed, but he was not capable of loving or forming relationships in the same way that ghouls or humans could.

Quinn got on with Fire and Water. He thought of them as brothers. And Earth was pack, so he put up with him. Zephyr was a friend, but differently. He was more of a mentor, a father figure, a counsellor.

But Air, he differed from all the others. Quinn actively sought out Air’s company. Air could cheer him up instantly and he knew when he needed distracting.

Air just seemed to get him.

He accepted him without judgement or awkwardness. Anything that Quinn did, or any of his little quirks, didn't shock him. The things he’d had to do when Secondo needed him to torture someone didn't seem to make him wary. He wasn’t fazed by any of it and Quinn loved him for it.

“Thanks, Air,” he said, not wanting to go beyond that and hoping that Air would understand just how thankful he was.

Air gave him a hug and got up.

“Do you think you’re up to some fresh air?”

Quinn nodded, and they slowly made their way outside to the gardens.

Chapter Text

By the weekend Quinn felt much better. Secondo wanted him to take more time off but he persuaded him to let him come back and do some light duties. He reluctantly agreed to allow him to run some menial errands around the Abbey.

One such errand was dropping off the new ghouls’ uniforms to be adjusted. He wandered around to the back of the Abbey to take the box to the laundry. It was a hot day and many of the Siblings were enjoying being outside, basking in the sunshine.

Sister Martha was sitting in the courtyard chatting with Sister Jane when he rounded the corner. They were eating lunch outside and laughing about something. When they noticed him, they both went quiet.

“Quinn. How are you?” Jane asked. “Air said you weren’t well this week.”

He cursed Air for discussing him with the Sister but he tried to be nice.

“Much better. Thank you. He said you were not well also?”

She nodded.

“Yeah, I had a migraine, but I was fine after some rest.”

Quinn didn't know what a migraine was, but he nodded and smiled. His eyes strayed to Sister Martha, who was watching him closely. He’d already felt her emotions. She was wary but a little bit happy to see him and she was doing a good job of hiding it.

“I’m sorry you weren’t well, Quinn, but you’re looking well now.” He narrowed his eyes at her; he sensed her concern but then she put her professional head on. “What have you got there?” she asked as she pointed to the box he was holding.

“The uniforms for the new ghouls, they need some adjustments making to them. The measurements are in the box. I said I would drop them off.”

“Oh, okay. Come inside and I’ll get them signed in for you then.”

She got up and picked up her things.

“It’s okay, Sister, finish your lunch. There is no rush.”

Jane stood too and smiled a knowing smile at Martha.

“We’re done now, anyway. I need to be getting back to work. I’ll see you tomorrow, Martha?”

The Sister smiled and nodded and Sister Jane left them alone.

“Come on then,” she said, and he followed her inside. She gestured to the reception desk. “You can leave them there if you like. I can put them away later.”

He looked at the small Sister and the large box that he was carrying.

“It’s heavy. Let me take it to where you want it.”

She shrugged and he followed her into the back. She opened a door and stepped into a room that looked like the repairs workshop. There were sewing machines and shelves filled with various fabrics and threads. He put the box onto the floor by the racking.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile.

Her eyes met his and he felt her excitement at being in the room alone with him. He heard her heart rate pick up speed as he closed the distance between them; stopping just shy of their bodies touching, but close enough that she had to look up at him.

“Do you have plans tonight?” Quinn asked her.

Her pupils dilated and she shook her head.

“No. Not really.”

“Wait for me in the woods just after sunset.” Her breath caught at his commanding tone and the corners of his mouth quirked up into a smile. He leant in close to her ear without touching her and whispered, “I don’t care how you do it, but it is in your best interests to be prepared. I want you ready for me. I want you wet.” Her sharp intake of breath and the spike of anxiety made his inner hunter sit up and take notice. “And do not finish yourself off before you meet me; you will wait for me. Don’t get carried away, though. I will know.”

It wouldn’t be a problem, judging by the spark of lust he felt from her just then, or by the scent of her arousal that reached his nostrils.

He stepped back and she met his eyes. She nodded. Her lips were parted and her eyes held a sheen of excitement.

He was pretty confident that she would do as she was told; he planned to hunt her tonight and he wanted her as needy as possible.

Quinn turned and left without another word and made his way back towards Secondo’s study to find out what his next errand would be.

He didn’t make it that far, though.

He'd just got inside the Abbey and was walking to the canteen to get coffee for Secondo and Fire, who was on bodyguard duty, when a pain in his head made him stumble. It was only a small vision, but he had to stop walking until it passed. He rested his forehead against the cool stone of the corridor wall.

“Fuck.”

“You okay?” a voice said.

Quinn rolled his head to the side, still keeping contact with the wall. It was Alpha, Terzo’s new fire ghoul.

“Yeah. All good,” he gritted out.

“Then why is your nose bleeding?”

He swiped his nose with his hand, and sure enough, it was bloody.

“Fuck.”

“You don’t look so hot,” Alpha said. “Where are you headed?”

Quinn wasn’t about to talk about the visions to him. Only those he was close to and some of the upper Clergy members knew about what he was. So far, only those few were aware he was a seer.

“I was grabbing coffee to take to Secondo’s.”

He was leaning heavily on the wall by now and cursing his brain for choosing somewhere so public to fail.

“Come on, I’ll walk with you.”

He grunted and they walked slowly along to Secondo’s study. Alpha stayed close to him and reached out a hand to steady him now and then if he staggered.

It seemed to take forever, but they eventually made it. Alpha didn’t knock on the door, he just swung it open and stepped inside. In an instant, Fire had him pinned against the wall with his hand around his throat.

“What the hell are you doing, ghoul?” Fire growled.

“Quinn?” Secondo said with concern as he staggered through the door. “Fire! Let him go. Sort Quinn out.”

Papa rushed over to him and gently guided him to the leather sofa. He flopped down and groaned.

“Fucking hell! I was just trying to help the ghoul. No need to be so fucking tetchy, Fire!” Alpha snarled as Fire stepped away from him.

Fire growled again.

“I was doing my job, Alpha.”

He came over to check on Quinn. Alpha shut the door behind him.

“What happened?” Secondo asked.

“I was heading outside and he was leaning against the wall looking like he was going to keel over. His nose was bleeding. So I thought I’d better bring him here in case he passed out. What’s wrong with him?”

Fire growled at him yet again.

“Why are you even still here?”

Quinn huffed a laugh. He’d never seen Fire act that way towards another ghoul before.

“Fire!” Secondo snapped. “Find Zephyr. Bring him here. And thank you for getting him here, Alpha, but you are dismissed.”

They both left, and Quinn lay his head back. Secondo brought him some water and handed it to him.

“Is it a relapse?” he asked.

“I had a vision and it was worse than usual. It was about Elizabeth.”

Secondo did well to mask his pain at the mention of her name, but Quinn noticed it all the same.

“What did you see?”

“She needs to leave. And soon. The more distance between you two, the better.”

He waited for Secondo to lash out because yet again; he hadn’t sugar coated it. But the residual pain in his head made it hard to concentrate enough to be polite.

Secondo only sighed, though, and hung his head.

“I have been thinking this, anyway. I considered sending her to another Abbey. The way she reacts to me now makes it impossible to have any kind of relationship, working or otherwise. It is for the best.”

If Quinn had the energy, he would’ve sent quintessence to Secondo, but at that moment he did not.

Zephyr and Fire returned not long afterwards and the old ghoul got to work with sending healing energy to his head. It didn’t take long for his nose to stop bleeding and for his head to feel better.

Papa had busied himself at his desk, but when Quinn sighed, he got up and came over.

“Have you any idea why this is happening? Has this happened before?” he asked.

Quinn shook his head.

“I was linked to the ether for longer than I intended. It is probably just that. I’m sure it will settle down. The other visions I had over the last couple of days didn’t do that, so it is probably just a one off.”

Secondo scowled.

“You will take the rest of the weekend off, then. No arguing this time. You need to rest.” Quinn huffed out a breath, but he didn’t try to argue. “You can rest here for a few hours. I am catching up on paperwork, so I’m not going anywhere. I will arrange for Air to come and get you later.”

“I have an appointment to keep tonight.”

His head was so mashed that he forgot to hide his thoughts, and Secondo tutted. He would know exactly what the appointment was.

“Try to sleep and then see what you feel like when you wake up. I will get Anya to cast a healing spell. It might help.” Quinn scowled and Secondo raised a brow, waiting for him to protest. “Do you have a problem with that? Because just to make myself clear, that was an order, Quinn.”

“No. No problem,” he growled as he lay down on the sofa and turned his back on his Papa.

Chapter Text

The sleep did Quinn good, and by the evening he was in a better mood. Anya’s healing spell had helped a lot and by the time Air showed up, his head was back to normal. He just prayed that the ether left him alone for a little while.

“Back home then?” Air asked. Quinn nodded and they plodded back to the lair. “What’s going on with you? I know this isn’t right. It shouldn’t still be affecting you, surely? Is there something you’re not telling us?”

Quinn could feel Air’s worry and he growled.

“Stop fussing, Air. I’m fine.”

“You’re clearly not, though, are you? Fire said you almost passed out in the hallway.”

“Air, seriously. Just drop it. I don’t know what’s going on, and even if I did, there isn’t anything I can do about it. I’m stuck with these fucking visions, whether they’re killing me or not.”

Air stopped walking and Quinn cursed himself when he felt the other ghoul's panic.

“What do you mean, killing you? What the fuck aren’t you telling me, Quinn?”

He sighed.

“I didn’t mean that how it sounded. I don’t know. It just feels like they’re slowly chipping away at my brain.” He shrugged. “I have no idea how long a seer is supposed to live. The only ones I’ve heard of died young or went crazy. For all I know, I should have been long dead by now.”

Air threw his arms around Quinn and pulled him close.

“Don’t die on us! We can’t lose another one of our pack. I can't lose you. How do we fix this?”

He hugged him back and sighed.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Air, I’m not going to die. Not yet anyway. I’ll just keep plodding on, though. What else can I do? I feel much better now, so whatever Zephyr and Anya did seems to have worked.”

Air frowned at him, but they started walking again.

“I’ll get us some food and we can eat in my room.”

Quinn smirked.

“Comfort eating again, Air?” he said and the ghoul smacked him on the arm.

“I have a high metabolism. And I need my strength because I’m seeing Sister Jane later. She’s got stamina.” Quinn laughed. “She does! You have no idea. Are you going to see Martha anytime soon?”

“Tonight, actually.”

Air frowned.

“Will you be okay? I mean, you’ve not been well, and someone your age probably shouldn’t be getting too excited.”

Quinn saw the mischievous sparkle in his eyes and he smacked him back.

“It’s lucky you’re so cute, Air, or someone would have torn out your throat a long time ago.”

The air ghoul grinned at him.

“I’m just concerned about my elders, is all. How bad would Sister Martha feel if you keeled over from a heart attack?”

Quinn growled at him and stalked off as Air went to the canteen to pick them up some food. It was easier than cooking. Only Earth and Fire seemed to actually enjoy making things from scratch. They made a point of cooking a meal for everyone a couple of times a week, but tonight was not one of those times.

Quinn went and got cleaned up in his room. He said a brief prayer at the altar and headed back out to Air’s to eat, studiously ignoring the shelf by the door, because he didn’t want to feel guilty about tonight until after it was done. He could spend the whole day punishing himself about it tomorrow, but for tonight, he needed this.

Air had brought them some kind of pasta dish. He’d already started eating so Quinn grabbed his before Air set his sights on it too.

“When are you meeting Martha?”

“After dark.”

“So, I was thinking maybe we could take them into the city one night? Me and Jane. You and Martha.”

Quinn put down his fork.

“No.”

“Aww come on. I want to take her out somewhere. Humans like to go on dates. It will be fun. You know we can’t go out alone.”

“No way.”

Air pouted.

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to go out with her, or spend time with her like that. She’s human.”

Air looked confused.

“So?”

“So, I don’t want to. I told you. I’m not getting involved with anyone. I don’t even want to go out into the city with you ghouls.”

“Well, okay then. I guess I’ll have to ask Earth instead. I’m sure he can find a Sister to bring.”

Quinn choked on a laugh.

“Earth? With a human?”

Air shook his head and smiled.

“Well yeah, when you put it like that... Maybe the new ghouls would want to come? Alpha and Omega seem like fun. The Siblings seem to like them.”

“You know, Secondo doesn’t like us to mix too much with the others. He wouldn’t allow that. He doesn’t know them properly yet either.”

He sighed and carried on eating.

Air went to get himself ready and took way longer in the bathroom than Quinn thought he should have, but he looked good and he smelled nice when he came out again.

“Do you have special plans?” Quinn asked.

“Are you making me a better offer?” Air joked. He laughed and Air sighed again. “We’re just going to relax for a bit. Maybe go for a walk. And then fuck.”

“Have fun then.”

He waved as Air left for the night.

He envied Air a bit. The ghoul was just as happy to have a relationship with someone as he was to keep it casual. He didn’t worry about things, he just let them happen. It was too late for Quinn, though; he was what he was now and he didn’t see himself changing anytime soon.

He made his way out towards the common area. Earth and Water were just finishing up their own dinners in the kitchen.

“Feeling better?” Earth asked him.

“A bit. Going to get some fresh air.”

Earth narrowed his eyes. They could feel each other's emotions to a certain extent through their bond with Secondo and Earth was trying to read his. Luckily, he could shut himself down so that the others wouldn’t realise what he was feeling. He knew it annoyed Earth when he did that, so it made him do it all the more. He certainly didn’t want Earth to know what he was feeling right now.

He made his way out of the lair and out of the Abbey, discarding all of his concerns and worries about what he was doing and who he was meeting. The moment he got out into the fresh air, he let his inner ghoul stretch its claws at the prospect of a hunt.

The sun had set and it was fully dark now. The sky was clear, but it was almost a full moon so he could see as well as he could during the daytime. He made his way towards the woods and almost immediately picked up the scent of Sister Martha on the breeze. It seemed she’d done as he asked, and any ghoul within sight of the woods could track her through the scent of her arousal alone.

He felt his eyes glowing with blue quintessential fire as he entered the trees off the well-trodden path. He knew Martha would use the usual paths that the Siblings took, but there would be no fun in that for him, so he stuck to the shadows.

His bare feet were silent through the undergrowth. Quinn had spent many, many hours hunting throughout his life, and he prided himself on his ability to stay silent.

He caught sight of her up ahead, sure enough, sticking to the well-established path. She was wearing a floaty gypsy skirt and a short white blouse. It showed off the olive-toned skin of her midriff, and he licked his lips. Her hair was loose. She must have remembered his preference from last time.

She strolled along, oblivious to the fact that he was tracking her and matching her pace from the darkness of the trees. He smirked. She had no clue he was there yet, but she would soon enough.

Quinn could sense her lust. She was almost as needy as he’d wanted her. Almost. She was feeling slightly anxious about being alone in the dark, and rightfully so.

He followed her for a while, making sure she walked deeper into the woods and away from the welcoming lights of the Abbey’s gardens.

When he had decided they were far enough away that they wouldn’t be disturbed, Quinn purposely stepped on a twig. The loud snap caused her to stop moving. Martha gasped and looked around, and he felt her anxiety spike. Her heart rate picked up and her brown eyes looked almost black. The pupils had blown to let in the maximum amount of light.

He rumbled out a low growl, low enough that the sound wouldn’t carry, but the vibrations would. It worked. She sensed it.

Her breathing sped up and he felt the first signs of panic bubbling up through her emotions.

She looked like prey.

She smelled like prey.

She knew now that she was being watched. She sensed the predator that was stalking her, watching her and waiting in the darkness.

The hairs on her body would raise with chills, and the adrenaline would course through her veins. Any second now, she would rely on the fight-or-flight instinct.

Quinn already knew that she would choose flight.

He stilled, waiting for her survival instinct to kick in. He held his breath and watched from the darkness, deathly still in amongst the shadows.

He could tell her thoughts were becoming clouded now and he felt the moment that her instincts took over.

Her nerve snapped, and her panic spiked.

She took off running and the hunter in him responded, desperate to feel the thrill of the chase.

Chapter Text

Martha was brimming with nervous excitement. She’d convinced herself over the last few weeks that the initial thing she’d had with Secondo's quintessence ghoul was going to be a one off. At the time, though, it had seemed like he wanted to meet her again, but then he'd left her hanging.

She supposed she had Tom to thank for this little meeting tonight. When Quinn had come to her rescue last week and gotten rid of him for her, it had opened up the lines of communication again. Since then, she’d been waiting for him to summon her. She hadn’t thought of much else for the last few days, if she was honest. After the last few shitty weeks, she really needed to let off some steam.

That was how she'd found herself wandering through the woods after dark, horny and a little bit afraid. She’d done as Quinn asked before she left, bringing herself right to the edge of orgasm, but no further. It was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do, and she didn't know why that ghoul had that effect on her. Every time she thought of that night with him in the laundry’s office, it made her insides squirm.

She’d been in a permanent state of want ever since he’d told her he wanted to meet up again last week, and finally tonight had come around.

As she walked deeper into the woods, she got the feeling she was being watched. It was probably her imagination, but it could just as easily be Quinn watching her from the shadows. She shivered in anticipation.

The moon was full and the silver glow penetrated the trees just enough for her to see where she was going, but she stuck to the familiar paths so that she didn’t trip over anything she couldn’t see. Quinn hadn’t said exactly where to meet him, so she wandered aimlessly, as she knew he’d be able to find her if he wanted to.

The Siblings at the Abbey took classes to learn about the ghouls when they first arrived there. It was important to understand a bit about them so that they could interact with them safely once they became members of the church; they were beasts from hell after all.

One thing that they learned was that ghouls were skilled hunters and trackers. Martha got the feeling that Quinn excelled in both things. The way he’d snuck up on Tom that night, they hadn’t even realised Quinn was there until he was right behind him. He could have killed him just as easily as breathed.

The sound of a twig snapping brought her out of her thoughts, and her heart jumped. She stilled and looked around into the darkness of the trees. If that was Quinn, then surely he would have called out to her or showed himself by now?

She could feel her heart beating faster as she tried to rationalise that she was being silly. The Abbey’s woods were big, but there were no wolves or bears here to eat her. The scariest things here were the ghouls, and she knew she would be safe with them. She hoped so, at least.

That didn’t stop the primal fear from taking over, though. That ancient knowledge that was buried deep inside the DNA of humans, the instincts that had kept her ancestors alive for generations.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose in warning. She couldn’t explain what had caused it, but that primal instinct started screaming at her to run. She was alone in the woods in the dark and she was vulnerable.

She tried to calm her breathing, but it was no use. The thought of being at the mercy of some creature with fangs and claws became too much and her prey instincts took over.

Martha took one last look around. That feeling of being watched intensified, and the woods seemed to hold its breath. The sounds of the nocturnal insects and the rustling of the trees melted away until all that she could hear was the frantic pounding of blood in her ears.

She ran.

In her panic, she carried on deeper into the trees, further away from the Abbey. She didn’t turn around for fear of tripping. Where was Quinn when she needed him?

A growl made her stomach lurch and she picked up speed. She had been a great runner at high school, but now all of that training seemed inadequate when she was potentially running for her life.

As she ran, she caught sight of eyes glinting in the darkness, running parallel to her in amongst the trees. She desperately looked around for somewhere to hide or somewhere to go.

The trees? If she could climb up a tree, then she’d have a chance. She veered off the path and chose a tree that didn’t have too many branches low down. She could jump and pull herself up and hopefully whatever creature this was wouldn’t be able to climb after her.

She slammed into the trunk with the momentum of the speed she’d been running at. Before she could make a grab for the branch just above her head, a warm body had pinned her against the trunk.

Oh fuck.

She whimpered as she heard the growl again, but it was next to her ear this time.

“What’s got you so spooked?” Quinn whispered, the gravel in his low, accented voice making her doubt that any trace of humanity was left in him right then. Martha couldn’t catch her breath and she could feel herself trembling. She shivered and although she was scared shitless, that lust that she’d been feeling since her encounter with him earlier ramped up a notch. She was completely at his mercy. He could do anything to her right now, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him. Her core throbbed at the thought and she closed her eyes. Quinn pulled her hair to the side and dragged his tongue up the side of her throat. He growled again and the vibrations went straight to her clit. “Did you do as I told you, Sister?”

His hand delved under her skirt and he wasted no time dipping his fingers into the wetness that her earlier ministrations had created. She hadn’t bothered to wear any underwear, as she knew it would only get in the way. He curled his fingers to rub on her g-spot and she moaned.

“Yesss.”

“Good girl.”

He nipped the juncture of her shoulder hard enough to bruise, and she let out a startled yelp. Her heart was beating frantically as he spun her around to face him.

Martha looked up at his face and gasped. His glowing blue eyes in the darkness and mussed blonde hair that fell around his un-glamoured horns made her gasp as she took him in. He looked more like the feral hell beast she knew he was than the human-like creature she always thought of him as. 

Quinn was breathing hard, but she didn’t think it was from the exertion of running; he had barely broken a sweat from that. She got the impression that he was fighting to hold himself back from her.

He was shirtless, and she resisted the urge to touch his skin. She didn’t want to risk the consequences of breaking his rules again because she wanted him exactly like this. She wanted him to let go and to do the things that she could tell he was warring with himself over.

His lip curled back from his fangs and he growled again.

“Move that skirt out of the way," he growled. She did as he asked and bunched the material in her hands, pulling it up and exposing herself to him. He smirked and dropped to his knees in front of her. “Listen to me. Do not make a sound. If you do, there will be a consequence. Understand?”

He tilted his head to look up at her. Even though he was below her now, she still felt small and vulnerable; she was still the prey to his predator.

She nodded and clamped her lips together, trying not to whimper.

He snarled and grabbed her by the hips, lifting her up and draping her legs over his shoulders. She put her fist into her mouth to stifle the yelp and kept it there as he pressed his face between her legs and his tongue found her bud of nerves with unerring accuracy. She went to whimper again and he dragged one of his fangs across her clit in warning. It stung and she bit down into the skin of her hand.

He’d almost finished what she started before she left with that one motion. Her inner muscles twitched as his tongue and his teeth got to work. He brought her right to the edge again in no time. She was mere seconds away from the most explosive orgasm she’d ever had. She just knew it.

Her other hand gripped the material of her skirt and she fought with everything she had to keep quiet, but it was no use. A moan escaped her lips and just as she felt the pressure building to its peak, her feet hit the ground and Quinn stood up. The chill night air brushed against her exposed fevered flesh and she could have cried at the loss of him.

“Please, don’t stop!” she whined. “Why did you stop?”

He spun her around again. The rough bark of the tree scraped against her cheek and she gave a frustrated cry. She’d been so close. The ache she felt was unbearable.

“I told you to be quiet. You were not quiet. If you don’t follow my instructions, then you earn a consequence. You know this already. Remember what happened last time, Sister?”

She groaned at the memory as the image of him pleasuring himself while she waited, tied up and helpless to do anything but watch him, slipped into her mind.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I couldn’t help it. You made me...”

He growled, placing two fingers over her lips to quiet her. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“So you are blaming me for your disobedience?”

Shit.

“N..no? Not blaming you.”

She cried out in shock as in one glorious movement; she felt the blunt head of him against her in one second, and he buried himself to the hilt the next. Before she could register it, the sharp stab of pain from the sudden intrusion had her seeing stars.

The orgasm that had been tantalisingly out of her reach all evening slammed into her with full force. She threw her head back and she heard herself scream his name, fluttering around him for what seemed like forever as he stilled behind her.

“Consequence,” he growled next to her ear.

He bit it and pulled almost all the way out again before slamming back in. She’d only just come down and she felt herself building up again as he almost instantly learned exactly which way he needed to fuck her to drag himself over her sweet spot.

Martha clawed mindlessly at the tree trunk. It was all she could do against the pleasure that quickly engulfed her.

He gripped her shoulder with his teeth to hold her still and she swore she felt the skin break under his fangs. She didn’t care though, because he was sending those tingles of quintessence straight to her clit again as he fucked her.

She lost track of time. Only the two of them and their lust out there in the woods mattered. Everything else seemed to melt away into the darkness.

Quinn bit down harder into her shoulder, a delicious shock of pain only intensifying the pleasure she felt. He snarled something against her skin in Ghoulish as he came. She got the impression that whatever the words meant; they were absolutely filthy, and just the tone of it tipped her over the edge again. She hadn’t thought it was possible for this to be any more intense than that first one, but she was wrong.

Her inner walls spasmed around him and her knees gave out. She was heaving cool night air into her lungs as he pulled out of her and stepped away.

She heard him growl in anger and as she turned her head to look at him, he’d turned his back on her and he was fixing his jeans. He swiped a hand across his face and cursed.

Something was wrong with him.

She let her skirt fall back into place and turned around, walking around to face him.

A trail of blood dripped from his nose, and she reached out a hand to touch him.

“Quinn? Are you okay?”

He batted her hand away.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” he snarled, and she jumped back from him. He met her eyes and something she couldn’t read flashed in them. He huffed out a breath. “I’m sorry, Sister, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m fine, headache is all.”

She frowned. As far as she knew, ghouls didn’t get sick like humans did, they didn’t get headaches.

“It’s okay. Come on, we can go back and get you cleaned up.”

He scowled and they walked back through the woods towards the lights of the Abbey.

Chapter Text

By the time they’d reached the Abbey, Quinn’s nose had stopped bleeding. It hadn’t even been a proper vision that had caused it this time, just a fleeting flash of something that he didn’t even register. He was getting so fucking tired of this; he needed to figure out what was wrong.

Martha had stayed quiet on the way back after he’d snapped at her. He felt bad for it, but he’d been confused and she’d caught him off guard. He hated the fact that he looked weak in front of someone else. His pack was one thing, but a virtual stranger was another.

They stepped onto the porch and almost bumped straight into Air and Sister Jane, who were leaving. The air ghoul scowled when he saw him and noticed the blood.

“Fuck, what happened now?”

Quinn scowled back at him, and Martha spoke up.

“He got a nosebleed, so we came back to get him cleaned up.”

Air looked to Martha and grinned.

“Did you beat him up again, Sister?”

She laughed, but Air kept casting concerned glances his way. Quinn could tell that he was desperate to come and look after him, but he didn’t want to ruin their evening. And sure enough... “Come on, we need Secondo and Zephyr to look at this.”

Quinn snarled.

“No! I’ll go to them myself. Just go and fuck the Sister, Air.”

Jane’s eyes widened, but he saw the amusement there. Air looked angry though.

“Don’t get like that with me. I’m worried about you. We talked about this already.”

Quinn sent him quintessence to calm him down, and he sighed.

“Seriously, Air, I’ll be fine.”

Martha spoke up.

“I’ll make sure he does as he says. Don’t worry.”

Air seemed satisfied with that and gave Quinn a quick hug.

“Send someone to get me if you need me. Pack comes first, always,” he murmured in Ghoulish.

Quinn nodded and smiled at him before ushering them outside.

“Are we going to the infirmary, then?” Martha asked.

“I will be fine. I’ll find Secondo. You can go home. I don’t need you to come.”

He felt her disappointment, but there really was no need for her to go with him. Especially as they would need to talk about his visions.

“Oh, are you sure? I don’t mind.”

His head was pounding and he didn’t want to be rude to her.

“I’m sure. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

It was slightly awkward, but he turned and walked away. It wasn’t as if they would have been spending the night together anyway, so he didn’t feel bad for her. He’d made himself pretty clear from the start and he wasn’t so ill that he couldn’t make it to Secondo’s apartment on his own.

He knew that Secondo would be at home because there was nothing planned on his schedule tonight. Water was on duty, and he answered the door when Quinn knocked.

“Oh, hey, Quinn. You okay?”

He frowned when he registered the blood that was drying by now.

“Fine. Just a nosebleed, but Secondo wanted me to tell him if anything like this happened again.”

They stepped into the main living area and Water went to the kitchen to get supplies to clean Quinn up. He came back with a washcloth and a bowl of warm water, laying them out on the kitchen table and gesturing for Quinn to sit.

“I’ll let him know you’re here. He’s... occupied.”

Quinn listened towards the bedroom door and suddenly realised that Secondo was indeed occupied in there.

“No, leave him be. I’ll get cleaned up and then find Zephyr. I can come back when he’s done.”

“You sure?” Water asked.

“Yeah. I feel fine now anyway,” he lied.

He cleaned himself up and got up to leave. Water gave him a hug.

“I know you think Air fusses too much, but he’s genuinely worried about you. You know what he can get like. Just let him look after you. Enjoy it while you’ve got the chance.” 

Quinn chuckled.

“Have you ever had Air fuss over you? Do you know how annoying it is?”

Water laughed and let him go.

“Yes, and yes. You scared us all last week though, and now this. Everyone is just concerned for you, Quinn. Whatever you need, we’ll do what we can to help.”

He thanked the water ghoul and left to find Zephyr. He tracked him down to one of Primo’s greenhouses. The ex-Papa was tending to his roses surrounded by his ghouls. Zephyr noticed Quinn first and a smile lit up his face as he beckoned him inside.

“Quinn! How are you?” The old ghoul frowned then, though, as he looked him up and down. He came over and placed a hand on Quinn’s head. “Another headache? Was it caused by a vision?”

Quinn shook his head.

“Not exactly. I’m not sure what it was. I was... Well, it felt like a vision, but the fragments were disjointed. It wasn’t quite a vision. I could feel it there, but I couldn’t see it. Does that make sense?”

Zephyr nodded.

“Give me a moment and we can go somewhere private.”

He went to excuse himself with Primo and they walked through the gardens and back inside the Abbey towards the apothecary.

“Do you need supplies?” Quinn asked.

“No, I thought we could ask Anya’s opinion. I get the impression that this is something she could help with.”

Anya was poring through what looked like order forms. An opened bottle of wine sat on the table next to her. She smiled when the two quintessence ghouls walked in.

“Ah, Zephyr, Quinn. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I wondered if you would take a look at Quinn and see if you can pick up on anything.”

Anya looked puzzled.

“Well, yes, of course. But what am I looking for?”

“I thought I picked up on something just now, but maybe you are more qualified to deal with it.”

She motioned for Quinn to sit down, and she came to stand before him.

“May I?” she asked.

He nodded and she placed her fingertips on his temples, closing her eyes to concentrate. He felt tingles of magic and she gasped, looking over at Zephyr.

“How did we not pick up on this before?”

Quinn was confused.

“Pick up on what?” he asked warily.

“There is some kind of residue left behind. I presume it is part of the ether. It is just a tiny amount, but it has somehow stayed with you.”

Quinn frowned. Surely that wasn’t possible? He had made sure that he severed the link properly. He was always careful about it and he told them as much.

Anya pursed her lips.

“Well, to me, it looks like a tiny hook, or even a claw. I’m not talking about a physical one, but that is the only way I can think to describe it. So perhaps when you linked to the ether, it attached itself to your mind, and when you came out of it, it left a piece of itself behind. I hope that makes sense.”

His frown deepened. He had never experienced this before, but what she said made sense to him. He could feel something there, and he’d dismissed it as simply staying in the ether too long. But when he thought about it, he had been there for longer before with zero after effects, so clearly something wasn't right.

“Can we fix it?” he asked her.

She nodded thoughtfully.

“I think so. We just need to tease it out. I have a couple of things I can try. Shall we do it now?”

Quinn looked at the half empty wine bottle and then at Zephyr, who shrugged.

“It is worth a try, Quinn. You can’t carry on like this.”

He nodded his agreement and Anya went to gather the herbs she would need for the spell.

It only took a few minutes to get everything ready, and Anya resumed her place in front of him.

“Zephyr, when I’m done, he will need you to heal the part of his brain that I’m targeting. I think this will leave a physical wound, so we need to heal it as soon as I create it. Is that okay with you both?”

They nodded and she got to work.

It was uncanny. Anya’s fingertips rested on his temples on either side of his head again, and he got the same itch inside his brain that he used to get when Andras was poking around in there. It was a little unnerving, but he tried to relax and let her do her thing.

Anya mumbled under her breath in Russian. The words of the spell held power and he could feel whatever remnant the ether had left behind being wrenched free. The pain in his head felt like when he had the worst visions and he gritted his teeth as she pulled whatever it was free.

Quinn swore he felt something tear inside his head and he cried out. He could feel his nose dripping blood again and the pressure became almost unbearable.

Just when he thought he would pass out, the pressure receded and he felt cool fingers on his scalp as Zephyr used his magic to heal whatever Anya had just done to him.

He lost consciousness for a couple of seconds and when he came back around, Zephyr was holding a towel to his nose to catch the blood and was propping him up. It felt like it had stopped now, though, and Quinn pushed his hand away.

“Fuck, that hurt.”

Anya was regarding him intently. He could see that she was trying to gauge if it had worked.

“Does it feel better now, though?”

He closed his eyes and concentrated. It did, he thought. Now that Zephyr’s healing was taking effect, the low level headache that had plagued him ever since he went in search of answers from the ether last week had subsided.

“Yes. I think it does. Thank you. I suppose we won’t know for certain until the next vision, but for now, I feel a lot better.”

She nodded and smiled, squeezing his shoulder.

“Glad I could help. Oh, the store you recommended came good. We had our first delivery, and the quality is top-notch. I was making another order just now when you arrived. So, thank you.”

Quinn smiled, hoping that their custom would be enough to help out the old clairvoyant. The amount of rituals the Clergy did, they needed a constant supply of ingredients.

Just then, a small vision made its way across his mind’s eye and he smiled when he saw how the store would prosper through their new arrangement.

Zephyr looked at him expectantly when the vision was done.

“Well? I presume that was a vision?” he asked.

Quinn nodded.

“It was. And no headache.”

“Excellent. Let’s get you home and you can rest then. Properly this time.”

Quinn rolled his eyes at Zephyr.

“You sound just like Air.”

Chapter Text

The day had been nothing out of the ordinary, really. Secondo had a business meeting followed by a long lunch in the city. Quinn, Earth and Fire had accompanied him as security and everything had gone according to plan. They were all feeling restless after the tediousness of the meeting and the fact that it was a full moon tonight. It always affected them that way, made them extra snappy with each other and more likely to scrap.

Quinn was looking forward to the evening. He had the night off and Secondo’s ghouls had planned a run in the woods with Terzo's to get rid of their frustrations. He couldn’t wait.

He shook his head as a vision flashed into his mind. Well, vision was the wrong word. It was the feeling that something would happen tonight; something that whatever he did, he would have no control over.

These were the worst kinds of feelings, having to sit back and impotently watch as whatever drama was about to happen unfolded. He didn't bother to mention these types of intuitions to the others or Secondo because ultimately it would cause them stress for no reason.

The outcome would be no different. Whatever he did.

He sighed and made sure to shut down his thoughts so that Secondo wouldn’t pick up on anything. The Papa was busy schmoozing with the other business types, anyway; he wasn’t paying attention to the three imposing, human-glamoured ghouls who had dotted themselves around the terrace of the restaurant not-so inconspicuously.

Earth glanced his way, picking up that something had just happened. Over the last few years of his being here, Quinn had become well attuned to the others in his pack, and they to him. Quinn hadn’t planned it that way. He’d wanted to keep his distance, but alas, he’d failed. He was still the most aloof member of their little pack, though. Quinn spent more time alone than any of the others did, but he actually went to them by choice; he would seek out their company more often than he liked.

He glanced back at Earth and shook his head. The earth ghoul seemed satisfied by that and continued surveying the humans who filled the restaurant. It was summer, so it was busy, and Quinn had already had to shut his quintessential self down because of the sheer volume of humans he would encounter today. It was a regular thing when he came to the city now. He’d learned early on that he needed to do it, otherwise the constant stream of negative emotions would drain his energy.

The lunch wound down by late afternoon, and they headed back to the Abbey. Earth drove and Quinn rode shotgun with Fire and Secondo in the back.

“What was that earlier, Quinn?” Secondo asked.

Quinn silently cursed. His time here had made him more attuned to Secondo, and even though he’d done his best to hide his bad feeling from the Papa, he’d picked up on it just the same.

“It was nothing, Papa. Just a bad feeling.”

Earth cursed and gave him a sideways glance.

“It’s been way too quiet recently. I’ve been waiting for the shit to hit the fan,” he rumbled out.

Quinn looked out of the window and watched the city pass by, not offering anything else to them. They’d learned not to press him too much if he wasn’t telling them what he’d seen. It had taken a while, though. Secondo knew him pretty well by now, and he trusted his judgement.

They arrived back at the Abbey and changed over the shift. Water would be on bodyguard duty overnight and he rolled his eyes as Papa went off to clean himself up, ready for whichever Sister or Sisters he would be entertaining that night. 

Ever since Elizabeth had left for one of the European Abbeys, he’d thrown himself into the party lifestyle, living up to the image that many people had of him already.

Quinn could see how much he was still hurting, but he wouldn’t begrudge him whatever he could do to feel happier. The Siblings weren’t complaining either. He had a select few on rotation to keep things interesting. Quinn didn’t think that he would ever replace Elizabeth and it made him sad for Secondo; he knew all too well the loneliness of a solitary existence after the love of your life was gone.

Quinn stopped off at the apothecary on the way upstairs to restock some of the incense that he liked to use for prayer. Earth had set about cooking them a meal by the time he made his way back. The smells of fried garlic and onions hit him as soon as he got to the hallway that branched off into the various ghoul lairs and his stomach grumbled.

Air was in the kitchen chatting to him, and he grinned when he saw Quinn. He’d been on a special mission for Secondo while they were away, and he always had extra energy to burn when he came back.

Secondo had picked him as one of his ghouls because he had a throwback skill that came from his demon heritage. Air could use his charms in a more subtle way than others realised. He could be very persuasive and influential when he needed to be. He could heighten emotions and use it to his advantage. It was a skill that Secondo had used many times since he’d summoned Air. He was naturally charming anyway, but with that extra push of power, he was dangerous. He rarely used this influence on his pack members or Secondo, as they could usually tell what he was doing and had become immune, but occasionally he tried it to get his own way, much to Quinn’s annoyance.

“Fun meeting?” Air asked.

Quinn scowled at him.

“No.”

Earth chuckled and Air went to grab him a beer from the fridge, handing it to him. He took a swig and it was so good.

“So you’ll be glad when tonight comes around then? Oh, Martha was looking for you earlier.”

That was odd. She never came to seek him out. He was the one who went to her when he needed to.

“Is she okay?”

It had become a regular thing with her, once every few weeks when he needed something he couldn’t get from Air or Fire or Water. He’d noticed the change in her the last couple of times, though, and he’d played it down because his rules had served them well so far.

“Yeah, I think so. She said she wanted to talk to you.”

He sighed. He’d hoped that it wouldn’t come to this, but it looked like it had.

“I’d better go find her then.”

“I know that look. What’s happened?” Air said, looking concerned.

His thing with Sister Jane had fizzled out a couple of years back and he’d moved on several times since her. His new favourite was one of Imperator’s secretaries, a petite Japanese Sister who had recently transferred to the Abbey.

“I think that maybe our meetings are going to have to stop.”

Air frowned but Quinn didn’t elaborate. He turned and walked back out and through the Abbey to find Sister Martha. He would get this over with quickly and be back in time for dinner, hopefully.

Quinn tracked her down to the library and she smiled when she saw him. He noticed it again, though; that spark of happiness to see him that went beyond merely being excited for their casual hook-ups. He’d really thought that after all this time, they could keep it as it was. It looked like it had been too good to be true.

He hadn’t done anything differently as far as he could tell. He hadn’t spent the night with her in all that time. There had been no overly tender moments, bar some healing sessions if things had gotten a bit too rough. It had just been meet ups for sex with no strings attached. Mutual orgasms and nothing more. On his side, at least. He always enjoyed their time together, and the guilt afterwards had become almost nonexistent as he realised he could do this without disrespecting Ashtoreth. It was nothing compared to what he’d had with her.

“Hi,” she said as he approached.

They didn’t interact in public, but the other ghouls were aware of them. Quinn had caught the scent of humans on her a few times, but never other ghouls.

“Air said you wanted to speak to me. Is everything alright, Sister?”

There was still hope that there was some other explanation, although he couldn’t think what. In five years, she had never sought him out like this.

“Yes. Well... Can we take a walk?”

He nodded and they went out into the gardens, strolling through the grounds. He could tell she was anxious.

“What’s on your mind?”

He felt the nervousness from her and he shut down his empathy because he knew what was coming from the way she hesitated.

“It’s about the rules.” He sighed. Here we fucking go, he thought. “I’ve always had a great time with you, like... Wow. But...”

“But?”

She stopped walking and turned to him.

“Quinn. We’ve known each other for a while now, and I’ve been thinking. Do you ever think about having that connection with someone? I didn’t think I wanted that, but I’ve realised that I do. I think that you and I could have a connection beyond our little meetings. What do you think?”

He frowned and resisted the urge to send quintessence to calm her. He didn't want to soften this for her. It wouldn't have the same impact.

“The rules are there for a reason. I made myself clear from the start. I do not need or want a connection with anyone. I have my pack for that.”

She couldn’t have known about his reasons behind it. She had never asked and it wasn’t common knowledge amongst the Siblings. Ghouls were nosey and loved to gossip, but with their own, they could be discreet.

He felt the stab of disappointment from her but as he’d come to realise since he'd known her, she could mask it well, and she covered it up nicely.

“Oh. I just thought I would ask. So I guess we will just carry on as usual, then?” she said, as if his answer hadn’t affected her.

Quinn would surely beat himself up later for what he was about to say, but he said it anyway. It was better in the long run to make her hate him. She would get over it quicker. He hoped.

“I think this is us finished now, Sister. This is exactly what I did not want to happen. I picked you because you were emotionally unavailable and that’s what I wanted. You were only ever a cunt to fuck, nothing more.”

Her first reaction was hurt, but a surge of anger swiftly followed it and she slapped him across the face. He took it. She hit hard for one so small, but he deserved it. He could take anger from her.

“Well. We know where we stand then, don’t we? Fuck you, Quinn.”

She stormed off inside and Quinn looked up to see a couple of Siblings who were walking towards the woods staring at him openmouthed. He snarled at them and they quickly looked away, suddenly more interested in their shoes than the large ghoul who had just been struck by a little Sister of Sin.

He stalked back up to the lair, hoping that the others would eat quickly and the sun would set soon. He really needed that run tonight and from what he'd felt from Air earlier, the ghoul was just the one to help him get rid of his frustrations.

Chapter Text

It seemed to take forever for the sun to set and by that time, all the ghouls were eager to play in the woods. The Siblings received a warning during their introduction to ghouls classes not to venture out on the night of the full moon. They could accidentally get hurt, as it was harder for them to control themselves once they were all together and acting like their natural ghoul selves.

Terzo’s ghouls were waiting for them in the gardens and they made their way to the woods. Most of them wore only jeans. It was hot and they preferred to feel the air on their skin and the earth under their feet as they ran.

As predicted, Omega had become fairly close to Quinn over the last few years. He, Quinn and Zephyr often spent time together to recharge; Quinn referred to them as Quintessence Club, much to the amusement of the others.

Omega being Omega picked up on Quinn’s mood immediately.

“What happened?” he asked.

He didn’t send any calming energy as tonight wasn’t about that. It would dampen the fun.

“I had to do something I didn’t really want to. So I’m more than ready for this run.”

Omega gave him a sympathetic smile, but he didn’t ask for the details. He knew Quinn didn't really talk about things outside of his pack or Zephyr, so he patted him on the shoulder and jogged off towards Alpha and the others.

He could feel the energy and the excitement coming from the others and he let it in, allowing it to ramp up his own. Air was up ahead with Fire and Water and Quinn snarled when he saw them playfully shoving each other.

“What’s got you so riled up?” said a voice from behind him.

It was Earth. The two of them had finally learned to live with each other, and Quinn would even go so far as to say that he liked the ghoul. He loved him like a brother because he was pack, but it had taken him a long while to actually grow to like him. They still had their moments though, and there had been a few more times when one needed to put the other in their place, but they’d fallen into a comfortable rhythm of living and working together.

“I’m just not in the mood for any more bullshit today.”

Earth raised a brow at him.

“Does this have anything to do with what you saw earlier?”

Quinn scowled at him.

“No. Not really. Okay, maybe a little. I don’t know,” he said as he shook his head.

Earth didn’t reply because they’d almost reached the woods and he heard Alpha snarl as he took off running. Omega responded and sprinted after him which spurred the others into action.

Air glanced over his shoulder and the purple glow of his stare landed momentarily on Quinn’s. He grinned and ran. Earth shoved Quinn to the side, causing him to stumble, and he set off after Air.

It was on. Air belonged to Quinn tonight, not Earth, and he would fight him if he had to.

It only took a second for Quinn to recover, and he loped off after them. He was faster than Earth, but it wasn’t just about the fighting, it was about the thrill of the chase.

Air outpaced them both, settling into a steady rhythm up ahead, and Quinn stayed not too far behind Earth. They ran for a while, content to just enjoy the night air and nature surrounding them. He could hear various scraps and other types of clashes going on around him and he growled in frustration. Air must have sensed it because he’d stopped not too far ahead to wait for them. Quinn could see the air ghoul’s excitement at being chased by them both, and that grin he’d had earlier was still firmly in place. Earth stopped and turned to face Quinn. He gave a low growl and Quinn smirked.

“It seems we’ve both chosen the same rabbit tonight, little Pebble,” he said, using the nickname he knew that the earth ghoul despised. It was the pet name he sometimes used after their little dominance battles; the name he used when Earth lost.

Earth bared his teeth in a feral smile and sauntered towards him, stopping mere inches away. He scraped a claw down Quinn’s stomach and trailed it lazily over the demon brand that peeked out of the waistband of his jeans, next to his hipbone. He leaned in close to Quinn’s ear.

“Your tramp stamp is showing, Quinn. I’d cover that up if I were you. Everyone can see that you were some demon’s personal fuck toy.”

He heard Air’s sharp intake of breath as Quinn jumped on Earth. The ghoul went down and they rolled. Quinn’s fangs tore a chunk of flesh from the bigger ghoul’s arm and he roared in pain, but it didn’t faze him otherwise. Quinn caught a blow to his face and felt his eyebrow split. He blinked blood out of his eye as they carried on fighting.

An elbow in his stomach from Earth knocked the breath out of him and he ended up on his belly with Earth’s arm around his throat. He squeezed and Quinn snarled his frustration as spots danced in his vision through lack of oxygen.

“Earth! That’s enough!” he heard Air shout. “That’s too far!”

The ghoul must have pulled Earth away from him because the weight on his back suddenly lifted and he could breathe again, gasping for air. He heard growls and snarls as Earth turned on Air.

“You couldn’t just leave it, could you, little one? This is your fucking fault! This is what you want!”

Air bared his fangs at Earth.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Earth? You provoke him like that and half kill him just to fuck me?”

Earth shoved Air back against a tree and loomed over him.

“I’ve never heard you complain before. You’re usually begging for it by now.”

Quinn had recovered just about enough to stand up by then, and he saw red. He tackled Earth from behind and doled out a couple of punches to his face before he could retaliate.

“Fuck this!” Air said as he strode off deeper into the woods.

Earth laughed, wiping the blood from his split lip, and Quinn stood, shaking his head to clear it. He could still feel the effects of the moon on him, but he felt better now that he’d got some of the frustration out of his system. He held out a hand for Earth, who took it and allowed him to pull him to his feet.

“You’d better go after your girlfriend. He’s a little bit sensitive tonight,” Earth bit out.

Quinn clapped him on the shoulder and grinned, jogging off after Air. He didn't know why he’d reacted that way. They’d fought over him before on these nights and it had been worse than this. He enjoyed their little game usually. He loved to be the object of their attention. And he got exactly what he wanted afterwards too, a ramped up ghoul, or sometimes two, who gave him exactly what he craved.

Quinn caught him up not too far away from the Abbey.

“Air! Wait! What’s the matter with you?”

The ghoul sighed and turned around.

“It just didn’t feel right, him doing that to you.”

Quinn frowned.

“Air, we’ve done this before and it’s never bothered you. What’s different this time?”

“The way he provoked you, that was a low blow. It just didn’t sit right with me.”

“I’m sure he’s said worse to me before.”

He didn’t admit that it had actually stung, but he didn’t hold a grudge. He’d probably said worse to Earth as well.

Quinn followed Air back to his room and slammed the door behind them.

Air turned and launched himself at Quinn, grabbing his hair and smashing their lips together. He growled and walked Air backwards towards the sofa. They fell in a tangle of limbs and Quinn tasted his own blood where Air’s fangs must have nicked his lip.

Somehow they removed each other's jeans without breaking the kiss and Quinn came to rest in the cradle of Air’s body. He took a breath and stared down into his glowing eyes. Air brushed his thumb along Quinn’s split brow and he hissed. He’d forgotten about it and it stung. Air brought his thumb to his mouth and sucked the blood clean. Quinn ground his hips into him subconsciously, watching as the air ghoul’s tongue swirled around the digit.

Quinn bared his teeth, and Air smiled, knowing the effect his actions were having on him. Air reached down between them and Quinn hissed a breath as the ghoul gently guided his cock to where he wanted it to be. He shifted so that the angle was right and waited for Quinn to make the next move, keeping his glowing purple eyes trained on Quinn’s blue ones.

Air whimpered as Quinn slowly sank his way in, gritting his teeth against how good the air ghoul felt. He rarely took him this way, face to face. Rarely took anyone this way anymore. It was too intimate, too personal. But this was Air, and tonight it felt right.

He nuzzled Air’s neck and ran his fingers through his hair, breathing in his scent to calm himself. The Martha thing had affected him more than he’d realised. Not her, but it was the loss of the familiar that he realised he'd relied on. He still had that feeling of dread in his guts too, so for the first time in a very long while, he went slowly and he went gently. Air skimmed one hand along Quinn’s back as he moved. The other came to rest at the nape of his neck as he held Quinn to him.

Quinn scraped his fangs along the skin of the other ghoul’s collar bone but he didn’t bite this time; he nipped gently and licked softly as Air’s claws teased the hair at the back of his head.

Air was breathing harder and Quinn sent him some quintessence, causing him to shudder beneath him. He propped himself up on his elbows and put his forehead to Air’s, locking eyes with him and rolling his hips to drag along Air’s prostate. Air made little mewling sounds and he gripped Quinn’s neck tighter as he came. He felt the warm jets of seed spilling between them. The air ghoul tilted his head back, breaking their eye contact.

Quinn buried his nose into the crook of his exposed neck, and he gave it up. It was sweet and it stabbed him in the heart that he hadn’t felt tenderness like this in the centuries since he’d lost Ashtoreth.

He lay still and allowed himself to feel. His cheek rested on Air’s shoulder and the other ghoul held him, stroking circles on his skin and murmuring softly to him. He didn’t even register what the words were, but he felt a tear run down his cheek and onto Air’s chest.

“It’s okay, Quinn. Just go with it.”

Quinn frowned and snapped out of it, shaking off the magic he realised Air had just used on him. He pulled out and sat up, looking down at the air ghoul.

“What the fuck did you just do?” he spat.

“What do you mean?” Air said innocently, that cheeky glint in his eye.

“Fuck! Air!” He stood up and grabbed his jeans, shoving his feet into them and pulling them on. The little shit had used his mojo on him to make him feel more. “How could you?”

“You needed it, Quinn. Admit it! You needed to let go, needed to feel for once. You’re safe with me. I’m the only one who you can go there with.”

“No! Fucking hell Air! What the fuck?”

Air looked hurt. He sat up and reached for Quinn’s hand, but he stepped out of his hold.

“Come on, Quinn, don’t be like that! I was trying to help.”

Quinn dragged his hands through his hair. He felt violated. He glared at Air.

“Don’t. Just don’t. I fucking trusted you!!”

He growled and walked out, slamming the door behind him. The others were just getting back, laughing and chatting, and he pushed his way through them in his haste to leave.

“Fuck, Quinn, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer, he just kept on walking, no clue where he was heading to.

Chapter Text

The further Quinn got from the Abbey, the clearer his head became, but that feeling of dread intensified. He knew he was walking towards the inevitable, but whichever course he took, nothing would change it. He could avoid going this way altogether, but Fate would rearrange itself so that he ended up exactly where it wanted him to be, anyway.

Over the years, he had learned that some things could be changed, but others were set in stone.

Fate was a fucking bitch sometimes, and tonight would be no exception.

His mind raced as he walked. Quinn couldn’t believe that Air had done that to him, that he’d played with him like that. He knew Quinn didn’t trust easily. Knew he would have said no if he’d asked him to do that and yet he did it, anyway. 

Quinn growled in frustration and halted as a fuzzy vision crossed his mind. He was close to the perimeter wall now and the ether told him he needed to leave the Abbey.

Quinn climbed up and over, scraping his stomach on the roughly hewn stones as he flipped over the top of the wall and jumped down to the ground on the other side.

Once he was past the Abbey’s wards, he sensed another ghoul nearby.

Across the street from the Abbey was a park, so he jogged around the side and crossed over to the grassy expanse that was surrounded by trees. About halfway through was a small cluster of pines, and he headed for it. The ghoul who was standing in the trees waiting for him had a kind soul, and Quinn sensed he was hurting and afraid. He caught the scent before he saw him and he frowned. It was familiar, but it had been a few years since he’d seen him last.

The massive fire ghoul stepped out from the trees to meet him and his emotions were fraught. Quinn stopped and tilted his head, surprised when he realised who it was. He was the blonde Council seer’s guard, but he sensed their relationship had changed since the last time he’d seen them.

“Quintessence? Thank Satan. She said you would be here,” he said, the relief in his voice evident.

“And why are you here, fire?”

“My name is Svarog. And she sent me.” He shook his head to correct himself. “She didn’t send me, but she told me she would disappear one day, and that when it happened, I had to come and find you.”

“And how did you get here, Svarog? You did not use the summoning chapel at the Abbey,” Quinn said warily.

“She gave me a contact who can grant summonings... under the table, so to speak. The Clergy do not know of this.”

Quinn frowned.

“And what has happened to Agrat?”

He felt the pain from the fire ghoul and he knew for certain that they had bonded. He felt bad for him, but the clairvoyant’s warning about her played across his mind.

“I was sent on an errand, and when I returned, our apartments were ransacked and she was gone. Her blood was on the floor. She must have struggled. They took her.”

Quinn sent him some energy to soothe him.

“Who took her?”

“Ose. He has taken over the Council and he is clamping down on the freedoms we’ve enjoyed. He has many who follow him. I think he has taken her to use her, even though she gives her visions freely to them.”

Quinn closed his eyes. The vision of her he'd seen, chained and linked to the ether, replayed once again. It hurt him to think that she was suffering, despite what the clairvoyant had said about her.

“And what am I expected to do?”

The ghoul looked at him pleadingly.

“Agrat said you would know! She told me to fetch you, to bring you back with me. She said you needed to be there,” he said, and the desperation in his voice was clear to Quinn.

“We must take this to Secondo. He can sort this out.”

“No! She said that won’t work. It will take too long, and it will give them time to get rid of her once they realise I’m gone. She said that you must come back with me. Please, quintessence. I’m begging you.”

The ether chose that moment to verify what Svarog was saying, and Quinn sighed. This was the thing that his instincts were prickling about. Whatever he did now, it wouldn’t matter; he would end up there all the same.

Again, the seer came to mind and her last words to him before he was summoned to Earth ran through his head.

“It was the right thing to do. And you should always do the right thing, quintessence.”

The logical part of Quinn's brain told him he should find backup, that Secondo would have his balls for going off on his own, but he would be called back after a few hours anyway, whatever happened to him. He could find out what was going on, scope it out, and then bring it to Secondo when he knew more.

He nodded, and Svarog gave him a grateful hug.

“Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me. To us. I will be forever in your debt.”

Quinn shook his head and huffed out a breath.

“Wait here. Let me get dressed properly. Give me twenty minutes.”

He realised he was standing there, shirtless with the evidence of what he and Air had done not half an hour ago still clinging to his skin. And he needed his sword. Or he thought he might, at least. He'd had no use for it here, so it sat in his closet, redundant. But he had kept it clean and sharp out of habit. It had saved his life more times than he could count, so he always gave it the respect it was due.

Svarog stepped back into the shadows to wait for him and he turned and ran back to the Abbey, climbing over the wall and quickly making his way back to the lair.

Air heard him come in and rushed out of his room, but Quinn held up a hand to him and carried on walking.

“Seriously? Come on, Quinn. We need to talk about this.”

“Not fucking now, Air. Just leave me alone.”

Quinn reached his room, slammed the door and walked into the bathroom to get cleaned up quickly before putting on fresh clothes. He chose a set that he’d brought with him when he was first summoned, as he didn’t want to stick out too much when he arrived back in their hell dimension. He attached the sword to his waist and mumbled a quick spell to hide it so that he didn’t have to explain to the others why he was going out with a hell-blade at his hip.

Quinn ran his fingers over the skulls by the door, took a deep breath and went back to the trees to meet Svarog. Earth gave him a funny look when he left, obviously noticing the way he was dressed, but he left him to it. He must have sensed the mood he was in and thought better of interfering.

The fire ghoul was where he left him and Quinn dutifully followed him through the park and out of the city. A couple of miles away was an abandoned warehouse and Svarog led him inside. They took the stairs down to the basement and through a maze of corridors before coming to a stop in one of the rooms. It was set up with a pentacle of blood and candles. Quinn scented ghoul blood. He didn’t recognise the scent of the ghoul it had come from, though.

He cursed under his breath when he sensed the witch. She wasn’t exactly a black witch, but she wasn’t like the Clergy witches either. Whatever she was, he didn’t like her, and the fire ghoul must have realised.

“I vouch for her. Do not worry. She will send us back.”

Quinn scowled and resigned himself to the fact that his visions must have killed a hell of a lot of brain cells over the course of his life to make him this stupid. He stepped into the circle with Svarog and waited to be sent into unknown danger, with no backup from anyone except the fire ghoul beside him.

As soon as they landed on the other side of the Divide, Quinn knew this was going to be a massive fucking shit-show.

The fire ghoul’s eyes widened and Quinn felt his shock and his horror when they realised a band of the Council’s elite warriors waited for them. At least Svarog hadn’t betrayed him, but somebody had betrayed the fire ghoul.

“Fuck,” Quinn cursed as he tried to reorient himself and drew his sword.

The fire ghoul drew his own and they had barely any time at all before the warriors swarmed them.

They took out a few, but there were just too many for two ghouls to have any chance at all against. The fire ghoul went down first. Quinn didn’t think it was a fatal blow, but it felled him nonetheless. 

In a moment of stupidity which was uncharacteristic of him, Quinn lay down his sword and held up his hands in surrender. The ether told him that this would be easier on him if he did that and even though he would rather have died than ended up in the Council’s hands; it told him he needed to be taken alive. Who was he to argue? Again.

Two of the warriors shoved him to the ground and his hands were bound behind his back. He growled at being manhandled as they roughly dragged him to his feet again.

The leader stepped forward and Quinn was unsurprised to meet the hard stare of the air ghoul that he remembered from his time as a prisoner here. He curled his lip and the ghoul smirked.

“We meet again. You look well. Emeritus must have taken good care of you,” he said sarcastically.

“I wish I could say it is a pleasure, but it fucking isn’t,” Quinn said, and he spat at the air ghoul.

A blow to his head made everything go white for a few seconds and when he came to, two soldiers on either side of him held him up. One of them grabbed his hair and lifted his head so that he met the air ghoul’s gaze. It took his eyes a second to catch up with the movement.

“Not the best idea, quintessence.” He inhaled and then looked at the soldiers and snarled. “Get him fucking cleaned up. She might reject him if he shows up stinking of another ghoul’s seed.”

They hustled him away and he recognised this town as the one where the Council buildings were as they took him through the back streets. The fire ghoul was unconscious and they carried him back with them, too.

Quinn struggled with all that he had, but it was no use. A guard knocked him out again and dragged his unconscious form into the Council Chambers.

Chapter Text

Quinn sighed as he breathed in the scent of his mate. He buried his nose in her hair and she snuggled further into him. He felt groggy, tired. Maybe he should sleep a little longer. He smirked as he thought he would definitely need to stock up on sleep because soon enough, there wouldn’t be much of it for either of them.

It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it felt more than right. They’d both done this before, so they knew what to expect.

Her little claws scraped the skin of his back and he could feel her lapping at the protection tattoo on his chest. Her hot breath across his skin made Quinn shiver. They’d slept curled around each other and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so contented and so loved.

He stroked a hand down her delicate spine, and she wiggled under his palm. Her hand moved lower to clutch at his ass, and he groaned as she pulled him closer to her again.

“Ghuleh, what are you doing to me?” he whispered into her hair.

She looked up at him and kissed his chin.

“I think maybe we need to try again, just to make sure it sticks. I didn't think you would complain.”

The sparkle of mischief in her brown eyes made him grin, and he was happy to oblige her. How could he refuse his mate anything?

Quinn frowned as he felt a strange pang in his chest; it wasn’t pain exactly; it was something else. Guilt maybe? What did he have to feel guilty about, though?

“If you think so...”

He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so that she straddled his waist. She frowned as she looked down at him, but she shook her head and smiled that sultry smile again, the one that promised all kinds of delicious things were about to happen. Her eyes burned with the iridescent glow of her water nature.

The door to the room burst open and ghouls streamed in. Quinn shoved her behind him and jumped up, putting himself between her and the threat.

“What the fuck?” he snarled, just as something pricked the skin of his shoulder.

One of them had shot a dart. He yanked it free, but it was too late; he could already feel whatever drug it was working its way into his system. 

Quinn pitched sideways down onto the bed. His limbs were suddenly not his own and he lay there, paralysed. Two of the soldiers made a grab for his mate and she screamed as she fought them, but her slight frame was no match for their strength and the soldiers held her down. Quinn tried to will his limbs to work, but it was useless. The most he could manage was a pathetic snarl.

“Be gentle!” the leader growled. “Make sure she isn’t hurt. Did it work?”

An earth ghoul leaned into her and she bared her fangs at him. He dragged his nose along the skin of her belly and she screamed in frustration, still trying to fight them off. The earth ghoul stood and nodded.

“Bring her. We will come back for him. He isn’t going anywhere right now.”

The earth ghoul lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder. The last thing Quinn saw of her was her huge, frightened eyes as the soldiers disappeared through the door.

The air ghoul’s face came into view as he leaned down and smirked.

“I told you you’d be back, didn’t I seer? Don’t worry. I know you won’t be here for long, but we will definitely make every moment count until you’re sent back.”

Quinn gave his own frustrated scream and the air ghoul laughed as he followed the others. He tried and tried to overcome the drug they’d given him. He could smell magic too, the feeling of grogginess he had just now. When he thought about it, it felt magical.

He had to get free; he had to get her back. Nothing was working! He couldn’t even murmur a spell to counteract it.

Not long afterwards, four of the soldiers came back and each took a limb, carrying him out of the rooms and along a series of corridors. Quinn panicked. He couldn’t move and the feeling of claustrophobia was overwhelming when it combined with the realisation of where they were taking him and what they would do there.

This hallway had cell doors all the way along it and he could feel the energy from the other seers who were held prisoner down here. He could feel the ether, and Quinn tried one last time to break free of the hold of whatever drug they’d shot him with.

Nothing.

The air ghoul opened the door at the end and dumped him onto a bed in the centre of the room. His wrists and ankles were bound with cuffs, and they shoved a leather strap between his teeth.

Quinn felt like he was going to pass out. He was breathing way too quickly, eyes wide with panic. The air ghoul came and stood by his head.

“I doubt I will see you again after this, so, sweet dreams.”

He sensed another being enter the room and recognised the emotional signature of a female pathos demon. She held a syringe and she jabbed it into his neck unceremoniously. Even though she was blind, she found her way around with no issues; it seemed.

The other ghouls left the cell, leaving Quinn and the demon alone. She sat down patiently next to him, waiting for the potion to work, and he felt like his heart was about to explode out of his chest. He knew what was coming this time, which made it so much worse.

The seer potion hit and he screamed. This was so much worse than last time. The potion was purer, the visions sharper, and the pain felt magnified. Vision after vision bombarded him and he lost the ability to think rationally after only a few minutes. This demon was much more efficient than the last one he had encountered, and she was relentless in sifting through the images and playing them back.

The last thing Quinn remembered hearing were his own screams. The paralysis drug had worn off and he’d gained back the use of his voice and his limbs. He strained against the cuffs that held him to the bed and he thrashed around, but he would only realise this afterwards from the cuts and bruises on his body when he woke up.

Poetically, the first thing he heard when he woke up again was a scream that came from his own parched throat. It sounded raw and ragged. Quinn thought his eyes were open, but he was blind, surely, because everything was black. He was cold, though; he registered that much, and he was hurting. Everywhere. But the pain in his head eclipsed all of that. He clawed at his temples trying to relieve some of the pressure, but it was no use. He smelled his own blood and he just wanted someone to put him out of his misery.

“Quinn? Fuck! Get Secondo!”

A warm body came to rest next to him and lifted him up. He clung to it, gripped on for dear life in fear of it leaving him alone in the cold and the darkness again. The scent of fresh rain on the soil registered and he buried his face in it. It smelled like pack; it smelled like comfort; it smelled like home. Earth.

“What the fuck happened to him? He’s bleeding. Get him to the infirmary.”

Another scent hit his nose, the scent of ozone, the scent of a thunderstorm. Air. Gentle hands were stroking his hair, but it was too much and he flinched away, whimpering.

His fucking head, his skull felt like it was fracturing as another residual vision hit him and he screamed again. The arms around him held on tighter and he got the sense that he was moving quickly.

“Where the fuck is Zephyr? Go get him, now!”

Earth. It was Earth. He felt the rumbles of his voice against his cheek. His head must have been resting on Earth’s chest. He blinked, but there was only blackness still.

He smelled the infirmary. It must be bad if they were taking him there. Secondo was there now, too. He could feel him through their bond and he was doing something, trying to drag Quinn back from wherever he was. He tried to grab onto it, but he failed.

Earth laid him down, and he sensed humans around him, felt them touching his skin.

“Quinn? Can you hear me?”

He heard Papa’s voice and he turned his face towards him. He felt Secondo stroking his cheek just as another imageless vision hit him.

“Fuck! He’s fitting! Hold him down!”

He thanked Satan for that moment because his brain shut itself down and he drifted away.

Chapter Text

Quinn didn't know how long he slipped in and out of consciousness for, but each time the pain in his head was ever so slightly better. He had flashes of memories; curling up against Earth for hours at a time, the big earth ghoul stoically holding him and petting him, murmuring softly to him. The deep rumble of his voice was soothing and it calmed him when his panic threatened to overwhelm him. He remembered thrashing around, trying to claw at his head to stop the pain and the visions, but firm hands around his wrists wouldn’t let him.

He felt quintessence every time he woke. Sometimes Zephyr, sometimes Omega.

There were other memories too, but he couldn’t tell if they were from the here and now or the past, or if they were the residual visions that still stabbed at his consciousness now and then.

His world was black. He’d thought that maybe his eyes had swollen shut, but sometimes a Sister would shine a light into them and beyond a stab of pain and a brief flash of something, there was nothing but darkness. His stomach hurt from retching and his throat was raw from screaming and vomiting up whatever bile it gave up.

More than once, Quinn had wished for it to end. More than once he’d begged and sobbed for Earth to end him, but the ghoul had just held him tighter and told him he forbade it.

This time when he woke, it was different, though. Earth wasn’t there and he opened his eyes to see fuzzy images. Quinn could feel Zephyr there with his hand laid across his forehead. The old ghoul felt tired and Quinn tried to bat his hand away. He was using too much energy; he would burn himself out.

A warm body was curled up next to him with their arm draped across his stomach. Quinn used his senses to feel for who it was because his eyes were still useless and he didn’t trust his nose. He felt the familiar vibrancy that came from Air, but it was subdued. He was sad. Had been sad for a while now. Quinn wanted to comfort him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to do it.

“Quinn?” Zephyr’s voice whispered. He sounded as tired as he felt. “Are you back with us?”

Quinn tried to speak, but nothing but a croak came out. His throat was too dry. Air shifted and propped him up, pressing a glass of water to his lips. He tried his best to drink, but most of it dribbled back out again.

“It’s okay, take it slow. Little sips,” Air said.

Quinn blinked rapidly, trying to make his vision clearer, but it didn’t work.

“He’s back. Thank you, Dark Lord,” he heard Zephyr say. “Bring Secondo. He wanted to be here when he woke.”

Someone else must have been in the room with them because he heard the door open and close, but Zephyr and Air remained with him.

Air nuzzled his neck and pulled him closer.

“I’ve never been so scared, Quinn. What the fuck possessed you to wander off like that?”

There was anger in his tone and Quinn felt himself scowl, his own anger rising. He felt pissed off at Air and he couldn’t remember why. He couldn’t remember much beyond running in the woods, but it would come back to him.

Quinn felt Secondo’s presence before the door even opened and the feeling of relief engulfed him. He came over and took his hand.

“Welcome back, my quintessence.” Quinn didn’t have the energy to shut down his quintessential self, so he was feeling everything from everyone, and he inwardly cursed when he felt a tear escape the corner of his eye. He gripped Secondo’s hand briefly, but it was more energy than he had. He was so weak, and it pissed him off. “Zephyr, Air, please get some rest. I will sit with him for a while.”

He felt the old ghoul kiss him on the forehead and he said goodbye and left. Air trailed a hand along his arm as he too got up and followed Zephyr through the door.

He drifted off to sleep not long after that and woke up again to the sounds of conversation. Shay was there with Secondo, and they were speaking in hushed tones.

“My source tells me there are bands of resistance fighters, but they are vastly unorganised for the time being. The most we can do is wait for now and strengthen our defences. I never imagined it would come to this,” Shay said.

Secondo grunted.

“I never thought they would be so bold as to do this to the Clergy ghouls. They did it so brazenly. They didn’t plan to kill him as far as I know, but it’s an open declaration of war. Ose does not care, he is so confident of his hold over the Council.”

Secondo was beyond angry and Shay huffed a laugh.

“It is not as strong as he believes it is, but they need time to gather their resources and to plan.”

Quinn groaned as a small vision stabbed at him, but he held onto it and actually took note this time.

“Quinn?” Secondo asked.

He came to sit on the edge of the bed.

Quinn opened his eyes and focused them enough to see a blurry outline of his Papa’s face.

“Hi,” he croaked out.

It was barely above a whisper and even that small word cracked, but it was progress, at least. He managed half a smile also, at least he thought he did.

Quinn sensed Secondo smiling more than he actually saw it, and he rested a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s good to have you back, Quinn. So good. This does not mean that you will escape my wrath, though. What possessed you to do this alone? You should have come to me.”

Quinn’s brain kicked up the memory of Svarog and the bad feeling he’d had all of that day. He tried his best to push the information to Secondo, mind to mind, but he knew it would be disjointed, and it took him a moment to decipher what had been sent.

He felt Secondo’s anger and frustration at him and he tried to show him it would have made no difference.

“Then, in that case, Quinn, you should have come to me, regardless. If fate would have sent you there anyway, at least we could have been prepared and helped you.”

Quinn shook his head and it hurt, but it got the message across. He told Secondo that others would have been hurt, too. He sent him the image of Svarog’s limp form being dragged back to the Council buildings. Quinn hoped that the fire ghoul was okay, but he doubted it; he'd never have been able to forgive himself if one of his pack was hurt as well.

Quinn’s mind suddenly gave him a memory from his time with the Council, and his heart leapt. He tried to sit up, but Secondo pushed him back down.

“Calm down, Quinn, what is it?”

He was suddenly frantic. Now that he was out of it and whatever they’d be-spelled and drugged him with had worn off, he could see clearly what they’d done, but that didn’t stop his heart from aching at the loss of her.

He remembered it all now. Waking up in bed with the water ghuleh as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if he’d done it a thousand times before. Knowing what she wanted from him, agreeing that they should try for a kit.

Ghouls were not the same as humans with their offspring. Only pairs who had a bond could produce them, and both parties had to agree to it before it could happen. That triggered something, making the ghuleh fertile so that a kit could be conceived.

Whatever spell the Council had put on them both had made them think they were bonded, had tricked their systems into it and convinced them they needed to breed. The drugs would have kick started the ghuleh’s fertility to be sure of success.

Quinn remembered it all and his heart shattered with the guilt. He’d called her by the name he used to call Ashtoreth. Had done things with her that he hadn’t done in over five centuries, since his true mate had been taken from him. Quinn felt sick to his stomach. He had never felt such guilt before over anything that he'd done.

But then his brain caught up with him and he realised why the ghuleh was so familiar to him. It wasn’t just the spell or the drugs tricking him into thinking he knew her.

He did know her.

He was a stranger to her, though.

He’d seen her once before, mere days before he was summoned to Earth. She was small and pretty, with large brown eyes and dark brown hair.

She was the water ghuleh that he’d saved from the jaws of a monster.

His blood ran cold and he felt himself panicking again. What had they done with her? Where was she? She carried his kit. He knew she did. The earth ghoul had confirmed it while he lay there, paralysed with the drugs they'd given him.

Why did Fate have such a fucking hard-on for him?

Secondo was trying to calm him down, but it wasn’t working. Quinn could feel himself freaking out. He’d never felt so angry at being played like that. He wanted to go back there and rip the place apart.

A sharp slap brought him out of it and Secondo grabbed his cheeks and got up into his face.

“Quinn! Snap out of it! Calm yourself!” Secondo held his gaze and his magic penetrated the panic, preventing him from turning his wide, frantic eyes away from him. “Just breathe! We will fix this, but you need to calm down. You’ve been out of it for almost two weeks. I do not want you hurting yourself again. You need to heal and you need to be calm.”

There was power in the word, and a rush of soothing energy flooded his system. Whatever magic Secondo aimed at him hit the mark, and his eyes rolled back as he succumbed to the soothing blackness of sleep.

Chapter Text

It was another four days until the Sister in charge of the infirmary agreed to let Quinn go. He could finally drink by himself, so they'd taken out the IV that had given him fluids.

There was no way he would have been able to walk yet, so Earth carried him through the Abbey late one night and up to Papa’s apartment. They’d agreed to take him there until he was well enough to fend for himself a bit more. Papa had a guest room, so that’s where they went. He would much rather have been in his own room in the lair, but he admitted that he still needed the others to help him.

All of his pack stayed with him that first night. Quinn slept curled in on himself, cradled by Earth. The visions from the potion had thankfully stopped and he was back to the usual odd few which he could just about handle. He spent most of his time sleeping, but he frequently woke with a start from memories or dreams to Earth, rubbing his back and pulling him closer.

Quinn was worried. Ashtoreth had been in labour for a while now and two of the elders from her village who dealt with the birth of kits were with her, along with her mother. Quinn had gone to make her some tea to relax her and keep her strength up and he was trying not to panic. He could feel her exhaustion and the exhaustion of the kits who were still stubbornly stuck inside of her. The whole time he prayed to the Dark Lord that they would be born safely; he offered everything he could think of and he meant every word.

The sound of a kit crying brought him out of his thoughts and he rushed into the room. The first thing he saw was the exhausted smile on Ashtoreth’s face. She stood leaning over the bed and her mother was sitting with her, sending her quintessence to keep her going. The elder passed him a tiny, blanket-wrapped bundle and Quinn smiled.

“Congratulations, healer. You have a stubborn little ghuleh.”

He looked down into the face of the newborn, and his soul wept. She was perfect; a miniature carbon copy of her mother, who he would tear down the world to protect. He didn’t realise he was shaking until the elder put a hand on his arm to steady him and gave him a sympathetic smile.

The other elder called her back as it looked like the second twin was well on the way, so this little one must have been the problem.

It didn’t take long for her to be born and the elders helped Ashtoreth back to the bed to get her cleaned up. He passed the small, now sleeping kit to Ashtoreth’s mother and the same elder gave him the bundle containing his second daughter. She was not as contented as her older sister; she was screaming blue murder.

He grinned as he looked at her; she was identical to the first one. His smile faltered though when he locked eyes with her.

His heart sank.

He could sense the ether on her, and it was powerful.

Quinn had given her his curse.

He glanced over to Ashtoreth, who gave him a puzzled look, but he shook his head and smiled what he hoped was a happy smile. She would know, though, she knew him better than he knew himself.

They’d talked about this when they’d made the decision to try for a kit. They knew there was a chance that the curse could be passed down, but as far as Quinn knew, it always skipped a generation or two, so they believed they would be safe.

He went to sit with Ashtoreth on the bed and handed her the second kit, who had calmed down by now. He’d been soothing her without realising it. His natural instincts had kicked in automatically.

“Look how blessed you are,” Ashtoreth’s mother said with a beaming smile as she handed the kit she held to Quinn. “We will get everything ready and leave you two alone for a while. Just shout us if you need anything."

He thanked her, and Ashtoreth snuggled into his side.

“Look what you did,” Quinn whispered. “You are amazing.”

He could feel she was tired, but she sent him a wave of love through their bond, and he smiled wider. Their family had doubled in size and so had his heart, apparently.

“She has your sight, doesn’t she?” Ashtoreth asked him in hushed tones so as not to reach the ears of those in the other room.

Quinn looked down at the kit that she held. Her nose wrinkled for a second and she made a little contented noise. He felt a tear escape his eye and he sighed.

“Yes. I’m so sorry, Ash. I will never forgive myself.”

He felt a flash of anger from her.

“Never apologise to me. She is perfect. Yes, her life will not be simple, but she has you and she has me. What more could she ask for?”

“You know we cannot tell anyone what she is, don’t you? She cannot go to the new Academy like we discussed. They will figure it out and they will take her from us. They will use her.”

“They might not. She will be valued. She could lead a privileged life.”

He wished with everything he had that she was right, but he knew that once they discovered she came from a line of seers, and wasn’t just one by chance that she would disappear. He couldn’t let that happen, couldn’t take that risk.

“Do you trust me, Ash?” he asked her.

“Of course I do and I know you want to be cautious,” she sighed. “You’re right, though, aren’t you?”

He nodded sadly and pulled her closer.

The first kit started fussing and the elder appeared at the door.

“She’s hungry. Let me show you how to feed her. It is a bit more complicated with twins.”

She laughed. Quinn left them to it and went to make her some food. She would need all the strength she could get.

Ashtoreth’s mother came over and gave him a hug.

“They are beautiful. She did so well. Thank you for my grandkits.” He hugged her back and smiled. “Here, sit. I will make you both something to eat and then I had better get going and let everyone know the good news. I will keep them away for a few days to give you time together, but please let me know if you need anything, yes?”

Quinn nodded and thanked her. He knew Ashtoreth would be the best mother to them, though; it was plain for everyone to see.

He took the food back to the room and Ashtoreth looked up at him as he stepped through the door. He hadn’t thought it was possible to love her any more than he did already, but seeing her there, exhausted but happy, feeding their kit just added something more to it.

He’d never in his life been as happy as this.

The room was silent when he woke, save for the soft snores and breathing from the other ghouls who surrounded him. He blinked the tears from his eyes as he silently wept. Of all the memories to kick up, his mind had chosen the one that would cut him the deepest right now.

His eyes focused and he met the glowing purple gaze of Air. He’d thought the others were all asleep, thought that he could at least wallow in misery unnoticed this time, but it was not meant to be.

Air reached out a hand and wiped the tears from his cheek, and he allowed the little gesture of comfort. He didn’t have the energy to get into it with him right now, because he’d remembered what had happened that night. That was a discussion for when he had his strength back, though.

Quinn turned his back on Air and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Quinn came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and walking on shaky legs. Air and Water waited in the bedroom and they both stood, hovering, desperate to come and help him. He snarled at them, and they slowly sat back down on the edge of the bed.

This was the first time since he’d been sent back home from the Council Chambers three weeks ago that he could do something for himself. He felt epic, but he felt exhausted. It had been the best shower of his life and that in itself had made him feel a lot better.

Air looked like he was going to stand up again, but Quinn snapped at him.

“I’m fine, Air. I just want to get dressed in peace.” Air and Water looked at each other. “In private,” he growled.

They reluctantly got up and left the room.

“We’ll be just by the door if you need us,” Water said.

Quinn growled again and they hurried outside. He quickly grabbed some joggers and a t-shirt from the pile that had been left on the dresser for him. He thought he’d better do it before he keeled over and he wouldn't admit to the others that he still felt like shit. Quinn sat down heavily on the bed and sighed.

“Quinn? Are you okay?” Air called through the closed door.

“Fuck off, Air!” he snarled.

He was getting seriously pissed off with this. He understood they were only looking out for him, but he hated it and they knew it. The sooner he could go back home and lock himself in his room, the better.

Quinn just about managed to get dressed. It took a while because he didn’t trust his body to do it standing up, but he did it. When he looked in the mirror just now, he’d been shocked at the gaunt face staring back at him. He basically hadn’t eaten for the whole of the three weeks and he’d lost more weight than he realised.

Quinn had always been on the lighter side for a quintessence ghoul anyway because of his nomadic lifestyle previous to coming here, and he often forgot to eat when he had other things on his mind. But since he’d been at the Abbey, he’d bulked up more towards what was typical for his kind. Now he was back to what he’d been like in his leanest days after Ashtoreth.

A knock came to the door and he sensed Earth. At least he didn’t mollycoddle him like Air and Water had been doing.

“Come in.”

The big ghoul walked in and shut the door behind him. He smirked when Quinn glared at him.

“You’re safe. I sent them away. I figured you’d be ready to bite one of their heads off by now.”

Quinn huffed out a laugh.

“Yeah, they’d almost got on my last nerve this morning.”

“Papa is working from home today and he wondered if you’d be up to a change of scenery in the lounge. I think he wants to talk to you.”

Quinn considered it and nodded. He’d made it to the bathroom already. The lounge was only a little further. He’d never take being well for granted again after this.

It took him a while, but he made it onto one of the large leather sofas by the fireplace. Earth had walked next to him, but he hadn’t tried to help him and he was grateful, as that little thing made him feel closer to his old self again.

Secondo sat at his desk reading some paperwork and he looked up with a warm smile when he saw Quinn. He came over and sat on the opposite sofa, handing him a blanket on the way past. He wrapped it around himself and curled up. Earth stood and leant against the large stone mantle piece.

“It’s so good to see you up and about. How is your head?”

Quinn smiled as he realised the headache was completely gone. He’d been drinking some kind of healing tea from Anya for the last few days and had definitely noticed an improvement since then.

“Much better, thank you.

“This whole Council business is a mess. The other side of the Divide is in chaos. Civil war has broken out.”

Quinn didn’t remember this ever happening in his lifetime. The Council had always had a tight hold on their power and on the ghouls that they ruled over, but in recent years things had gotten better and ghouls had more of a say in how things were run. It had taken a long while for it to happen, and it seemed Ose had undone all of that work in a few short months.

“I pity those who are caught in the middle of this.”

Secondo nodded sadly and met Quinn’s gaze.

“We have people there and we have searched for the ghoulette that the Council used. She has disappeared completely. Nobody knows anything about her.”

Quinn dropped his eyes. He cared about this too much, but she was a victim the same as he was and she carried a piece of him with her. He owed it to them both to fix this. If his curse had been passed on to the kit as Ose had obviously hoped, then that kit was not destined for a happy life.

Quinn didn’t even want to think about what they would do with the water ghoulette after their use for her was over. She had kits already. What had become of them? The Council would more than likely get rid of her to tie up any loose ends. She was just the means to getting the kit; once it was born, she was disposable.

Quinn growled.

“I would love some time in a locked room with this Ose. He had other seers there. I could feel them. I’m lucky that I was called back to Earth once the summoning magic wore off. They will be living in torment still.”

“I am horrified. The more I hear coming from our allies on the other side, the worse it seems. The fire ghoul, Svarog, is in custody still, the last our contact heard. So he lived.”

Quinn was glad about that, but he hoped the ghoul wasn’t there for too long because they wouldn’t be making his life pleasant. He didn’t think he’d felt the blonde seer when he was being taken to the cell there, but then again, he was freaking out at the time so he could have missed her. He just remembered feeling other seers and them being in a world of pain.

“I have been thinking about who betrayed Svarog. He told me it was months ago that Agrat told him he should come to me. He didn’t tell anyone else about it. They must have got their information from one of the seers.”

Secondo nodded his agreement and Quinn’s mind flashed up the vision he’d had of the blonde seer linked to the ether. He shook his head and frowned.

A knock at the door broke the moment. Earth answered and moved aside, letting whoever it was in. Quinn’s senses were still sluggish, so he didn’t realise who it was until she was staring at him. He looked up and saw Martha. She looked shocked.

“Uhm... Sorry Papa, I brought your vestments. The adjustments you wanted have been done.” She held up the garment bag to emphasise her reason for being there. He sensed she didn’t expect to see him there and he realised she was shocked at his appearance. She looked back at him. “Are you okay, Quinn?”

He scowled.

“I am now.”

She raised her brows.

“Oh. Have you been ill?”

Earth came to his rescue.

“I’m sure you have lots to do today, Sister. I’ll show you out,” he said as he ushered her towards the door.

“Okay, but if you need anything else, just ask. You too, Quinn,” she called over her shoulder.

Quinn sighed and Papa chuckled, clearly having seen the reason behind the awkward situation.

“I’m too tired to explain, Papa,” he said and Secondo chuckled again, getting up from his place on the sofa.

He picked up the phone on his desk.

“I will order you some food. What would you like?”

Quinn didn’t feel hungry, so he just shrugged. Earth stepped in yet again.

“Get the kitchen ghouls to make him some porridge. Tell them to do it the Ghoulish way.”

Secondo ordered food for himself and Earth too and sat down behind his desk again, resuming his paperwork until it arrived.

They ate in silence, Secondo at his desk and Earth next to Quinn. Even though he wasn’t hungry, he enjoyed the porridge. It reminded him of his early life and it comforted him. He hadn’t had it for a very long time. Earth smirked at him, pleased that he was eating it and that he’d made the right choice.

He didn’t manage to eat the whole bowl, but Earth seemed satisfied that he’d eaten enough as he took the bowl from him and put it onto the low table in front of them.

Quinn’s eyelids had suddenly grown heavy now that his belly was full. Earth put an arm around him and guided his head to rest on his shoulder. He let it happen.

“Again, glad you’re not dead,” Earth rumbled out, and Quinn forced his eyes open to look up at him. He snorted. “Seems to be a regular occurrence where you’re concerned.”

“Sure, Earth.”

“I mean it. Who else would keep me on my toes like you do?”

Quinn smiled a tired smile and let his eyelids drift closed.

Air was running flat out, his pursuers falling further behind. He was panicking. He knew he needed to get away, knew that he couldn’t let them take him.

He turned down an alleyway, his boots echoing from the concrete walls.

It was a dead end.

“Fuck!”

He looked up at the wall that was way too high for him to jump. There was a door and he did his best to barge it open, but it was too sturdy and even his superior ghoul strength couldn’t budge it.

He turned around and headed back to the mouth of the alley, but it was too late.

They’d already caught him.

Air tried to bite back the fear that was clouding his thoughts. There had to be a way out of this, but if there was, at that moment, it escaped him.

“Well, look what we’ve got here, a Clergy ghoul all on his lonesome,” a deep voice said in Ghoulish.

Quinn jumped awake and sat up. The vision hadn’t shown him the where or the when, but this wasn’t good. It wouldn’t end well for Air if the ghouls who had been chasing him got hold of him in that alleyway.

He growled in frustration and Secondo gave him a concerned glance, but he shut his thoughts down and tried to go back to sleep.

Chapter Text

After another week of rest, Quinn was almost back to his usual self. It would do him good to put on a few pounds again, but even though he was making himself eat as much as he could to get his strength back, he didn’t really have an appetite yet.

Quinn was back in the lair now and had spent a blissful couple of days locked in his room on his own. He'd told the others not to bother him and they’d listened, making sure that he went to the kitchen to get food so that they saw him a couple of times a day and knew he was okay. He'd really needed to be on his own, though. Even though the pack had been there for him when he needed it, he still craved that alone time. It had niggled at him when he’d finally got his senses back properly. The constant company had become too much.

Today, the lair was deserted. Earth and Fire were on guard duty with Secondo as he'd had important Clergy meetings all day and he wasn't sure where Water and Air were; they both had the day off. After eating a quick breakfast and downing a coffee, Quinn decided it was time that he ventured out into the Abbey.

The library was quiet for this time of day, and he was thankful he didn’t see many others. After an hour of browsing, he made his way back to his room, clutching an armful of books. There was still no sign of anyone else there, so he put them in his room and went to make a snack.

Quinn fell asleep on his bed reading a book about human magic and he had a good few hours’ nap before someone knocking on his door woke him up. He glanced at the clock and it was evening; he must have been more tired than he realised.

“Quinn?” 

It was Special.

After a couple of years, after summoning his ghouls, Terzo and the others decided that he needed a sixth ghoul. A multi ghoul had been selected and Special was summoned and bonded to him. 

Quinn liked the ghoul. He was very intelligent and loved nothing more than studying all kinds of obscure texts and scrolls. He and Quinn sometimes had interesting late-night conversations about very random subjects as he was a night owl as well.

Quinn rolled out of bed and answered the door. He sensed Special was worried.

“What’s wrong?”

He stepped out into the corridor and the smaller ghoul sighed.

“I wondered if maybe Zeta and Rho were with you? They went off with Air earlier, but they should have been back by now.”

Quinn frowned.

“No, I haven’t seen any of them today. Air and Water were off duty, so I presumed they went somewhere together.”

“I don’t know about Water, but Air definitely went to the city. Zeta needed something and Air asked if he could tag along. I thought maybe they came back and came up here together. They were due back before dinner. Omega is cooking tonight.”

Quinn shook his head. Special must be mistaken.

“Secondo has banned Air from the city, so he won’t have gone with them.”

After Quinn’s vision last week, Secondo thought it would be wise to keep Air at the Abbey for the time being. He hadn’t been happy about it but he’d accepted it grudgingly.

“He definitely went. He was talking about a record he wanted to buy.”

Quinn cursed and started walking.

“l have a bad feeling about this.

“Can you send them home if you find them?” Special said as he left. “I’ll keep on looking. They might be around here somewhere.”

Quinn doubted it somehow as he headed to Secondo’s study, but he kept quiet as he didn't want to cause a panic. Earth let him in and scowled as Quinn pushed past him.

“Have you heard from Water or Air?”

“Well, I’m fine, thanks, Quinn. How are you?” Earth said sarcastically.

Quinn bared his fangs at him.

“Answer the question Earth.”

“Well, Water was here earlier. He needed one of Secondo’s books for something. But I haven’t seen Air. I presumed he was with you?” Fire answered.

“What is it, Quinn?” Secondo asked.

“I think Air went to the city with Zeta and Rho. They aren’t back yet. Special came looking for them as they should have been back by now.”

Secondo stood, and Quinn felt his anger.

“Why does it not surprise me he disobeyed my orders?” he said as he shook his head.

A flash of something made Quinn’s heart sink.

“This is it, Secondo. This is what I saw. The part I saw hasn’t happened yet, but it won’t be long.”

Earth and Fire realised what he meant as they had been told about the vision he’d had.

“Fire, find Water and bring him here. Get me Alpha and Omega too. I’m sure Terzo won’t mind me borrowing them for the night.”

Quinn was so angry with Air. That fucking little shit; he knew what it meant when Quinn saw a vision. He knew he should take notice.

Before too long, Fire came back with Water, Alpha, Omega and Terzo. Secondo’s little brother had news.

“I just got off the phone with Zeta. They’ve been looking for Air but they can’t find him. He went off to buy something and didn’t turn up to meet them.”

Secondo cursed.

“This is why I tell them they must stay together in the human world! From now on, you are all banned from the city until further notice.”

Quinn could sense that Papa was scared for Air and he expressed it as anger. He used to be more controlled than this, but ever since Elizabeth, he became quicker to anger and his hold on his emotions became less reliable.

“There’s more, Secondo. They scented unfamiliar ghouls, at least six of them.”

They knew this, though. In the vision, there had been three chasing him.

“Go and start the cars.”

"I will go with them, brother,” Terzo said.

“No. You need to stay here. Get Primo’s ghouls to work security until we get back.”

“You are going too, Secondo?”

Papa nodded.

“Someone is targeting my ghouls, and they need to stop.”

Terzo sighed and nodded. There was no point in trying to change Secondo’s mind once he’d made it up. His word was law, after all.

They met with Zeta and Rho, who had stayed put after they called to wait for them. They went to the last place they knew Air had been; the record store.

“We asked the human who worked there if he’d seen him and he said he bought what he wanted and he left. I picked up his scent across the street, but then I lost it again down that alley. The other ghouls’ scents are there too."

Earth, Rho and Quinn were the best trackers they had, so Secondo sent them to the alley to find the scents. Earth ghouls had a reputation for their superior hunting skills, and Quinn had always excelled at this kind of thing naturally.

Sure enough, they picked up Air and the scents of six other ghouls. Quinn recognised two of them. They were two of the soldiers that he and Svarog had fought. Two of the ones who had carried him to the cell where they’d tortured his mind with forced visions.

They went back and let Secondo know their findings.

“We suspected it would be Ose behind this, so I am not surprised. And we know that there are unsolicited summonings which we will have to deal with another time. We will wait in the alley whilst you three see what you can find. Report back here in an hour, whatever your discoveries are.”

They nodded and headed off.

Air had zig zagged and taken them on a tour of the backstreets of the city. He’d probably hoped to outrun them and tire them out. He was much faster than most ghouls were. But at least one of the ghouls was a shadow ghoul and another was an earth ghoul, so he wouldn't have much of a chance of losing them. Shadow ghouls surpassed even earth ghouls in their tracking skills. They could turn to black smoke and float through the shadows unnoticed. The shadow ghoul could easily keep pace with Air in his shadow form, even when Air was sprinting flat out.

They followed the trail for about half an hour. By then, it was late and the streets were deserted. It was midweek, so there wasn’t much in the way of nightlife. The trail had taken them to the seedier part of town and they came upon the alleyway from Quinn’s vision.

All three of them scented Air’s blood and Quinn closed his eyes and tried to call on the ether for some guidance. It usually would give him a little snippet. It wasn’t the same as when he properly immersed himself, but it would give him small nuggets of memory. Sure enough, the ether came good. A small flash showed Quinn that they had missed Air by about half an hour, so when they arrived at their meeting place, Air was being taken. It also showed him the building where he was right now.

They sprinted back to Secondo and the others, which took much less time than the outward journey had because they weren’t trying to follow the trail and meandering through every back street and alleyway possible.

Quinn could feel himself tiring. Three weeks laid in bed recovering had taken its toll on him and his loss of condition was making itself known. Yes, he had almost fully recovered, but he was still struggling. He pushed on though, because there was no way he was leaving Air in the hands of those Council pricks any longer than he had to.

They reached the end of the street where the building was and stopped in the shadows. It was an abandoned nightclub. The windows had been boarded up and it seemed like it had been that way for a long time. Most of the streetlights were smashed out, but the ghouls could still see perfectly well.

“We could use a shadow ghoul of our own right about now,” Earth murmured.

Secondo sent Water to scope out the building. He was the smallest of them and also the most stealthy. He had a better-than-average command of the magic that ghouls used to glamour themselves, and he could use it to camouflage himself in almost any kind of environment. Water also had acute senses for detecting magic. It didn’t take him long and he returned.

“All of them are inside. They’ve used a spell to cloak their scents, so without Quinn’s insight, we would never have found them. They must be confident that we won’t find them, as they’ve left the exits unguarded.” 

Secondo nodded, and they readied themselves to enter the building.

Quinn reached out with his senses trying to get a feel for what was going on inside and he had to damp down his anger when he felt pain and shame and anger coming from Air. Secondo put an arm across his chest to steady him as he was ready to break cover and go in there by himself.

He would rip those fuckers apart for hurting Air.

He heard himself growl and could feel the others’ need to hunt and kill as well.

After a few agonising minutes that felt like hours to him, Secondo finally gave the signal and they moved in.

Chapter Text

They entered the building through a side door and crept silently inside. The ghouls hadn’t bothered to hide their scents inside of the building, so it was easy enough to track them down to a large office-like room in the basement.

Quinn smelled Air’s blood and he realised what they’d been doing to him. It was Earth this time who stopped him from doing something stupid. He got a grip of himself and shut off his emotions because this called for cold detachment. Emotions would not serve Quinn well here; he couldn’t afford to lose his head and give in to the absolute rage that he felt. He had to follow Secondo’s directions and if he let his anger take over, there wouldn’t be too much of them left to send back to Ose when they were done with them.

The ether had shown him they’d done this to send a message to the Clergy. Ose wanted to show them that even though the Clergy thought their ghouls belonged to them, they, in fact, did not.

Air had only been with them for just over an hour, but all six of Ose’s ghouls had taken their turn and put their marks of ownership into his skin with fangs and claws. Air hadn’t stood a chance against all of them.

Quinn could feel him hurting, and he was more angry than Quinn had ever felt from him before, but he also felt humiliated. They had accomplished everything that they’d set out to do, but they hadn’t banked on being discovered before they were done with him. Their plan had been to mess him up for a few hours and then leave him where they'd find him easily. It didn’t matter if he was dead or alive as long as they received the message.

Quinn felt his eyes glowing and he grinned as he thought about the message that the Clergy would send back to Ose instead. He showed Secondo what the ether had shown him, and Secondo was pissed. He rarely felt the surge of magic from their Papa as the same as with his emotions. He usually kept his powers well under wraps.

Tonight he wouldn’t do that, though. Secondo stepped through the open doorway of the room. Quinn could feel his magic crackling around him like electricity. The ghouls had had enough sense to put someone on watch next to the door, but they froze into place with a glare from Secondo before they could even squeak out a warning to the others.

Everything happened within a few heartbeats.

The shadow ghoul had just finished up with Air and he was wiping the blood from his chin after marking him on the back of his shoulder. He was the first to look up and register the furious Satanic Pope who was striding towards them. His eyes widened and Quinn could sense the magic that would turn him to his shadow form, but in the split second before he could change, Secondo threw his hand towards him and pushed him back, pinning him to the wall with magic.

The others, who were standing with their backs to the door, all went to turn around, but they weren’t quick enough. Within seconds, Secondo’s will froze them into place.

Air looked up at them briefly. His hands were bound behind his back and he was face down on the desk. He closed his eyes in shame, and Quinn growled. Earth and Omega rushed over to undo the bonds and the other quintessence ghoul set about soothing him and checking over his wounds.

Quinn had seen and felt enough to know how badly he’d been hurt, and he utilised the cold logic he had learned to harness in the years he spent with the demon legions to process it.

Papa hadn’t given the order yet, but he would.

The leader of the group was again the earth ghoul and Secondo moved to stand in front of him. Quinn glanced over at Omega and Earth, who were capably tending to Air and felt satisfied that he was okay for now. He could feel the other ghouls around him just waiting for the go-ahead to unleash their wrath. The anticipation was almost as sweet as the reward. Before the night was over, they would all have blood on their claws.

Secondo smirked at the earth ghoul who was struggling futilely against the magic.

“Once we are done with you, you can inform Ose that his message has been received loud and clear. You will take back our reply. I am sure you will regret your choice to support his cause by the time you are called back home.”

He let go of the magic enough for the earth ghoul to speak. He growled in frustration at not being able to move and spoke in Ghoulish, which Secondo both spoke and understood.

“Ose will not stand for this.”

“Ose will have no choice. He will not get access to my ghouls again. He will regret bringing the Clergy into this fight.” The earth ghoul laughed and Secondo looked at Quinn. “I think I shall allow my quintessence to decide your fate. I’m sure you already know that he is not like your average quintessence ghoul. You seem to know a lot about him already.”

The earth ghoul looked to Quinn and growled.

“I wasn’t sure if you would survive that cell. Most of them don’t. We shall see how long that little psychic bastard lasts once it is old enough.”

This was the earth ghoul who had manhandled and scented the water ghuleh. Quinn smiled, showing his fangs.

“Unfortunately for you right now, I did survive. And even more unfortunate, I understand the language that Ose speaks very well. So our reply to him will be one that he understands, and one that you will have to live with for the rest of your worthless life. Or live without, I suppose." He chuckled.

Alpha, Rho, Zeta, Earth and Fire each chose a ghoul and lined them up against the long brick wall of the room. Quinn, of course, chose the earth ghoul.

All ghouls had a bloodthirsty side to them. Some species more than others, but one thing was definite; against outsiders, the Clergy ghouls were one pack united. They had their little packs within the Clergy, but tonight they stood together.

These sorry excuses had hurt one of their pack members in the worst possible ways. The Clergy ghouls would not tolerate it. Even Terzo’s chilled out earth and air ghouls had an evil glint in their eyes as they waited for their instructions.

“Do your fucking worst, Clergy slaves.”

Quinn grinned.

He loved this part; the part where he got to call their bluff and explain to them what was about to happen. The part where their bravado slipped when they realised he meant it. He could feel the anxiousness coming from the other ghouls, and he soaked it up. No amount of fear from them would make it up to him after he felt Air’s emotions when they were hurting him.

He brought his face level with the earth ghoul and pictured the claw marks along Air’s back.

“Claws will be first to go. All of them. We don't have any tools here, so maybe teeth will be best for removal,” he said as he addressed the Clergy ghouls.

He closed his eyes at the spike of fear that came from them all except the earth ghoul. He glanced back at Air again. Omega was gently trying to heal the bite marks on his neck and shoulders to slow the bleeding enough so that they could move him easier. He looked over at the shadow ghoul and held his gaze.

“Fangs will be next. Claws will work for that, I've found.”

The shadow ghoul snarled and the earth ghoul bared his fangs.

Quinn laughed, but his face suddenly got serious again when he smelled Air’s scent on the earth ghoul in front of him.

“I know claws will grow back. Maybe fangs will eventually also; although I’ve heard that is very painful and it takes a very long time. Balls, though... They will not grow back.” He tilted his head and let the fear that came from all six of the ghouls wash over him. “Tonight was the last time that any of you will probably enjoy that kind of fun.” He leaned in closer to the earth ghoul. “I hope it was fucking worth it.”

Quinn looked back at Secondo, who nodded his approval. He knew Papa could hold the ghouls still for a good while longer. He could also feel that the earth ghoul thought he was bluffing. His type always did until the fun started, so Quinn gave the order and the Clergy ghouls got to work.

...

It was a good couple of hours until they could move Air to the van that Water had gone to fetch. Omega had done a good job at slowing the bleeding, and with the first aid kit from the van, he’d patched him up enough to get him back to the infirmary. He’d given him a powerful wave of quintessence to knock him out, and he was asleep in Quinn’s arms.

Quinn stopped in the doorway as they were leaving and looked back at the pile of mutilated ghouls they’d left in the middle of the floor, ready for the summoning magic to wear off and for them to be sent back to Ose. They writhed and groaned and whined and he honestly didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for them.

They deserved everything that they’d got and hopefully Ose would not try to come after the Clergy again for a while.

The ride back to the Abbey was tense. The adrenaline from the past couple of hours was still running high and Quinn knew that Terzo’s ghouls would run it off when they got home.

Secondo’s ghouls would be with Air though.

Sure enough, when they arrived back, Zeta, Alpha and Rho ran off to find their pack mates. Omega went with them to the infirmary to make sure Air got there safely.

“Thank you, Omega. You did a great job with him,” Secondo said.

He smirked.

“Well, I’m a lover, not a fighter, so I was in the best place; helping him while you guys did your thing.”

He left them to find the others.

Quinn lay Air down gently on the bed in one of the side rooms. The Sister on duty and Secondo checked him over while Quinn sent him some healing energy. He’d lost quite a lot of blood from the claw marks, and the bites were deep and ragged.

He lay on the bed next to Air and waited until they’d finished cleaning him up and adding stitches and ointments to his wounds. The mojo that Omega had sent to him had kept him asleep, which was probably for the best, but when they were done, he stirred.

Quinn lay on his side next to him, facing him. Purple eyes opened and met his and Air gave him a tentative smile.

“Don’t even fucking say it,” he whispered.

His snarky tone belied the tremor Quinn noticed in his voice.

“Say what?” Quinn said as he moved strands of Air’s hair away from his forehead and tucked them behind his ear.

“I told you so. I should have listened to you and beheld the visionary who is Quinn, the great prophet of our age,” he said sarcastically.

Quinn huffed a laugh.

“Fuck off, Air,” he whispered as he carefully pulled the air ghoul closer to him.

He could feel him trembling and he smelled the salty tang of tears.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“Don’t be sorry. You’re safe now.”

Quinn petted his back.

“I’m sorry for everything.”

“Just go to sleep, Air. We’re all here. You can rest now. You’re safe.”

Air sighed and Quinn could feel him shivering, right up to the moment he drifted back off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Air spent two nights in the infirmary before they allowed him to go back to the lair. Quinn stayed with him, sending him healing energy and soothing him. The first night he had been in shock and slept fitfully in Quinn’s arms. The second night was better but Air was in quite a lot of pain and Quinn did his best to make it as bearable as possible alongside the painkillers.

They left the infirmary after midnight on the third night. Secondo didn’t like the general congregation knowing his business or his ghouls’, so they took Air home when they were unlikely to bump into anyone on the way. Quinn carried him as he was still pretty out of it with the pain medication the Sister had given him and he wouldn’t have been able to walk it by himself.

Earth and Quinn got him settled in his room and went to the kitchen, leaving Air’s door open so they’d hear him if he needed anything. Quinn sat down at the dining table and Earth pottered around, making them some Ghoulish tea.

“You doing okay?” the big ghoul asked.

Quinn sat back and gave a stretch, sighing.

“I think so.”

Earth looked back at him over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

“You sure about that, Quinn? Because you look like shit.”

Quinn snorted.

“Well, thanks, Earth. You’ve just crushed what little self confidence I had.”

“Don’t be a dick. Here.” He came over and put a plate in front of him. “You need to eat. You’re going to burn yourself out. You’re still recovering yourself and now this. Maybe we should see if Zephyr can come and sit with Air for a bit, so you can have a break.”

Quinn growled.

“No! I’m fine. He doesn’t want anyone else. I’ll stay with him and I can recover too. The quintessence can just do its thing.” Earth scowled and watched him as he took a bite of the sandwich he’d made for him. “See. I’m eating.”

“If I think it’s getting too much for you, I’m going to Secondo. You have no idea what we found when you came back from the Council cells. I thought you were dead when I saw you laying there on the chapel floor.” Quinn dropped his eyes and carried on eating. “Your ears and your eyes were bleeding, Quinn. I barely recognised you. And then there were the hours I spent stopping you from clawing your brains out through your skull. You don't know how fucking scared we all were.”

“I haven’t thanked you, have I?”

Earth chuckled.

“You don’t need to thank me. We are brothers. We’d do anything for each other.”

“So you understand why I need to help Air, then?”

“Yes. I understand, but you’re going to let me look out for you again. You came back from the brink of death a couple of weeks ago and there’s no way I’m going to let you go back there. You begged me to kill you. It was that bad.”

Quinn sighed.

“I know. I remember. And I’m sorry about that. That you had to see all of that.”

Earth gave him a glass of the tea and sat opposite him, giving him a half smile. He nodded towards Quinn’s now empty plate.

“You want something else? Primo made carrot cake. It isn’t too sweet.”

He nodded.

“Thanks. I could eat some cake.”

Earth went and got them a piece each.

“So we have a deal, then? You look after Air and we’ll look after you. And if at any time any of us think that you’re not coping, then we’ll let Secondo deal with it. Secondo dealing with it will mean he’ll put you back on bed rest and pull Zephyr and Omega in to help Air.”

“Fine,” he huffed out.

Earth smirked.

“Do you know what I’ve learned about you over the last few years, Quinn?”

“What Earth? What have you learned?”

“That you suck at looking after yourself.”

Quinn raised a brow at him.

“Are you going to look after me, Earth? Is that what you’re saying?”

Earth grinned.

“Another time, maybe.”

Quinn heard a whimper from Air’s room, and he got up from the table.

“Duty calls.”

Earth gave him a knowing smile.

“There’s no duty there, Quinn. Don’t kid yourself.”

Quinn downed the rest of his tea and crossed the hall back into Air’s room. He was still sleeping, but he was twitching and fidgeting. Quinn climbed into bed behind him and pulled him close, but the air ghoul jumped and scooted away from him.

“It’s me, Air. It’s Quinn,” he said as he lay still.

Air turned around and woke up fully.

“Sorry, Quinn. I didn’t realise it was you,” he whispered.

Quinn bit back the growl that almost escaped him at the memory of Ose’s ghouls. He didn’t want to upset Air, though.

“It’s okay, I startled you. Do you need anything?”

“I really want a burger, but I guess it’s too late for a burger, huh?”

Quinn smiled at him.

“If Air wants a burger, he can have one.”

“It’s fine. I can wait. I just want to stay here in the dark for a while longer.”

He rolled back towards Quinn and curled into him, pressing his face into his chest.

“How does your back feel now?”

“Like a bear played with me,” he huffed. “Is it bad?”

“Secondo doesn’t think it will scar, but they messed you up pretty good.”

Air laughed a humourless laugh.

“Yeah. They did.”

Quinn used his quintessence to soothe him because Air was not doing well despite his trying to act like his usual self. He knew Quinn could tell exactly how he was doing underneath the act, though. He didn’t have to put a brave face on for any of their pack, but he was doing it, anyway.

They lay there in comfortable silence for a while and eventually Air relaxed. Quinn could feel his eyelids growing heavy, but Air suddenly started again.

“Did you lock the door?” he asked.

“No. There’s no need.”

“Oh.”

Air was silent for a minute.

“Do you want me to lock the door, Air?”

“Yes. Please,” he said in a small voice.

Quinn’s anger spiked as he realised that the usually fearless ghoul suddenly needed to know if the door was locked. He mumbled a spell and the lock clicked into place before he realised what he’d done.

“Shit.”

“Did you just do what I think you did?” Air said.

Quinn could hear the amusement in his voice. The Infernal spell had just slipped out without him realising. He was tired, and it had been easier than actually getting up to lock the door.

“Yes.”

He ran a hand down his face.

“I won’t tell if you won’t.”

He smiled as he heard a bit of genuine Air shining through. The air ghoul snuggled back into him again and eventually his breathing evened out as he drifted back to sleep.

Quinn tried not to think about that night because every time he did, he felt rage bubbling up, so he tried to concentrate on giving Air comfort instead. In his mind though, he remembered making the ghouls pay for what they did to Air. 

He finally let himself rest with the thought of those fucking ghouls’ pained grunts and screams echoing through his mind. The delicious feel of their anguish comforted him, and he let the memory of their misery lull him off to sleep.

Chapter Text

“Ghoul! We won’t get anywhere if you continue to do that!” Andras growled. “What did I tell you?”

Quinn gritted his teeth and glared at him.

“I cannot just shut it off. It just happens!”

Andras strode over and loomed above him. He placed a hand around the base of Quinn’s throat.

“Try. Harder.”

Quinn could feel him poking around inside his head and he tried to shake it, but the fallen angel held him still.

He gasped as Andras pulled the memory he was looking for free. It was the moment that he’d opened the door to their cottage and seen what the witches and their ghouls had done to Ashtoreth, Lyssa and Zaya. It brought the pain with it and the inferno of anger that followed.

Andras stepped back.

“Ignore your nature. It is irrelevant now. Embrace the anger; use it. It is your best weapon and you need to hone it just as you would any other sword or axe or spear.”

A moan drew his attention away and to the demon who lay on the ground. They'd captured him the previous day when Andras’ legions had trounced those of another Demon Lord. The tradition was to use a few of the prisoners as entertainment for the troops to keep their spirits up and to reward them for their service. There were no rules about how they could entertain themselves and the results were often gruesome which Quinn’s nature rebelled against. He would avoid the after battle celebrations by taking himself off to the camp to be on his own.

He'd only been in this dimension for a few weeks, but already he had learned a lot. Demons were not like ghouls at all. They had little to no honour beyond loyalty to their master and each other, to a certain extent. They were a lot simpler in their emotions and he found that except in extreme situations, his quintessence self did not feel the need to balance them out.

When there was pain, though, he couldn’t help it. His quintessence instinct was to soothe and to heal.

Andras was trying and failing to train it out of him.

He growled in frustration as he grabbed the prisoner by his straggly hair and dragged him to his feet. His face was pretty messed up already from where the fallen-angel-turned-demon had hurt him; he wanted Quinn to sit back and watch and not try to heal or help him. For a quintessence ghoul to stand by passively and let it happen was difficult, to say the least. Every fibre of Quinn’s being was screaming for him to intervene and soothe the pain the demon was in, and the more he resisted, the more his nature pushed back.

Andras added power to his words as he addressed Quinn. He felt the magic that they contained and he was powerless to ignore them.

“This is one of the shits who laid his hands on Ashtoreth. He deserves every ounce of pain he gets.”

Quinn knew Andras was manipulating his memory and his thoughts, but it didn’t make it any less real to him. Suddenly, the demon looked like the fire ghoul Quinn had met with the witch and he could smell Ashtoreth’s scent on him. Andras sliced a claw down the bruised flesh of his cheek and he whimpered.

“It wasn’t me! I don’t know what you mean!” the demon whined.

But to Quinn’s ears, it sounded like,

“That bitch deserved everything she got, and she loved every second.”

Quinn snarled and went for him.

“Slow it down,” Andras growled in warning. “Drag it out longer.”

Andras smirked as he stepped back. Something inside of Quinn clicked and Andras looked on like a proud father as he took pleasure in the pain he was causing.

Quinn heard himself and watched as if from above; it wasn’t him doing these things; it was like he was watching someone else do them. He'd shoved his quintessential instincts back and locked them away while he got to work.

That was the moment that he learned how to separate one part of himself from the rest, and it was the first step on his road to seeking vengeance against the witches.

“Quinn!”

It was Air who had woken him from his dream. He was suddenly alert.

"Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. You were growling in your sleep, though. Thought I should wake you up.”

“What time is it?”

It was hard to tell because the drapes in Air’s room were closed.

“About nine-ish?”

“I’ll get you something to eat.”

Air sighed.

“Later. I really want a soak in the tub, though.”

“Oh. Okay. I’ll run the bath then.”

Air winced as he rolled onto his back. He must have forgotten his injuries.

“Fuck,” he groaned.

“Can you sit up?” Quinn asked.

Air nodded and gingerly moved to a sitting position. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rested his elbows on his knees. Quinn climbed onto the bed and went to kneel behind him. He peeled off the dressings to take a look and determine whether it would be okay to get them wet. He didn’t realise he was growling until Air spoke.

“That bad, huh?”

Quinn ran his hand over one of the bite marks and sent some healing energy. It looked bad still, but the skin had knitted together enough that it would be okay to get it wet. He did the same with the other wounds, but the healing spell Secondo had cast had worked well.

“They’ve actually healed better than I thought they would have. It just makes me angry to see them.”

“What a pair we are. The Council fucked us both over. They need taking down.”

“They did and they do,” Quinn agreed.

“Thank you for what you did for me.”

Quinn frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Ose’s ghouls. If I hadn’t been so messed up, I would have joined you.”

“I know you would have.”

Air turned to the side and rested his face on Quinn’s chest. He chuckled.

“I don’t think the newbies had ever done anything like that before.”

They still called Terzo’s ghouls the newbies, even though it had been almost six years since they’d been summoned now.

“It didn’t matter. They did it for you, Air. We would do that for any of our pack. They deserved every second of pain we dished out to them.”

“Well, it meant a lot to me. So romantic.”

He batted his eyelashes, and Quinn laughed, smacking him on the arm. He carefully avoided any of the places where Air had been hurt.

“Fuck off.” Air smirked up at him, and Quinn was relieved that he still saw some of his spark there. They hadn’t killed that part of him, at least. Quinn let him go and got up. “I’ll run the water and then sort out some food for us. Earth is going all mother hen, so just be warned. It will be best to just humour him and do as he says for a while.”

“Fine,” Air said as he rolled his eyes. “If food is involved, I’m sure I can manage that.”

“Now you know how I felt with you and Water fussing over me all the time.”

“True,” he laughed.

Quinn went and set the bath off. It was a big tub, so it would take a little time to fill. He left Air in bed and went to see what he could find them for breakfast.

Fire was in the kitchen, and he smiled when he saw him.

“How’s he doing?” he asked.

“Better. His wounds are healing well. I’m running a bath for him. He’s being brave, though.”

“He is brave. I’ll make you both something good to eat. Does he want to eat it here or in his room?”

Quinn glanced back at the open doorway, remembering Air’s words last night.

“In his room for now. You joining us?”

Fire nodded and set about making them something. He was an excellent cook, so whatever it was would be amazing. Quinn went back and helped Air into the bathroom. He did what he needed to do. He undressed and sank into the hot water, hissing when it reached his wounds, but he lay back and groaned.

“Oh, this is so fucking good.” Quinn laughed and went to sit on the closed toilet lid. “You getting in too?”

He shook his head.

“Nah, you enjoy it.”

He was quiet for a while and Quinn thought he’d fallen to sleep.

“What do you think will happen? I heard them talking about stuff and they want to cut ties with the Clergy. They said they want no more ghouls to be summoned here.”

Quinn sighed.

“I don’t know. But this Ose is the worst thing that could have happened. He had seers locked up. I have no idea how many. And I have no idea what happened to Agrat. She is powerful so they’ll want her alive, but I dread to think what they’re doing to her. I don’t think they can breed from her, but who knows?”

Air opened his eyes and looked at Quinn with a serious expression.

“I think if they could, they’d have tried to breed the two of you.” Quinn scowled. “What? Don’t look at me like that; it would make sense. You two would make some kind of super-seer kit.”

He was right, of course. Quinn felt the anger at what they’d done rising to the surface again.

“Ose is a dead ghoul walking. It’s only a matter of time. Shay said the resistance is gaining power. I just feel so helpless here. I wish we could go back and help them.”

“They’ll sort it. I’m sure. My brother is one of the Air Council soldiers. They would never support the things Ose is doing.”

Quinn rubbed the bridge of his nose as a vision teased him. He saw Air’s brother—it was hard to mistake him as they looked so alike—and a big, scarred earth ghoul leading a troop of other various ghouls. They were the resistance movement who were storming the Council buildings and they were many.

“You’re right,” Quinn said as he grinned.

“I know that look. What did you just see?”

“Boreas and Amon leading a coup against Ose. It doesn’t happen for a few years yet though. But it will go in their favour.”

Air’s eyes widened.

“Wow. I don't know who Amon is, but did you just give me a direct answer about a vision?” Quinn narrowed his eyes and Air laughed. “You did! Are you feeling alright? See, I knew Boreas wouldn’t bow down to his bullshit.”

Quinn had seen both of their souls in the vision. He knew they would make a great team when ghoulkind chose Air’s brother Boreas to take over as the Prime Ghoul once the fighting was over.

He didn’t tell Air that part though; he didn’t want to give him more of an ego than he had already.

Chapter Text

Quinn was nervous. They all were. He’d had no visions about how this would go and no intuition, but still he was uneasy.

Eight ghouls from the resistance movement had arranged negotiations with Papa, and any unknown ghouls who would be around him posed a risk as far as they were concerned. As well as their pack, Terzo had loaned Alpha, Omega, Zeta and Rho. The nine ghouls formed a semicircle around Papa with Earth and Quinn in the centre on either side of him as they waited impatiently for the ghouls to appear.

For the last five years, they’d fought a bloody civil war against Ose and his tyrannical rule. They were so close to dethroning him and taking back the Council and the freedoms that ghouls used to take for granted.

Air shifted from foot to foot and Quinn sent him quintessence to chill him out a bit because he was getting on his nerves. He was extra hyped up because his brother, Boreas, would be amongst the ghouls and they hadn’t seen each other for many years now.

Secondo had created a temporary summoning room in the basement of the Abbey, warding it and assigning a strong guard. This way, anyone thinking of taking advantage by appearing uninvited at the Abbey would be redirected straight to the cells of the dungeon.

Ose had only sent one set of ghouls to infiltrate them a couple of years ago, but no more had come since. The state they sent them back in after Secondo’s ghouls finished playing with them obviously made him think twice.

The ghouls started arriving in pairs, and everyone snapped to attention. As well as Boreas and Amon, there were two more earth ghouls and two fire so far. The last pair made Quinn smile when an air ghoul and Svarog, the seer Agrat’s fire ghoul, appeared in the summoning circle.

Quinn looked them all over and didn’t sense any malice from them. Air confirmed to Secondo when he’d checked their auras and the tense couple of minutes was over as Secondo welcomed them.

They made their way back through the dungeon and up into the main Abbey. Air and Boreas had an emotional reunion and Quinn found it amusing to see the differences between them. Even though they looked very similar, their personalities were polar opposites. Boreas was very serious and a little aloof compared to Air. He kept his emotions more controlled and he was not as approachable. He thought with his head rather than his heart.

Quinn and Svarog embraced, and the big fire ghoul sighed.

“My apologies, seer. I did not know what I was dragging you into. That summoning place should have been secure.”

“No need to apologise, Svarog. They have seers at their disposal. One must have foreseen it.”

Quinn felt the other ghoul's anger and sorrow at his mention of seers. That obviously didn’t bode well for his mate, Agrat. He was just about to ask about her when Svarog spoke up.

“Ose has her. He has not done what he did to you and the other seers, though, thankfully. He has her on a different kind of leash.”

Quinn frowned. That was good news, he supposed, but it wasn't what he'd seen in his vision of her. He never mentioned it to Svarog, though, as he didn't want to upset him. He'd felt the power of her when they’d briefly met all those years ago and hated what she must have been going through.

“I’m sorry for you, Svarog. What he is doing is beyond wrong. I have no doubt that you will get her back, though.”

He had just seen their reunion, which would be in a few days’ time.

The fire ghoul nodded sadly and tried to compose himself.

They took them to one of the large meeting rooms in the main Abbey. Secondo had arranged for food and drinks for the ghouls before they got down to negotiations. He wasn’t sure what their living arrangements back home would be, but Secondo had wanted to make sure they were well fed before they returned. It was possible that this would be the first proper meal they’d had in weeks.

They would need their strength for the final push of their campaign. Quinn knew that all eight of these ghouls would not live to see the end of the civil war, or even the end of the week. The air ghoul and one of the fire ghouls would fall in the battle for the Council chambers and he grieved their loss silently as they enjoyed what would be one of their last ever meals.

Air introduced Quinn to his brother and he smirked as he thought about the bragging rights that Air would have when Boreas became the most important ghoul in their home dimension.

“What’s so funny, Quinn?” Air asked.

“Nothing, Air. Just thinking about your ego.”

Air snorted.

“I don’t have an ego!”

Boreas shook his head and chuckled.

“Of course not, brother. You are as modest as they come.” He stepped over to Quinn and gave him a hug. “Thank you for looking after this one. We heard about what happened and also who was to thank for the ghouls the Clergy sent back to Ose. He was spitting mad. Two of them died not long after arriving back, and he had another three executed for incompetence.”

“And the sixth?”

“That one was one of his personal guards. He kept that one alive. He is still one of Ose’s most trusted allies and came back even more blood-thirsty. That one is feared amongst our troops. Apparently, he is very creative with methods of torture.”

Boreas’ gaze slid over to Svarog, who was chatting to Fire now, and Quinn felt sad for the ghoul. His time as a captive of the Council would not have been easy.

“How did he escape? The last I saw of him, he was unconscious.”

“One of our spies arranged it and got him out. He was in a bad way for a while, though.”

Quinn liked Boreas a lot. Based on his soul alone, he could see why others felt drawn to him. He had the same charisma as Air and maybe a touch of the same power that he had too, but the strong moral code Quinn sensed in him would never allow him to manipulate others the way Air could.

“It seems Ose has that effect on ghouls. I cannot understand how he managed to get so many followers.”

“He rules through fear, and there are many who want to go back to the old ways. All the corrupt and sociopathic ghouls seemed to flock to him from the moment the Prime Ghoul died.”

“It seemed that way, the few that I encountered.”

Boreas looked sympathetic. He knew everything that they'd done to Quinn while he was in their hands.

“We searched for the kit for many months and drew a blank. There was word of the ghuleh briefly when she went into labour, but by the time we got there, they were gone. They'd left the body of the healer who had looked after them behind. They didn’t want any loose ends, it seems. Nobody knows their whereabouts, only that a kit was born, and then they both disappeared.”

Quinn felt annoyed that Secondo had kept this information from him. It would have been five years ago now. He understood the why, but that didn’t make it any easier. He had wondered what had become of them, if the kit had been born or not. One night, he'd even tried linking to the ether for answers; he'd asked but had discovered nothing and it left him with a splitting headache for a week afterwards that he’d had to cover up.

Earth had known something was wrong, but Quinn made excuses, blaming the ether for bothering him more than usual, which happened sometimes. Luckily, Secondo had been preoccupied with Clergy business and Quinn had kept his thoughts guarded around him. The Papa would have been livid if he’d known he'd gone against his wishes to call out to the ether when he’d expressly forbidden it after what happened the last time.

“Thank you for trying, Boreas. It means a lot.”

The ghoul reached out and squeezed his shoulder.

Secondo beckoned them all to sit and the negotiations began. The ghouls wanted to continue the relationship with the Clergy as it had been for many, many years. If they were successful in their coup, they proposed restoring the Academies and the selection process for Clergy ghouls. Secondo proposed some amendments to the terms which hadn’t changed for a couple of hundred years, so they agreed to meet again in the near future and draw up new rules and terms for summonings.

Secondo offered his support for their campaign and sent some of the magical devices they had at their disposal. The witches often tinkered with spells and artefacts that would be useful in warfare, and several of these were gifted to the ghouls to aid them.

Quinn was sad to see them go, especially the air and the fire ghoul who would pay the cost of freedom with their blood. The ether had shown him that their deaths could not be avoided, so he had to keep the knowledge to himself. Air sensed his mood and he knew something was wrong, but he also knew not to pry if Quinn didn’t offer the information freely.

He put his arm around Quinn’s shoulders as they left the dungeon after sending the ghouls back home. They were both off duty now for the next twenty-four hours.

“Fancy a run?” Air asked. Quinn nodded. He could use to work off some frustrations. “I mean a run,” the air ghoul said pointedly.

When Air was hurt in the city, Secondo had prohibited his ghouls from leaving the Abbey’s grounds, but that restriction only lasted a few months. When there were no further retaliations from Ose, he deemed it safe again with the same rules in place as before; they had to go in pairs or more and could not leave anyone alone.

Quinn and Air had used this freedom to flaunt the rules and often went for runs in the human world, which was still banned and was yet to be discovered by Secondo.

Quinn grinned at the prospect of the forbidden run.

“Are we taking Aurora?” he asked.

Air’s eyes lit up and he grinned back at him. He and Air had clubbed together to buy a vintage muscle car a couple of years back and the evening was perfect for a drive.

“Of course.”

Tonight would be a good night. He could feel it.

Chapter Text

It always amused Quinn to see the way Air doted on the car. It was pretty; he admitted, and it was fun because it went so fast, but ultimately it was just a car. An expensive car—because Air had expensive taste—but a car just the same.

Air didn’t see it that way though. Secondo had taken them to a specialist auction to buy it. He was something of a collector, so when they’d mentioned they were looking for something to play with, Air and Secondo had spent a long time searching and narrowing down their options. Quinn left them to it because he wouldn’t be driving it anyway and the money didn’t matter to him. He told Air he would pay for half and that was the end of his involvement.

Since he was summoned, he had collected a fair amount of money. It was irrelevant to him, though; he didn’t really need much in the way of possessions. The money sat uselessly in the account that the Clergy had set up for him. They paid his salary into it every month, and every month it gathered interest and grew.

As soon as Air had seen the 1967 Shelby Mustang in the auction catalogue, he’d had to have it. It was a metallic green, Secondo’s colours, and it was in pristine condition. On the day of the auction he’d been dead set on it, determined to drive away in that car.

And he had.

For an eye-watering amount of money.

But what was a few thousand dollars out of his stash? They might as well get some enjoyment from it.

Ever since that day, the car had been Air’s baby and he’d even named it. He loved that car more than anything else he had, and he’d spent many hours learning how to look after it properly. Vukan, Primo’s fire ghoul, was a fantastic mechanic, so he’d helped to teach Air about it and he took care of the maintenance of it. He looked after all of Secondo’s cars, too.

Quinn would just sit back and enjoy the ride.

His quintessential self soaked up Air’s excitement at the prospect of giving the car a proper run tonight. It was springtime and the weather had turned nice, but it had been a good few months since they’d been able to take it out and drive it the way Air liked to drive it; fast and hard.

Air ran a hand over the hood with a look of awe on his face.

“You’re so beautiful, Aurora. I’ve dreamed of this moment all winter.”

Quinn snorted and got into the passenger side, slamming the door. He knew how much that riled the air ghoul up.

“Just get in the fucking car, Air. You don’t need to chat it up first.”

Air looked at him through the windshield, horrified.

“Don’t be so rough with my baby girl, Quinn! She’s delicate.”

“Our baby girl. She’s far from delicate; she’s a beast and she can’t wait to get out there, so hurry up!”

Air jogged around and climbed in. The engine roared to life and Air closed his eyes and shivered.

“Music to my ears.”

Quinn shook his head and laughed, looking over to Air, who grinned back at him.

“Let’s go then, ghoul. That highway won’t tear itself up.”

They rumbled out of Secondo’s personal garage, which housed most of his more expensive cars. He’d let them keep Aurora there, away from the everyday cars that the Clergy used which were kept in the one next door.

The evening was warm and they wound the windows down. The breeze whipped around them, bringing with it the scents of nature as they drove out of the city and towards the freeway.

This was Air’s happy place. That moment when they hit the freeway and he opened her up and took off, that buzz of excitement and the thrill as the miles burned away beneath the rubber of the tyres. The road was quiet tonight and he pushed her to her limit, eating up the straight road ahead. Quinn loved this too. This was the reason they’d bought the car; the freedom of speeding along and the adrenaline that came from it all.

“Shit,” Air said after a while, glancing in the rear-view.

Quinn turned around and cursed. The police cruiser that was picking up speed behind them flashed its lights.

“You’d better pull over. Secondo will shit a brick if we cause too much of a scene with the human police.” Air made a non-committal sound and carried on at the same speed. “Air. Seriously. Just mojo them.”

He glanced at Quinn and huffed as he slowed down.

“Fine. No fun though. We could easily lose him.”

They pulled off at the next exit and found a place to stop. After a couple of minutes, the officer appeared at the window. The sun was setting and the light was fading, which meant that Quinn saw the purple glow from Air’s eyes reflecting in the windshield.

The officer bent down towards the open window and squeaked as Air, faster than a human could track, reached out and grabbed him by the throat, pulling him down so they were face to face. He tilted his head and Quinn shuddered as he felt the ancient magic that Air possessed rising to the surface. Usually when he used it, it was subtle and barely even noticeable, if at all. But tonight he gave the full display of his powers, blatantly capturing the human’s gaze and mesmerising him within a couple of heartbeats.

“I think maybe you'll forget that you ever saw this magnificent car at all tonight. You certainly didn’t see us.” He smiled, dropping his human glamour and showing his fangs. The human nodded numbly. “Such a strange thing. You won’t see anyone speeding tonight. Everyone is being such a responsible driver. The rest of your shift will be so easy. ”

Quinn smirked and wondered how many humans would miss out on a ticket tonight.

Air let go of the human’s throat and he stood up and shook his head, rubbing his neck absentmindedly.

“Enjoy your evening, sir,” the officer said as Air gunned the engine and sped off.

“That was awesome! Secondo will never know.”

He laughed and he was positively glowing. Air loved nothing more than getting his own way. He slid his eyes to Quinn, who growled low in his throat. That vibrant energy that he was giving off was spilling over to him, and he lapped it up. He saw Air’s pupils dilate and his breathing picked up.

“We need to find somewhere to run. There must be somewhere around here.”

Air nodded sharply.

“I’ll find us somewhere.”

The place they were driving through was the start of a mountainous area and Air drove a few more miles before parking up on a small patch of gravel at the bottom of a hiking trail. They got out, and Quinn walked around the back of the car.

It was fully dark now and he scented the air to see if there were any humans nearby. He didn’t smell any, but he concentrated on seeing if he could pick up any souls. Nothing except wildlife.

Air sauntered around to him, swinging the keys around his index finger. He handed them to Quinn, who put them on the ground underneath the car. He mumbled an Infernal spell to secure the vehicle just in case anyone passed by and decided to help themselves while they were busy. They wouldn’t be able to even touch it now.

Air trailed a hand down Quinn’s chest and gave him a half smile. His eyes glinted with purple fire in the darkness. Quinn walked him backwards towards the rear end of the car and pushed him down so that he had to lean back. He loomed over Air and put a hand gently around his throat, pushing him further down and pinning him to the car with his body. He brought their faces level and captured Air’s gaze. The other ghoul put a hand around Quinn’s wrist and the other on his chest.

“No touching, Air,” he growled and the hands dropped away, coming to rest on the warm metal of the car. Air could follow orders when he felt like it. Quinn could feel the anticipation thrumming through him and he smiled a slow smile.

“What do you need from me, Quinn?”

He let go of the smaller ghoul and stepped away. Air slowly stood up straight, but he didn’t break eye contact. Quinn could feel the blue fire in his eyes, and a few moments of silence went by before he replied.

“I need you to run,” he whispered.

Air didn’t need to be told twice. He turned towards the hiking path and sprinted away. Quinn followed, and they headed along the trail that led up into the hills. Air slowed his pace enough so that Quinn could keep up with him but not quite catch him, and they ran for a while in the darkness.

Running was better than therapy. They forgot their troubles and the events that were unfolding in their home dimension for those precious couple of hours and just lived in the here and now.

There was always that pivotal moment, though, when the mood of the run changed. It would either be a hunt, a fight or... something else. Tonight was the latter.

Air glanced back at Quinn, and as their eyes met, they silently decided. Air turned and sped up, heading back down the path and towards their starting point. Quinn’s hunting instinct took over and he matched Air’s pace. The promise of catching the other ghoul spurred him on and he felt himself shedding the last threads of humanity that all the ghouls here wore most of the time.

Air sensed it, and he slowed. The hunter in Quinn took it he was tiring, that the chase was almost over. But Quinn knew differently. Air wanted to be caught.

They barrelled out of the trees that surrounded the parking area and Air headed for the car. Quinn gave a last check that nobody was around and he crashed into the other ghoul, forcing him back into the position they’d been in at the start. His hand snaked around the base of his throat once again as he leaned him back against the car. Air grinned up at him and he growled out a warning.

Quinn hesitated, though, his protective instincts bubbling up through the haze of lust. Ever since Ose’s ghouls attacked Air, he had been like this. It had taken a long time for them to play this way again afterwards. Even though Air had said that he was fine, Quinn had felt his pain at the memories as they tried to resurface, and he’d found himself holding back.

“What are you waiting for?” Air growled. Quinn tightened his grip around Air’s throat and lifted his lips from his fangs. The ghoul stilled beneath him.

“Watch your tone, Air.”

“Why don’t you make me?” he whispered.

Quinn knew why he was trying to provoke him, and it had worked. He spun them around so that his ass rested against the trunk of the car and he kept his hand on Air’s throat.

“On your knees,” he snarled. Air’s eyes flicked down for a split second and the corner of his mouth twitched into a smug smile. He obeyed and dropped to his knees in front of him. Quinn grabbed Air by the hair and tilted his head back so that he was looking up at him. “That mouth of yours needs to be busy doing something else besides answering me back.”

Air licked his lips.

“Please,” he breathed out, and Quinn nodded.

Air reached for the fly of his jeans, undoing the buttons and moving the material out of the way. Quinn scraped his claws through Air’s hair.

“Oh, so now you’re polite? What is it you want, Air?” The air ghoul whimpered and leaned forward, dragging the flat of his tongue along the underside of Quinn’s cock. His breath hitched, and he gritted his teeth. “Tell me. What. Do. You. Want?”

“Use me.”

He took Quinn into his mouth and the sensation made his hips buck towards him of their own accord. Air moaned around him and Quinn dropped his head back and looked up at the canopy of stars above them. He tried to stay as detached as he could because, the way he was feeling right now after the drive and the run, he wouldn’t last too long.

He leaned back into the car as Air got to work. He’d wrapped a hand around the base and Quinn grabbed at his hair, breathing through his gritted teeth. Air wanted to be used though, so use him he would. He looked down and growled, yanking his head away by his hair. A fang nicked the head of him and he hissed at the unexpected sting that made his balls tense up.

He pulled Air to his feet; the ghoul staggered before he righted himself and his eyes flared brighter with his excitement. Quinn turned them around and pushed Air down against the back of the car, pinning him with his body again. The glass of the rear windscreen pressed against his face as Quinn reached down and undid Air’s jeans, tugging them down.

He reached around his front and grabbed at him more roughly than he’d intended to, but Air moaned and fucked into the tight grip that Quinn now had on his cock.

“Please, Quinn. I need you,” he whined.

“How much do you need me?” He probed at Air with two fingers and sank them into him as he rested his fangs on his shoulder, biting the skin gently. Air tensed and panted as Quinn tested his slick and deemed him needy enough. He whimpered again, something in Ghoulish that Quinn didn’t quite catch as he scissored his fingers a few times and then removed them. “How much?” he growled again.

“Please! Please, Quinn. I need this.”

He could feel how far gone Air was and it made him want to mark him with his teeth. He resisted for now though and gave him no warning as he thrust into him. Air cried out and Quinn felt him spasm around him, felt his cum shooting out over his fingers already. He was still hard though as Quinn fucked him against the car and he whispered nonsense, lost to the sensations.

Quinn still had him in a firm grip and he whined as he didn’t let up on the oversensitive flesh.

Air mewled and twitched, trying to get away from the sensations that were too much, but Quinn still didn’t let up.

“Stop whining, Air. This is what you wanted,” he growled into his ear, feeling his own peak building. “You wanted to be used.”

Air was panting and shaking from the effort of it all and he gave a whine that bordered between pained and needy. Quinn knew that despite the pain of the overstimulation that he was so close again as well.

He’d been so careful about not marking Air, but tonight he couldn’t help himself. He felt his orgasm building, his balls tightening and Air fluttering around him again and his fangs found the flesh at the juncture of his shoulder. The second they sank into skin he let go and came with a snarl, biting down harder and feeling Air tensing up beneath him as the taste of his blood rolled over his tongue.

Air growled out his name as he followed, and Quinn finally let him go. He nuzzled his neck and lapped at the bite mark he’d just left. The memory of the mess they'd left Air in all those years ago surfaced, and he had a moment of guilt. He ran his hand over it, sending as much healing energy to the bite mark as he could.

He stepped away and righted his jeans. Air turned around and did the same, standing up straight. When Quinn looked up, the air ghoul was studying him intently. He scowled, the apology stalling on the tip of his tongue.

“You know that’s fine with me, don’t you? I can tell you’re feeling guilty.” Quinn met his glowing stare. “I’ve missed that. You don’t have to be careful with me. I know you and I trust you.”

Quinn sighed and nodded, walking away around the side of the car, reversing the spell and retrieving the keys from underneath it. He tossed them to Air.

“Come on, let’s go home. Secondo will get tetchy if we don’t get back soon. You’re going to have to drive fast to get back on time.”

Air grinned as they climbed into the car.

“On it.”

Chapter Text

They pulled onto the Abbey grounds just after midnight, which wasn’t too bad considering. Secondo had set a twelve a.m. curfew and they’d only missed it by about ten minutes. If anyone else but Air had been driving, then they would have been much later.

Air parked the car back in its spot and they headed up through the internal doors and into the main Abbey. The high from their run and the drive was still coursing through them and Quinn knew they’d be taking themselves back to Air’s room for round two of working off frustrations.

He opened the door that led into the main foyer, and Air pushed him through it. He stumbled and smacked straight into Earth. The massive ghoul growled and folded his arms as Quinn and Air both cracked up laughing.

“Secondo wants a word with you two," he rumbled out, looking serious and clearly not amused by their high spirits.

They looked at each other, and Air snorted a laugh.

“Uh-oh, are we in trouble?”

Earth’s only answer was a raised eyebrow as he turned and walked away. They followed him to Secondo’s apartments and wandered inside, still trying to hold back their laughter.

The second they stepped through the door though, Quinn felt Secondo’s anger. It burned slowly, but that meant nothing with the Papa. The fact there was any emotion coming from him at all meant that he must be extremely pissed about something.

“Sit,” he barked as he pointed to one of the sofas. Quinn and Air obeyed him and their good mood faded. “Where have you been?”

Quinn clamped down on his thoughts and presumed Air did the same. Secondo narrowed his eyes at them. Air spoke up first.

“We went for a drive, Papa. It’s the perfect evening.”

“And where exactly did you drive to for all this time?”

“Just around. We needed to stretch Aurora’s legs.”

Secondo looked between them.

“And what about yours, Air? Did you stretch your legs also?”

Quinn tried harder to block what they’d just been doing.

“What do you mean, Papa?”

Secondo strode over and leaned down, putting his face level with Air’s.

“Do not lie to me, ghoul! There is good reason I forbade you from running in the human world. Now more than ever! Ose is clutching at straws and he is desperate. He could have spies anywhere around us, and he could have made a move to capture either or both of you.” Air opened his mouth to protest, but Secondo shushed him. “Do not deny it! I am not stupid. I turn a blind eye to some of the things you do because I know ghouls will be ghouls, but there is justification for that rule. Look what happened last time, Air! They would have killed you were it not for Quinn’s vision.” Quinn hissed in a breath. That was a low blow and it had the effect that he was intending on Air. He hung his head in shame. “You two are a bad influence on each other. I am not banning you from leaving the Abbey’s grounds, but I forbid you from leaving together. Pick a new partner to play with.”

Air looked up at him and actually pouted, making Quinn smirk.

“But what about Aurora?”

Secondo pinched the bridge of his nose and Quinn saw Earth trying not to laugh as he stood stoically behind Papa.

“You can take the car out, but not together. Someone else will have to drive Quinn.”

Air’s eyes widened and he shook his head. He didn’t let anyone else drive her.

“Maybe I’ll take her for a spin next time,” Earth said, not even bothering to hide his smirk now.

Air looked horrified.

“No offence, Earth, but I’ve seen the way you drive. There’s no fucking way you’re getting in that car. You’re too big, anyway! You wouldn’t even fit behind the wheel!”

“Enough!” Secondo snapped, and all eyes swung back to him. “From now until further notice, you two do not leave the Abbey’s grounds together. If I hear of any other rule breaking from either of you, I will bar you from leaving the Abbey at all.” Quinn and Air glanced at each other and Quinn scowled. He could tell that Air was itching to argue, but by some miracle, he resisted. “And don’t think I don’t know about that spell you cast, Quinn. I can smell the Infernal on you. I am too old for dealing with this! You are worse than children!”

Quinn dropped his eyes and grimaced.

“It was in the human world. There was nobody around.”

A flash of anger washed over him.

“Do not push me tonight, Quinn! I am tired from our meetings today and now I’m having to deal with ghoul problems; problems that shouldn’t have arisen because I set the ground rules already. I told you no Infernal magics unless I allow it!”

“Sorry, Papa,” Air and Quinn said in unison.

“Air, you’re dismissed. Quinn, I need to speak to you alone.”

Air gave him a sympathetic look and left. Quinn sighed.

“Look, I’m sorry about the spell, but I thought it would be okay. You know what Air gets like about that car so I just put it on so that we wouldn’t have to kill any humans for touching it...” He looked up to see Secondo scowling at him. “Which, of course, I’m joking about. We would never kill humans for sport. Ever. Obviously.”

Secondo raised a brow, and Quinn glanced at Earth, who was trying to contain his smirk again.

“That is not what I wanted to speak to you about. I have a job for you. But I doubt you will enjoy it.”

That got his interest.

“Oh?”

“Yes, oh. Do you remember the Abbey in Italy?” Quinn nodded. How could he forget? “It seems the boy from the Abbey has developed the Infernal eye. We need to bring him here where I can keep watch on him. But I need to find out how much Imperator knows about him. I need someone to get close to her. I know she kept tabs on him, but I don’t know if she knows about this.”

The Infernal eye was the symbol of the Clergy’s leaders. It went hand in hand with the Emeritus’ powers. When they gained the Infernal eye, they also gained their magical abilities. They were both gifts from Satan.

“Okay... And why do you need me to do this? Why can’t you just take the information from her head?”

Secondo frowned and sighed a weary sigh.

“Imperator has become skilled in shielding her thoughts. I rarely pry on purpose, but sometimes it is necessary. She has always had a good natural shield towards telepathy.”

“Why me though? Why not Air or Earth?”

Earth scoffed and shook his head.

“She got bored with trying with me. And Air has been there and done that. She doesn’t like to revisit her past mistakes. She still has a bee in her bonnet about you though," he said.

Quinn was confused. She’d left him alone after the business with the seer potion and that last time when he threatened to eat a Brother of Sin.

“She hasn’t bothered me again since Secondo put her in her place. Why would she believe I would suddenly show an interest in her?"

Secondo smiled slyly.

“Because she’s going to believe that we have developed a bit of an issue with one another."

Chapter Text

Quinn had been in a bad mood all day and now this. Secondo had been giving him the shitty security jobs around the Abbey for the last couple of weeks and today was no exception. The only difference was that Imperator had requested he and Air personally this time.

It was some kind of lunch function at a local hotel for her and some of the more senior Sisters from one of the other Abbeys.

He knew why she’d picked them. She wanted to show off Air to her cronies. She’d clearly told them he was one of her previous conquests and deemed him pretty enough to gloat about it. And Quinn was on her list of potential future conquests, so she wanted their approval.

Throughout the whole thing, he’d had to put up with their heated stares, listen to their crude whispers, and Quinn was reaching the end of his tether. Air, of course, was loving it and was struggling to hide his smug smirk. The Sisters wouldn’t have noticed anything different about him. He would look like the brooding ghoul guard to them, but Quinn knew his tells.

Their gazes met, and Quinn quietly growled. Air’s eyes lit up with amusement, and Quinn could tell just how much he was enjoying this. Imperator crooked a finger at him to beckon him over. He leaned down close to her to see what she wanted.

“I know it is difficult for you to act civilised ghoul, but could you please refrain from growling in front of my guests?” she hissed into his ear.

He scowled and he felt Air’s glee at the whole situation.

“If you could instruct your guests not to look at us like we are pieces of meat, then maybe I would be less inclined to growl,” he snarled back at her under his breath.

Imperator smiled reassuringly at two of the Sisters, who had noticed their tense exchange before she turned her attention back to him.

“We will look at you however we please. Today you are serving us. Today you belong to me. As far as I’m concerned, that’s exactly what you are; pieces of meat.”

Quinn hated that snotty tone of hers and he’d love nothing more than to wipe the look of satisfaction off her face, but he knew that Secondo would be angry if he did. He didn’t want it to reflect badly on his Papa so he bit his tongue and stood back, resuming his place by the wall and looking menacing. He was silently seething, though.

The ordeal lasted another hour and just when he thought it was over, tipsy Sisters began coming over to chat to them. Quinn tried politely to field them away, telling them they were on duty, but just when he’d manage to put one off, another would appear. He caught Imperator smirking more than once and he glared at her, earning him her infamous victorious smile.

Air was lapping up the attention and took phone numbers from several of them, much to their delight. One of them was particularly drunk, which made her particularly bold, and he knew she would be trouble when she sauntered over to them. Air put on his charming smile in readiness, but it seemed she was not interested in him; it was Quinn that had caught her eye. This was one of the more crude ones that Imperator had been talking to. He cursed and scowled at her, hoping it would put her off.

It didn’t.

“You don’t seem as talkative as your friend,” she said as she stepped up to him. She reached out and placed a hand on his chest, and he growled. She kept her hand where it was. “Oooh, Imperator said you were the feral one. Are you busy after your shift?”

“Yes,” he said simply, taking her hand and moving it away from him.

She pouted, and Quinn could feel Air’s amused gaze on them.

“Surely you can find the time to have a little fun?” She looked around at the group of Sisters that she’d been sitting with at the lunch. “We can all keep you busy for a while and get rid of some of that tension.”

She reached up to put her hands on his shoulders and he’d had enough. Quinn bared his fangs and snarled at her, leaning in and putting his face level with hers. He could feel Imperator’s eyes on him, but he didn’t care. He grabbed her wrists and held them.

“Did you not pay attention to the lessons you had about the ghouls, Sister? You do not touch ghouls without their permission. They are likely to bite.”

Her pupils dilated and she smiled. He could feel the excitement wafting from her, and it made him shudder. What was it about these stupid human women and their obsession with danger? Surely she realised she should not provoke an obviously pissed off ghoul? Did they not know the damage a ghoul could do to them if they pushed one too hard? They were completely oblivious, no survival instincts whatsoever, especially when alcohol was involved.

He firmly walked her back to her table, still gripping her wrists, and sat her down. He noticed Imperator marching over from the corner of his eye and he sighed, looking up at her. She looked extremely pissed off at him and it irked him she'd stood back and let them be harassed whilst they were supposed to be there to protect the Sisters from threats.

Quinn turned his back on the woman he’d just sat at the table and he looked towards Imperator who had her angry stare trained on him.

The Sister at the table chose that moment to grope his ass and he snapped. He turned on her and grabbed her by the throat, snarling in her face. This time she had the common sense to show genuine fear and the room went silent.

Air ran over and dragged him away. Imperator ran to the Sister, exaggeratedly checking her to make sure she was okay.

“Quinn! What’s gotten into you?” he gritted out. “Secondo is going to be pissed when he finds out about this!”

Quinn shrugged out of Air’s grip and stormed out into the corridor. He couldn’t go too far because he was still on duty and it made him growl in frustration. The dining hall door swung open and he tried to rein in his temper as he sensed Imperator. She was exactly the wrong person to deal with this.

She stood before him with her hands on her hips.

“You’ve gone too far this time, ghoul. No wonder you’ve fallen out of favour with Secondo lately.”

Quinn scowled at her.

“What are you talking about, Imperator?”

“Sister Imperator,” she hissed. “I’ve noticed that he has been giving you all the menial jobs lately. You must have done something to piss him off. No wonder if this is the way you act regularly!”

“That’s none of your business, Sister.”

“It is my business when you act that way towards my colleagues and my charges. Papa will hear about this the second we get back to the Abbey.”

Quinn growled again.

“It was a lapse of concentration. There is no need to involve Secondo.”

A calculating gleam shone in Imperator’s eyes.

“Oh really? And why is that ghoul? Would you be worried about his reaction? You don’t strike me as the type to let things like that bother you usually.”

He scowled at her and dropped his eyes, letting out a defeated sigh.

“Usually it wouldn’t. But I am on my final warning.”

Her eyebrows shot up and she pursed her lips. She reached out and ran a hand down his biceps. It took everything he had to repress the shudder that tried to run through him.

“Well, ghoul. I’m sure we can come to some kind of arrangement about this. You have probably been under a lot of stress lately. Maybe you need a reassignment. I could use some muscle now and then.” Quinn raised his eyes to hers again, and she smiled at him. She meant it to be reassuring, but it was the smile of a predator. The smile of someone who thinks they’ve just got exactly what they wanted. He nodded sharply, and she smiled wider. “Well, then. Secondo doesn’t need to know about this, does he?”

She tapped the tip of his nose with a perfectly manicured index finger, and he flinched.

The door swung open again, and Air poked his head out.

“Are we leaving, Sister? We need to get back.”

She smiled sweetly at him and nodded.

“Thank you, ghoul. Yes, we are leaving. I will just say goodbye to the others and then we can make our way back.”

He opened the door for her, and she stepped back into the dining room.

“Did she buy it?” Air asked him when she was out of earshot.

“Yes,” Quinn replied.

Air grimaced, but he nodded, and Quinn let out a breath. Secondo was right; he would definitely not enjoy this assignment.

Chapter Text

The ride back to the Abbey was awkward, much the same as the drive to the hotel earlier. Air drove and Quinn was in the back with Imperator. He scanned the view of the city streets as they went, but he could feel Imperator’s eyes on him.

“We got off on the wrong foot all those years ago, ghoul.” He gave her a sideways glance, but stayed silent. She looked over to Air. “I’m sure you do not want to get your pack mate into trouble, air ghoul. So we shall keep his little outburst amongst ourselves, yes? I have already smoothed it over with the Sister in question. She will not cause us any issues. Are you going to cause us any issues?”

Air met Quinn’s eyes through the rear-view mirror and shook his head.

“Secondo has been on a short fuse lately. The whole Ghoul Council thing has taken it out of him. He is stressed, so it would be in everyone’s best interests to keep the peace.” She nodded in satisfaction. Ever the one to embellish a story, Air quietly added: “He can be very creative with his punishments sometimes.”

He said it in the way someone who was downtrodden and used to being harshly punished might say it. Quinn growled as if to shut him up and he felt Imperator’s interest at that little nugget of information that she had never been privy to before.

“Are you the ghoul who is related to the new Prime Ghoul?” she asked Air.

Quinn rolled his eyes, and Air smiled a genuine smile at her. As predicted, he had been gloating to the others about his family’s newfound status in the ghoul world.

“Yes, Sister. Boreas is my big brother. The vote was a landslide victory.”

Quinn watched as she looked Air up and down, reappraising him with fresh eyes. The way she surveyed him made Quinn think maybe she would revisit past mistakes in his case after all, and it made him smirk. It was too late now though. The ball was already rolling and he couldn’t back out of their plan, much to his annoyance.

“Well, isn’t that nice?” She turned her attention back to Quinn. “I will put in a request to Papa for your services because of your exemplary duty today. I’m sure he will accommodate me in my desires.”

Quinn could feel Air’s amusement at the way she emphasised that last word and he glared a death stare at him. The air ghoul was having way too much fun with this.

“Thank you, Sister,” he gritted out.

She swung her eyes to him.

“Don’t sound so happy about it, ghoul, will you? I know you won't cause me any further trouble. I’m sure that my little punishments would be much more preferable than Secondo’s.”

He knew for certain that she was wrong about that, but he kept his mouth shut.

She dismissed them once they’d arrived back at the Abbey and escorted her up to her office. They headed to Secondo’s study.

“I think I need a shower. With some bleach,” Quinn said as they walked. That shudder he’d repressed earlier hit him full force.

Air snorted a laugh and smacked him on the shoulder.

“Oh, you are in for a treat, my friend.”

“It won’t get that far, I’m sure.”

Air grinned at him.

“I wouldn’t bet on it.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “I wonder what odds Fire would give us on that bet?”

“Don’t even fucking think about it, Air!” Quinn growled and Air laughed again.

Quinn knocked on the study door and they walked in. Secondo was at his desk, and Earth was on his usual bodyguard duty. He was the preferred ghoul as the main bodyguard, for obvious reasons. Just the sheer size of him was enough to put most people off trying anything against Papa.

“Welcome back. I hope your afternoon wasn’t too tedious?”

Quinn noticed the amusement on his face, but he chose to ignore it.

“It went to plan. The seeds have been sown. She said she will put in a request for some extra duties for me.”

Air couldn’t hide his smirk this time. Secondo sighed.

“I will leave this up to your discretion how you want to handle it. I feel bad asking you to do it, but this is the one area that we know she has a weakness in. We can reassess if it becomes too much for you.”

Quinn scowled when he saw Earth’s grin.

“She’s a lot to handle, or so I’ve heard,” he said as he looked at Air.

Secondo coughed, and his brows rose in surprise.

“Sorry, Papa,” Air said, clearly having just thought about his little 'scientific' encounter with Imperator.

Quinn was so glad that he couldn’t read minds at that moment.

Secondo scowled and all three ghouls tried their best not to laugh.

“Well. I suppose I will have to rearrange the schedules so that she can borrow you. I am very sorry about this, Quinn, but the safety of that boy is paramount. It is clear my father has been less than careful in his choice of bed partners. As far as I know, he is completely unaware of the boy’s existence.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and Quinn felt sorry for him.

Papa Nihil, Primo, Secondo and Terzo’s father, was a dick. From what Quinn had gathered since he’d been here, he had never been there for his progeny aside from the basic Clergy training and giving them all major daddy issues.

His ghouls were also not the most pleasant creatures and, thankfully, they kept away from everyone else. They had their own building on the Abbey’s grounds and didn’t mix with anyone unless ceremony dictated it. They were all coming to the end of their lives now, anyway. Two of them had died in the last five years - the fire and the air ghouls - but their loss had not been mourned the way any of the other ghouls would be.

“It is probably in the boy’s best interests that it remains that way,” Quinn said, and Secondo nodded.

“Si. It is bad enough that he has that woman for a mother. But at least we have the final say in his upbringing. He has excelled in his studies in Italy. He shows much promise.” All the ghouls nodded. “We just need to ensure we can keep her away from him. I will put him in the care of a trusted Cardinal so that he is out of Imperator’s view but close enough for me to keep an eye on.”

Secondo looked tired. The last few years had taken its toll on him, dealing with the Ghoul Council issues and the Clergy. Quinn knew he had begun to begrudge his duties as Papa, but he carried on regardless.

“Do you need anything else from us, Papa?” Air asked. “Are you taking the evening off?”

Secondo nodded.

“Si, I am having an early night tonight. Thank you for your concern, Air.”

He dismissed them, and they headed to the canteen to get something to eat. They’d skipped lunch for the function duty and Quinn was hungry. It was quiet, but there were a few Siblings there getting an early dinner.

Quinn noticed Sister Martha sitting in amongst a group and he studiously ignored the way her eyes strayed to him when she saw him. She still had flashes of anger sometimes, even five years after his rejection of her, and tonight was no exception. He sighed and grabbed some pasta and vegetables to take back to the lair. Air took twice as much as he had, adding burgers and desserts to his pile.

“I seriously can't understand how you don’t like this?” Quinn looked at him, confused. He gestured to the plate of sweet things. “The pudding, the cake. That’s the best part.”

He scrunched his nose. They were way too sweet for him.

“Just because you will eat absolutely anything, Air. Imperator included.”

Air barked out a laugh, and all eyes in the canteen swung to them. He quickly put his serious public face back on and scowled at the Siblings who looked away again.

“I will get you back for that one. Just you wait,” Air said under his breath.

They ate in the kitchen at the lair. Quinn could hear Fire and Water having some kind of argument in their room, and he tried not to listen too closely. Before long, though, the door opened and Fire stormed out, slamming it behind him.

“You okay?” Quinn called out after him as he headed for the exit.

The fire ghoul held up his hand and shook his head. He carried on walking. He was beyond angry, and Quinn left him to it. Air looked at him, shocked.

“Trouble in paradise.” Quinn frowned. They never argued. In over ten years of him being here, he didn’t remember Fire being angry at Water like this, or vice versa. It must be something big. “Should we see if Water is okay?”

Quinn reached out with his senses and he could feel that the Water ghoul was angry too, but he also felt guilty about something.

“Maybe not. He’ll come to us if he needs us, I’m sure.”

“I think I’ll check in on him anyway,” Air said and Quinn sighed.

“Well, I’m not getting involved tonight. I’m going to have that shower and go to bed.”

Air looked disappointed.

“Oh. Are you not spending the night at mine?”

Quinn frowned.

“Sorry, Air, I just want to be on my own tonight.”

The air ghoul shrugged and nodded, and they went their separate ways.

Chapter Text

It was a few weeks before Quinn found his bearings in Andras’ fortress. The persistent pain of losing Ashtoreth, Lyssa and Zaya was all that kept him going some days, the promise to them he was doing this to claim revenge for them. Andras had kept him in a constant state of anger, never letting his mind rest from the vengeance he sought and using it to train him for what he needed to do.

Quinn didn’t think he was ready for it yet, but Andras thought differently.

The fallen angel turned demon confused him. He genuinely seemed to want to help Quinn heal from what had happened, but his methods were somewhat dubious. He seemed to lack empathy sometimes, but other times, he was a source of great comfort.

Andras placed a lot of stock in loyalty. All of his bonded warriors and his minions were fiercely loyal to him and in return he treat them well. He had built a reputation over the millennia as someone that you wouldn’t want to cross, but who would reward you handsomely for staying true to them.

Quinn had found himself confused then, when he’d woken up in chains. He wasn’t in the room allocated to him, the room that he’d fallen asleep in the previous night. From the scents of the furs he lay on, this was Andras’ personal domain.

He wracked his brains trying to think of what he’d done wrong, but he came up blank.

“Do not fear prophet, you have not angered me.”

Quinn jumped at the voice that came from across the room and whipped his head around to look at him. Andras stood from the chair he had been sitting in and approached.

“Then why am I here? Like this?”

Andras smirked, his golden eyes glowed brightly against the dim light of the candlelit room.

“You are ready to carry out your vengeance. I am happy with your performance and also with the quality of the foresight you have given me so far. Our working relationship has great potential. But... I have a couple of requirements for you. Requirements that need a little something extra on your part.”

Quinn frowned and tugged on the chains around his wrists.

“I don’t understand.”

Andras moved closer, kneeling down next to him.

“There is a little thing called free will, an obstacle that gets in my way regularly. All of my closest personal servants have submitted to my terms through their own free will. Some have been more difficult to persuade than others. Some walked away with no hard feelings, others did not. I have a feeling that you may be a difficult one to crack.”

Quinn’s heart rate picked up. He didn’t like the sound of this. He had witnessed Andras and his minions trying to crack prisoners, and he never failed. Andras seemed to have a different idea of free will than the one that he had. It didn’t make any sense to him.

“But I already agreed to serve you in exchange for taking me to the witches.”

Andras smirked again and trailed his thumb along Quinn’s cheek tenderly.

“I know your character fairly well now and I admire your moral code. It is very sweet. However, you may find it at odds with some things I will require you to do. I am old-fashioned and I am stuck in my ways.” Again, Quinn was confused. “I require one hundred percent commitment from those who serve me. No questions asked. I cannot have any doubts that you will carry out my orders to the letter. The only way I can ensure that is to bond you to me.”

There had been no mention of being bonded to Andras. Quinn tried to think back over everything that had happened since Andras had found him and brought him here, everything that had been said, but he couldn’t recall any mention of being bonded to Andras. He would willingly do what was asked of him. He never went back on his word. A bond would take away some of that free will that Andras spoke of, not all, but enough.

Andras sighed an exaggerated sigh.

“I know that you have the best of intentions, prophet, but I made this mistake early on with my servants and they let me down time and time again. A bond is the only thing that will be acceptable to me. I will not be swayed. It is none negotiable.”

Quinn’s mind raced. He had planned to get his revenge, serve the minimum term for Andras, and then that would be the end of it. He didn’t want to go on without Ashtoreth and the twins. He had enough strength to get through this, but that was it. Beyond that, he saw nothing. He didn’t want to do anything beyond that except go to the Veil.

“Andras, I’m not sure a bond is something I can do. This was always going to be a temporary arrangement.”

A bond with a demon was permanent, unending, as far as he knew.

Andras crawled towards him, climbing over him so that he straddled him on all fours. Their noses were an inch apart, and Andras tilted his head.

“We shall see prophet. I believe your skills may become invaluable to me. Your visions have been more accurate than anyone else I've encountered in my long existence. I might like to keep you for a while longer than I initially anticipated.”

Quinn shook his head and tugged on the chains again. For the first time since he had come here, he doubted Andras' intentions towards him, and he feared him.

“I don’t think so, Andras. You know what I want. You know I will help you as much as I can, but I can’t go on indefinitely. I need to know that this pain will end.”

Andras sighed again and put his nose to Quinn’s.

“It is, of course, entirely your decision. Maybe tomorrow we might revisit this conversation. First, though, maybe we shall have a little fun.”

Quinn gasped as Andras’ hand found its way down between them. He hadn’t even realised he was naked until now, but it became obvious because there was no barrier between flesh on flesh. Andras crawled backwards down Quinn’s body, not breaking their eye contact.

“No! Andras? I don’t think...”

His hips bucked as Andras’ squeezed his cock, which had grown traitorously hard at the initial contact.

“Don’t think for now, prophet. Just feel. I know you have not partaken since you’ve been here. I understand the why, but it is wrong. Let me see what I can do for you.”

Quinn shook his head again and attempted to roll away, but the chains hindered his movement.

“Andras, I....”

He groaned and his eyes rolled back in his head as the demon’s mouth encased him in its wet heat. Andras licked along his slit with the end of his tongue and any protest he was about to put voice to melted away on a moan. Andras was in his head, petting him and praising him for being so good. It worked in distracting him. He lost himself and let the pleasure wash over him.

It felt foreign after all the misery and the pain of the last few weeks, and that made it so much sweeter. He grabbed onto the sensations like a drowning man clings to a life raft and just for that moment he let himself feel.

Andras was right there with him in his mind, studying his reactions, learning him. He knew everything that Quinn wanted him to do before he even knew it himself. His tongue, his teeth, his throat; they were always in the perfect position. They applied the perfect amount of pressure at just the right angle and just the right moment drive him right to the edge quickly. He felt sweat on his brow and he gripped the chains uselessly as Andras scraped his fingernails down Quinn’s abs. He tensed up, ready for the moment of just letting go, gritting his teeth and breathing harshly in anticipation.

The sensations stopped abruptly though, and Quinn growled in frustration as the pleasure shrank away again. Andras sat back on his heels and tilted his head, watching as Quinn came back down.

“What? Why?” he breathed out.

Andras tutted.

“That would be far too easy, prophet, wouldn’t it? You’re going to have to work for this. To get what you want,” he said as he glanced down at the glistening, still very much hard and aching cock that stood waiting for attention between them, “you’re going to have to give me what I want first.”

Quinn’s brain was still hazy, but as he locked eyes with Andras, it cleared. He snarled at him and felt his eyes flash with blue fire.

“What the fuck, Andras? Fuck you!”

He laughed and shook his head.

“It won’t be too long before you are asking me for that, I’m sure.”

Quinn felt his anger rising. This fucking piece of demon shit was trying to manipulate him into getting what he wanted. There was no way he would give in over something as base as a mere orgasm.

“Do your worst, angel. You won’t break me that way.”

Andras’ smile fell, and the glow in his eyes flared. Quinn’s head snapped back and his back bowed as Andras scratched around inside his brain and brought forward the memories of some of the best orgasms of his life, one after another after another. He gritted his teeth against it and glared at Andras.

“Those will pale in comparison. Be careful who you are challenging to do their worst. You have no idea of the beings I have broken this way. I always get my way eventually, however long it takes. By the time I’m done with you, you will beg for my mark.”

Quinn screamed in frustration and pulled on the chains again, but it was no use. He was at Andras’ mercy.

Andras looked on, amused for a few moments, and Quinn brought himself back under control. This was a battle of wills now, a battle that he couldn’t afford to lose.

“Why do you want me so badly? Why can’t you just accept my word?”

Andras leaned forwards again, the glint in his eye was one of pure determination.

“Where is the fun in that?” he said as he leaned over and picked up where he’d left off.

____

Quinn had lost track of time when Andras decided that they both deserved a break. It must have been early morning if the pale light that streamed through the window was anything to go by.

Not that he cared about that.

All that mattered now was getting through the next ordeal. He couldn’t even remember why he was resisting. Each time Andras brought him right to the edge, the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he somehow bit them back. He knew it was important, though, and that was the only thing that kept him going.

He tried to catch his breath. His eyes were closed and a sheen of sweat covered his skin. The breeze from the window was maddening. His whole body was hyper sensitive and every current of air that brushed over him had him arching up towards it, trying to find some kind of friction, some kind of relief.

“Here, drink this,” Andras said, placing a cup to his lips. He turned his head away at first, but then something took over and he gratefully drank the water that was offered. Andras brushed the strands of sweat soaked hair from his forehead and he opened his eyes, looking into the stare that now haunted him. “Are you ready to renegotiate prophet? Are you ready to give me what I want? Just say the word and I will make it happen.”

Quinn spat out his mouthful of water, and it hit him in the face. Andras snarled and pinned him down, wrapping a hand around his throat. Quinn’s body arched into the touch of its own volition, and he saw the look of satisfaction in the demon’s eyes. He was careful to avoid allowing Quinn to get too close, though. He didn’t want this to end too prematurely. Even that was too much contact, and Quinn cried out in frustration once again.

“No!” he growled. “No!”

“Pity,” Andras said nonchalantly. “I have business to attend to today and I’d hoped to get this wrapped up by then, so I will have to leave you here. I shall return by nightfall and we will resume our negotiations.” He raked his gaze down Quinn’s body and smiled. “Don’t worry though, I wouldn’t leave you alone when you’re in this sorry state. I’ve asked a friend to look in on you.” Quinn frowned. At least he would have a break, he thought. He could sleep. At least if he slept, he could rest his mind and strengthen it. He could ignore the pain of the ache that his body was undergoing. Andras, of course, read his thoughts; Quinn was too weak by now to put up any kind of mental shield against it. “Oh, I wouldn’t bank on that prophet. My friend can be rather demanding, I’m afraid. I doubt you will do much sleeping.”

Andras turned and walked away, and Quinn felt tears gathering in his eyes. He blinked them away and let his anger push through the haze that he felt. He wouldn’t give in to this, he couldn’t. 

Quinn thrashed around, trying to do something, anything, to relieve the ache and make this stop before Andras came back.

“Look at this,” a female voice said, cutting through his frustrations and bringing him back towards his senses.

He looked over to the door where Andras had left a few minutes ago. Or maybe a couple of hours ago? He didn’t know. Time was blurring into itself now and he didn’t have the energy to think about it.

Quinn groaned when he realised what she was. Of course, Andras would send a fucking succubus to look after him while he was away. He heard a giggle escape his throat and before too long; it had turned to hysterical laughter.

“I see we are at this stage, then. Well.” She approached and straddled his waist. He hissed as her thigh brushed the oh so sensitive head of his cock, shocking him out of his hysteria. She smiled down at him sympathetically. “Poor thing. Look how Andras has left you wanting. Just remember, I’m here to look after you, not to break you. I’m sure we will have some fun all the same.”

He could feel her magic working on him, and she wasn’t even trying. A succubus fed off sexual energy and could incite lust in whoever they chose to. She wasn’t doing anything other than petting his skin right now, though, but he could still feel himself wanting her and what she could give him.

“Please,” he whispered. It was his voice, but he didn’t realise he’d said it.

He clamped his lips shut and his eyes widened.

She looked down at him and shook her head.

“No ghoul. No.” She looked him in the eye and a sly smile grew. Quinn felt her looking for something in his memories. She couldn’t do it in the same way Andras could, but she could find his intimate memories and she could change them. His eyes widened as his addled brain caught up and he realised what kind of fun she might have planned for him.

“No, please, leave them be!”

She smirked at him and shook her head slowly; her smile widening as she obviously found what she was looking for.

“Oh, she was pretty, wasn’t she?” Quinn screamed in frustration, trying to block her out, but it was no use. She’d called up a memory of Ashtoreth and it played in the background of his mind, making his heart clench. “A little vanilla, though, a little predictable, but we can fix that. Love can be so boring. ‘Oh please, Mr. Big Strong Ghoul, give it to me harder.’”

She cackled, and Quinn bared his fangs at her.

“Don’t you fucking touch them!” he snarled. " You leave them as they are!”

She stroked a hand down the side of his face and shook her head again.

“Andras told me to keep you entertained while he was gone, and that is what I shall do. He never told me you would be so delicious. I’m going to have a lot of fun with you.” She raked her fingers through his hair, and he hissed and tried to move away from her touch. “Hold still, ghoul.”

She placed her hands gently on his temples and a snarl died in his throat as suddenly it was Ashtoreth looking down at him with a half smile playing on her lips. They were in their bed in the cottage by the lake. His snarl turned to a whimper and he tried to move his hands to reach for her, forgetting about the chains. Her eyes moved to them and then back down to his face.

“Well, well, quintessence, it seems you are ever so slightly tied up.” She chuckled at her little joke. “Whatever shall we do with you?”

He swallowed and gave her a slow smile, forgetting the events that lead up to this moment. There were only the two of them in the here and now. She moved backwards down his body and his eyes took in her naked form as she sat back and looked at him. The hunger in her gaze had him panting with the anticipation of what she would do to him whilst he lay there, helpless and subject to her whims.

He frowned though as she changed back into the red-haired succubus, and the memory melted away along with his fleeting moment of happiness.

“So now that we have a baseline, let’s see what we can do,” she said, not to him; she was talking to herself.

For the next few hours, the succubus used her powers to keep him wanting. She didn’t even need to touch him to bring him close to orgasm and then snatch it away at the last second, using his memories to do it. She tormented him with Ashtoreth and their time together, but she took what they’d had and twisted it into something dark.

Ashtoreth had liked the fact that he was bigger than her and stronger than her. It had played a big part in their sexual dynamics. She was feisty in her everyday life, but when they were alone, she mostly liked him to take control. Mostly. There were times he would lie back and let her do as she wished, but she didn’t need that too often.

Now though, as the memories came one after another, every time he was about to reach his peak, something would change. Yes, he could be rough and yes, that’s how Ashtoreth had wanted him, but the succubus changed all that. At the last second, she tweaked it so that the moans of pleasure became pained gasps and sobs. His name escaping her lips became protests at being used the way she was and he pulled back, wracked with guilt at hurting her or going too far and scaring her. The memories became tainted.

The sound of angry voices ripped Quinn back to the present moment. It took him a minute to focus his eyes, as they were gritty and filled with tears. His cheeks were wet and there was a lump in his throat from the sobs that he was still experiencing.

“What the fuck did you do to him?”

It was Andras. Quinn felt a hand on his forehead and the fallen angel cursed. The succubus screeched as Andras dragged her away by her hair. She cried and grovelled at his feet.

“I was only having some fun, Andras! You said to keep him on the edge and that’s what I did!”

“I did not tell you to go poking around in his memories! You’ve damaged him now! Look at him!” he snarled, shaking her by the hair.

She gripped his wrist, trying to relieve the pressure on her scalp.

“I did as you asked! How can you blame me for this? You should have warned me what he was like!”

Andras dragged her over to Quinn and forced her to her knees.

“Put him back to how he was,” he gritted out.

“I can’t! You know what that will do to me!”

“You should be more worried about what I will do to you! Put. Him. Back!”

She cried and begged, but Andras was having none of it. He forced her hand onto Quinn’s temple, and his vision went white for a few seconds. It felt like a vision, but it was the memories she’d changed, rearranging themselves back to how they were.

The last thing Quinn saw before he lost consciousness was the succubus curled in on herself on the floor, wracked with shivers and weeping.

___

Quinn came awake on a groan. The feel of Andras’ lips around his cock again had him squirming and trying to get away. He was exhausted and he couldn’t think straight. His world had narrowed to a sharp focus that centred around what the fallen angel was doing to him. He didn’t know what he wanted anymore other than he just wanted it to end. He wanted completion.

Quinn panted, thinking maybe this time Andras would have mercy, maybe this time he would allow him to finish.

He didn’t .

“Please! Please just let me... I... I can’t, I just need to...”

“What do you need, prophet?” Andras said as he sat up.

Quinn sobbed. He couldn’t even form a full sentence, he just wanted the ache to stop. Every touch to his skin was like razor blades, every drag of Andras’ tongue against him was like sandpaper, and he just needed the release. He was babbling. Knew that much. He could hear the needy tone of his voice begging Andras to finish him.

“I... Please... Just... Please...”

“You’ve been so very good and you’re asking me so nicely. Are you telling me you agree to become mine? Is that what you’re saying?” Andras moved Quinn onto his side and lay down behind him. He rested his chin on his shoulder and spoke next to his ear. “Say the words. Say the words and I will finish this. You will not want any more. Will you bond with me and agree to my terms?”

Quinn whimpered, and Andras ran his hand down the side of his torso, stroking gently.

“I... Please, make it stop.”

“Say the words.”

“Yes. I will bond with you. Please Andras... Please,” he breathed out in a whisper. 

It turned to a gasp as Andras probed his ass with two long fingers.

“That’s all I wanted to hear,” he crooned. “We can set the terms now, yes? How do you want me to finish this, prophet?”

He slowly dragged his fingers in and out, and Quinn was panting and hurtling back towards the precipice in no time as his fingers curled inside of him. He could feel Andras hard against his back and he moaned when he thought about it, thought about how it would feel to be fucked by that.

“Please, Andras. Please... Just fuck me. Please...”

The fingers were removed and replaced. Andras buried himself into Quinn, growling low in his ear. He didn’t even need for his cock to be touched. He was so sensitive that this new feeling was enough. This was it. He could feel himself falling and he wept with the relief of it.

“That’s it. I’ve got what I want, now you get what you want. Let go. Cum for me.”

Quinn sobbed as he came. He was so tense he thought something would snap as Andras fucked him. The release was sublime and he broke apart.

He was no longer himself. He needed nothing now, except for Andras.

The fallen angel was whispering the terms of their deal in his ear and he nodded and murmured his agreement. He couldn't process the words, but he knew he could trust Andras. 

Andras loved him. He wouldn’t do anything that wouldn’t benefit him, so it was all good. They could go over the details later.

He felt a burning pain at his hip underneath Andras' palm and he bit down into Quinn's shoulder with his perfectly flat teeth. The burning in his skin intensified and Andras whispered sweet nothings to him, praising him and reassuring him and guiding him through it.

He felt his need building again as Andras lost himself. The words that spilled from his mouth next to Quinn’s ear were foreign to him, but he knew what they meant. Andras spoke them in his mother tongue, sealing Quinn’s fate as their bond clicked into place.

Quinn passed out for a few seconds just as the peak of his pleasure hit. He woke to Andras petting the demon brand that he’d left on the skin inside of Quinn’s hipbone. He drew his fingers along the intricate lines, and Quinn could feel him smiling against his skin as he pulled him closer.

“You did well, prophet. You gave me more of a challenge than most. I didn’t doubt that you would.” He nuzzled Quinn’s neck and kissed the skin just under his jaw. “Rest now. I will look after you. You will need your strength for what lies ahead.”

Quinn sighed and felt his eyelids growing heavier. He snuggled back towards the warm body behind him. Andras felt like safety, and he felt like home, and Quinn wished he could stay there like this forever.

He felt content and basked in the glow of it for the first time since they took Ashtoreth and the girls from him.

Chapter Text

The early hours were Quinn’s favourite time to wander the gothic hallways of the Abbey. In all the years he’d been here now, he could count on one hand the amount of times he’d encountered anyone else except security guards in the small hours of the night.

When he’d woken from the dream of the memory of his being bonded to Andras, he had needed to do something, anything, so he’d thrown on his jeans and left the lair. He didn’t have a destination in mind, he just walked. There were plenty of corridors to get lost in, so he let his mind wander while his feet carried him aimlessly. He scratched the skin of the mark Andras had left on him. Thinking about that time always made it itch as if it had just been branded into his skin, even though it was healed by centuries now.

Quinn missed Andras, he supposed. The demon had made the decision to retire from his warmongering and his revenge seeking and he’d settled down; as much as a demon could settle. He must have gotten some kind of happiness anyway, as Quinn had not heard from him or of him since they’d parted ways. He hoped Andras had finally found some peace in his long life.

When he came out of his thoughts, Quinn realised he was walking towards the apothecary and the wing that belonged to the Clergy witches. He carried on walking past and headed to the small chapel at the end of the hallway that the witches used. He always found it peaceful here, so he let himself in and knelt on the floor in front of the basalt statue of Baphomet that sat on the stone altar.

Quinn said a prayer and dropped his head, closing his eyes and letting his mind go quiet for a while. The ether, bitch that she was, gave him some useless but also significant visions that took place way in the future. What he was shown could not be changed, but its implications for the Clergy were significant. There were not enough details for him to warn anyone, and he sighed in frustration, trying not to ruin his peace by getting angry at fate again.

A blue eyed, dark-haired witch, a fiery demon, what he thought was an angel but couldn’t be sure because the image was fuzzy. Terzo weeping and Alpha’s heart breaking. They were just snippets here and there, but they were enough to sour his mood.

It was dawn by now and the newly risen sun streamed in through the windows of the chapel. He stood and stretched his muscles, sensing another presence in the room.

“Good morning Quinn. What a glorious day it looks like it will be," Anya said from the doorway.

Quinn turned around and smirked at her. The Russian witch took in his naked torso and sighed. They played this game sometimes. She liked to tease him and he teased her right back. She was happily married with children and she knew he didn’t mix with others too much, but that didn’t stop their harmless flirting.

“It just got a whole lot better, Anya,” he said with a lazy smile as he looked her up and down.

She grinned at him and came over.

“What are you doing here so early? The sun has barely risen and it looks like you’ve been here a while, the way you stretched like a cat there.” She reached out to touch his arm and he flinched, causing her to frown at him. “What is it?”

Quinn studied her for a second. The fleeting vision was too quick for him to see but it was something to do with the one he had just had.

“Is everything okay with you, Anya?”

She looked confused.

“Why, yes? What makes you ask me that?”

He shook his head.

“No reason.”

She frowned, but it soon turned back into a smile.

“I was going to find you later, anyway. Are you on duty today?”

“No, I have two days off.”

“I was going to ask if you wanted to come with me to the city. I need to call in to our supply store and I thought you might like to go.”

He smiled. He hadn’t been to the store since Madam Bucur had died about eight years back. The elderly human had a touch of foresight and had made her living telling fortunes and reading Tarot from her shop in the city. Her granddaughter Zoe had taken over the running of the store, and they supplied the abbey with many of the ingredients they needed for their rituals and spells. It would be nice to see what was going on there.

“Okay, I’ll get one of the other ghouls to drive us there. What time did you want to go?”

They agreed to meet at nine thirty after they’d both had breakfast and got ready.

Earth and Air were eating breakfast in the lair. Earth had just finished his shift and was heading to bed after he’d eaten. Air volunteered to drive Quinn and Anya, but Earth shook his head.

“Did you forget what Secondo told you already? You two are split up, so you can’t leave the Abbey together. I can drive them.”

“This isn’t fair. It’s practically work!” Air whined.

“Get over it, Air. You break the rules, you suffer the consequences,” Earth said in that annoyingly self-righteous way of his.

“You should rest, Earth. I’m sure Fire or Water can take us,” Quinn said.

“It’s fine. I don’t feel sleepy yet, anyway. It will only take a couple of hours. I can go to bed when we get back.”

Quinn shrugged.

“If you’re sure?”

Earth nodded.

“I’ll go change.”

Quinn grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to his room to get dressed properly. It was another warm spring day so he left his jacket behind and just wore his jeans and a long-sleeved top.

Earth and Quinn walked down through the Abbey to meet Anya in the foyer.

“Did you decide which design you wanted for your tattoo?” Earth asked him.

Quinn nodded. Earth had a talent for art and he’d done tattoos on a few of the ghouls over the years. Quinn had added a couple since he’d been here. He had the basic protection tattoo that Secondo insisted all of his ghouls had to ward off certain types of magic and possessions. Earth had enhanced his collection of runes and other magical symbols by adding some more, besides the ones he already had from his life before he was summoned to Earth.

Since the rogue Council had be-spelled him, he had added some extra protection sigils to his body with the hope of preventing the same thing from happening again. Secondo and Anya had helped with the design of them.

The one he planned to get this time was more of a personal one than a functional one, though. Three stars to represent Ashtoreth, Zaya and Lyssa. Earth had done a few sketches for him and he’d chosen one. They just needed to find the time to do it now. It wouldn’t take long because it would be small.

They took one of the fancier town cars from the garage; Anya liked to travel in style, so Earth picked the nicest one for her. The drive didn’t take long and they parked up around the corner from the store.

Even though the little shop had prospered since becoming the Abbey’s main supplier, Zoe had not felt tempted to move to bigger premises. It still retained its charm and hadn’t changed much since the day Quinn and Air had walked through the door not too long after his summoning.

The bell above the door jangled as they entered and Zoe looked up from the invoice book she was pawing over behind the counter. She smiled when she saw Anya and Quinn. Zoe had grown up so much since the first time he’d seen her, working here as a teenager for her grandmother. She must have been about twenty-seven or twenty-eight by now.

Her eyes strayed to Earth, who had never been there before, and her smile widened. Quinn smirked when he looked between the two of them and noticed the spark of compatibility that he sometimes saw when people first met each other. From the way Earth’s eyes flashed with their green glow, the big ghoul had noticed it too.

This would be fun.

Zoe came around from behind the counter to give Anya a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Zoe, you are looking so well! Beautiful as always,” Anya said, and she turned to the two ghouls and smiled. “You know Quinn already, and this is Earth, another of Secondo’s ghouls.”

Quinn gave her a small wave and watched as the usually brash and confident earth ghoul dissolved into a bag of nerves.

“Hi, good to meet you,” she said.

Earth just stared at her, and Quinn nudged him.

“You’re supposed to answer her, Earth.”

He growled at Quinn but then caught himself and turned back to Anya and Zoe, who were looking at him expectantly.

“You too. Nice... Beautiful... Uhm...”

He cursed under his breath, and Quinn chuckled, revelling in his discomfort.

The awkward moment broke when a girl, no older than seven or eight, ran in from the back room and threw herself at Zoe, putting her arms around her and burying her face in her cardigan. She was like a miniature version of her with the same black hair and dark eyes.

Quinn had known that Zoe had a child after her grandmother died, but he’d never met her before. He tilted his head when he saw her, though. She caught his interest.

As far as he could tell, Zoe hadn’t inherited Madam Bucur’s foresight, but this little human maybe had a very small touch of it. She had something else, which made Quinn wonder who her father was. She definitely had some old human magic in her, not from this continent, though, from the other side of the ocean.

“Helena! What’s wrong?” Zoe said as she crouched down, putting her level with the girl.

“Mamaie told me off.”

Zoe laughed nervously.

“Sweetie, I told you not to play with Grandma’s things, didn’t I?”

The girl nodded and looked over at them. Her eyes widened when she saw Quinn and Earth, and they smiled at her. Quinn was careful not to show his fangs as he got the feeling that she could see through their human glamour, just as Madam Bucur could.

“Momma? Why do those men have horns?”

So she had definitely inherited something from her great-grandmother then, Quinn thought. Earth narrowed his eyes at her and she broke away from her mother and walked towards them, coming to a stop in front of Earth.

“Erm... I’m sorry, she’s got a vivid imagination,” Zoe said, trying to cover for her.

“She takes after her great-grandmother then," Quinn said with amusement.

Zoe looked over at him and let out a long-suffering sigh.

“In so many ways," she said as she shook her head.

Earth was standing very still and it was obvious to Quinn that he was nervous around the human kit. He didn’t quite know what to do. He’d noticed that Earth was sometimes self conscious about his size and his strength when he was in the human world. He was sure that most people wouldn’t pick up on it, but Quinn had the extra sight and he instinctively knew what people’s insecurities were.

The big ghoul was worried about scaring the girl, but he didn’t need to be. She looked up at him with a frown on her face.

“Why are you so big?”

Earth flicked his eyes to Quinn, who smirked at him, and then back to the girl.

“Helena!” Zoe admonished. She looked at Earth apologetically. “I’m sorry. She pretty much just says what she’s thinking.”

Earth smiled at her and chuckled.

“Sounds like someone I know.” He looked down at Helena. “I’m an earth ghoul. We're usually pretty big.”

She seemed satisfied with that and shrugged.

“Cool. I like your eyes. They’re pretty when they glow.”

Earth actually blushed, and Quinn couldn’t contain the grin that spread across his face. This was priceless. He couldn’t wait to tell the others about it.

“Thank you,” he said and he breathed a sigh of relief when Helena moved her attention back to Zoe.

Anya went about her business with Zoe, who was showing her some of the new stock they had recently got and Anya seemed pleased. Quinn picked up a few things that he was running low on and Earth also bought some bits and pieces.

“Add them to the Clergy’s account,” Anya said.

“It’s fine, Anya, we can buy them ourselves,” Earth insisted.

Zoe rang them up and went back to finish off with Anya. When they were done, they got ready to leave.

“Are you busy tonight, Zoe?” Quinn asked and he felt Earth’s anger at him, thinking that he was moving in on the human. He knew she was not with Helena’s father anymore and if the vision he just had was correct, she would definitely be interested in seeing Earth.

“Well, no...,” she said, looking at Earth. “I can’t really do anything, though, as I don’t have a babysitter.”

“There is a gathering at the Abbey tonight with drinks and food in the gardens,” he said. It was Primo’s birthday and his ghouls and some Siblings had arranged a little celebration for him. “There will be other children there. Maybe Earth can show you both around the Abbey if you’d like to come?”

He figured they already knew what they were, so there should be no problem with an outsider being there amongst the other ghouls.

Zoe’s face lit up, but Helena spoke up before she could answer.

“Will there be more ghouls there?” Quinn nodded and she grinned as she glanced back at her mother. “Can we go? It sounds like fun.”

Zoe looked back to Earth, who seemed to be lost for words.

“Is that okay with you? We don’t want to be any trouble.”

He nodded.

“No problem.” He gave Quinn a sideways glance. “No problem at all.”

Quinn turned his back on them and walked outside with a smile on his face. He knew he was going to be in trouble with Earth now for putting him on the spot like that, but he was so stubborn. If Quinn hadn’t intervened, it would have been months before he actually worked up the nerve to ask her out. He just hoped that the earth ghoul didn’t fuck it up tonight.

Quinn chuckled to himself, thinking about all the shit Air was going to give Earth when he heard about this. 

Chapter Text

As predicted, Earth was not happy and he made it known as they walked back to the lair from the garages.

“I wish you hadn’t interfered. If I’d wanted to ask her out, I would have.”

“What are you complaining about? I got you a date. You should thank me, not bitch at me!”

“I can get my own dates, Quinn! I don’t need you setting me up with random humans.”

“Don’t give me that! Have you forgotten what I am? I can see it plain as day. You two fit together perfectly. I saw the way you reacted to her, and her to you. What’s the problem?”

Earth scowled.

“She’s human.”

“So? What’s your issue? She’s clever, she's beautiful and I can sense what a good person she is. It was obvious she wants to fuck you. Why let a little thing like her being human get in the way of it?”

Earth snorted.

“Seriously? You are trying to give me lectures about my love life. You, of all ghouls? I see everything that goes on around here and even Nihil’s ghouls get more action than you do. There’s no way you can lecture me on dating humans when your list of hang-ups is a mile long. You may as well just bond to Air and be done with it.”

Quinn stopped walking and growled at Earth. It took so much effort not to jump the ghoul in the middle of the corridor and lay into him.

“That’s fucking low, Earth. What the fuck? I was trying to help you and this is the thanks I get? You’re such a fucking prick. Satanas forbid that you’d find happiness with your mate and have a few extra months of it because of my interfering!”

He stormed off ahead and swung open the door to the lair, letting it slam behind him.

“Quinn! Wait! What did you just say?” Earth shouted after him as he followed him.

“Fuck off, Earth!” Quinn spat as he got to his room and shut the door in Earth’s face.

He realised what he’d said as he flopped down onto his bed. Shit. He shouldn’t have mentioned the mate part. The ether had shown him that Earth and Zoe could bond. Not that they would, just that they had potential to.

Earth had this way of bringing out Quinn’s temper. With anyone else, he’d have been able to keep that nugget of information to himself, but the earth ghoul infuriated him so much sometimes and it just slipped out.

He heard raised voices as Air must have heard them and come to Quinn’s defence. He tried his best to ignore it, but it was no good. Quinn sighed and went back out into the hallway, following the voices to the living room.

“Well, you must have done something to rile him up like that!”

“He deserved it! Setting me up with a human!”

Quinn felt Air’s shock before he reached the doorway.

“Wow. You? With a human?”

“It’s true," Quinn said as he stepped around the corner and into view. “He liked this one, though. And she liked him back.”

Air grinned mischievously.

“Oh, really? Earth, who stays away from humans and thinks himself better than they are?”

“I do not think that! I just...” He sighed and looked at Quinn. “I just think they’re too fragile.”

Quinn knew Earth had a couple of lower clergy ghulehs that he went to now and then when he felt the urge, but there was no relationship there. He had his pack mates as well. But now that he thought about it, he’d never scented humans on Earth before. He’d just presumed that he was private about spending time with and fucking human Siblings, but now he realised he mustn’t do it at all.

Air was about to say something, but Quinn glared at him to shut him up. It only worked for a second, though, before Air’s mouth got the better of him.

“They aren’t fragile, Earth. I know you’re rough and massive, and you’re not really the friendliest. And you’re very dom, and you growl when you don’t get your own way... Yeah, I forgot where I was going with that.”

Quinn smacked Air on the arm when he felt the hurt Earth felt at his words. He didn't give any outward sign of it, though. Quinn had seen all the things Air mentioned from Earth, but he’d also experienced firsthand the loving and protective side of him. He could be an absolute dick to Quinn, like he’d just demonstrated, but he knew Quinn wouldn’t hold a grudge for long. He wouldn't be like that with everyone.

Earth was probably better suited than any of them were to dealing with humans once you got past his gruff exterior. The fact they were so helpless would bring out his protective nature, and Quinn was certain that he would be gentle if he needed to be.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Air.”

“What? I’m just saying. Maybe you’re right, maybe they are too fragile for you.”

Quinn could have kicked Air for pushing it because he could feel Earth pulling back from this. He tried to send him some mojo to make him feel better about it whilst glaring at Air again, who was completely oblivious to the turmoil his words had just caused.

Earth shook his head sadly and went off to his room.

“Fucking hell, Air!” Quinn said when he was out of earshot.

The ghoul looked confused.

“What?”

“You can be so clueless sometimes! That human could be the answer to our prayers! Imagine how much more chilled out he’d be if he was hopelessly in love.”

Air snorted.

“Earth? In love? Can you seriously see that? It’ll never happen.”

If the snippet of vision that Quinn had earlier was anything to go by, then Air was so wrong about that.

“Do I smell a bet?” Quinn grinned.

Air narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“This is going to be a bet I’ll lose, isn’t it? What did you see?”

Quinn shrugged.

“Nothing too epic.”

“Oh, well. What are you up to this afternoon?”

“I said I’d help Zephyr with something.”

“Oh. Do you need a hand?”

“It’s kind of a recharge thing.”

Air knew that meant it was quintessence ghoul business and he didn’t ask anything else about it.

“Okay. Maybe I’ll go check up on Water, then. He’s still pretty upset.”

Air hadn’t mentioned what Fire and Water’s argument had been about, but Quinn was sure he would find out, eventually.

The phone in the kitchen rang, and Quinn went and answered. It was Fire. Secondo wanted to speak to him so he went down to the study.

“Quinn.” Papa nodded a greeting as he entered.

“Papa. You wanted to speak to me?”

Secondo smiled a weary smile.

“Imperator put in her request to me for your services. I’ve rearranged your schedule next week. One request is security for an overnight stay for a function.”

He said it apologetically, and Quinn huffed out a breath.

“Okay.”

“I am sending Special with you as well. Terzo has okayed it. He agrees that for something like that, two ghouls would be best.” Quinn raised an eyebrow and Secondo chuckled. “For security.”

“Well, I suppose the sooner I can find out what she knows, the better.”

“Again, Quinn, I’m sorry for asking you to do this.”

Quinn shrugged.

“I have one question, though.” Secondo nodded. “If I need to, do I have your permission to use my Infernal magics? For security.”

Secondo thought about it and sighed.

“If you deem it necessary, then I will trust your judgement, but I do not want to hear reports back from Imperator of it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Papa.”

“Good. I will see you at Primo’s celebration later, yes?”

“I’ll be there. Oh, Earth invited a human woman and her kit. I hope that’s okay?” Secondo frowned. “It’s Zoe from the Stone Age store.”

“Oh, well, in that case, she is more than welcome. Earth invited her, though?”

Quinn locked down the memory from the shop and nodded.

“Yes. He seems quite taken with her.”

He heard Fire laugh from the other side of the room. He felt as surprised as Secondo was, but Secondo hid it better.

“Well. I’m sure they will have a lovely time.”

“Hopefully, he won’t mess it up.”

Secondo knew exactly what Quinn meant because he let him see the snippet of vision he’d had about Earth’s future and Secondo smiled.

“No, hopefully he won’t.”

Chapter Text

Quinn and Zephyr finished up with Primo and decided to go for a walk in the woods. It had been a couple of weeks since they’d had a proper catch up and a recharge, so the time spent together would be welcome.

Zephyr had asked for Quinn’s help with Primo because his health was gradually deteriorating and his joints had been giving him problems. He had been making himself some herbal remedies, which had helped a lot, but he needed something extra now.

Quinn’s quintessence magic was different from Zephyr’s. They’d discovered that if they both worked together to heal someone, it was much more effective with the two types of magic which complimented each other. By the time they were finished, Primo was feeling much more comfortable and had gone for a nap to sleep off the effects of the healing magic before his party.

“Maybe we should try to do a session once a week and see how that goes?” Zephyr said.

Quinn nodded.

“He might not need it that often, but we can figure it out.”

They headed to the edge of the woods to the place they’d visited every year for the past ten years. Rosie, Zephyr’s deceased mate, had shared her birthday with Primo. Every year they went there and planted a cherry blossom tree for her.

They stopped when they got to the edge of the gardens where Primo had left the sapling and the tools needed for planting.

Zephyr sighed when he saw the trees that varied in size. The leaves were teased gently by the slight breeze, and the more mature ones displayed their delicate pink flowers.

“She just loved cherry blossoms,” he said sadly. “I miss her so much, even though it’s been over ten years now. Every time I see these trees, it just makes me think of how long it’s been. I don’t think I will ever not feel like this on her birthday.”

Quinn pulled the older ghoul into a hug. He didn’t send him any quintessence though as he knew Zephyr wanted to experience the pain he felt at her loss when he came to visit her cherry blossoms. Zephyr hugged him back and they stood there like that for a while. Quinn could smell the tears that he shed and all he could do was be there for his friend.

He picked up the spade to dig the hole to plant the new tree.

“Is over here a good spot?” he asked.

Zephyr nodded.

“Perfect. When was Ashtoreth’s birthday?”

Quinn stopped what he was doing and frowned. The question was unexpected and so was the sharp stab of pain that went straight through his heart. He wracked his brains, but he couldn’t think.

“I can’t remember,” he whispered. There was only fog when he tried to recall when they had celebrated it. “It wasn’t near the solstice. Or Yule?” he said, more for his own benefit than Zephyr’s. He looked up and met Zephyr’s kind eyes. “Why can’t I remember? When did I stop remembering?”

He felt horrified. He knew he didn’t think about them as much as he had done in years gone by, but he did still think of them often. When did he stop saying a prayer for her on her birthday? For all of them? He couldn’t remember when the twins’ birthday was, either. He felt himself panicking because he realised he was forgetting certain things about them.

How could he do that? What kind of mate and sire was he that he couldn’t remember their birthdays anymore?

Zephyr could see him crumbling, and he hugged Quinn again.

“Quinn, just breathe. Be calm.” He felt Zephyr’s magic and he clung to it, letting it pierce through the haze in his mind. Zephyr chuckled. “What a pair we are. Members of the same club, the club that nobody wants to be in. I can feel you beating yourself up over this, but it was a long time ago. Memories fade.”

Quinn shook his head.

“No. They don’t. I can remember everything about her. Every fleck of blue in her eyes and every smile she gave me. So why can’t I remember this?”

He growled in frustration and started digging the hole. At least some manual labour would clear his head some.

After a little while, he heard Zephyr laughing.

“Quinn, you aren’t digging a grave, it just needs to be big enough for the tree.”

He looked at the hole he’d just dug and came to his senses, shaking his head. Zephyr was right. It was bigger than they needed.

“I’m sorry. I got a bit carried away.”

The other ghoul clapped him on the shoulder and smiled sadly.

“It’s okay child, come, let’s get this tree planted and then we can get ready for the party.”

Quinn always found it funny when Zephyr called him child as they weren’t that much different in age, but he found it strangely comforting. He supposed he looked to Zephyr as a kind of father figure, though. He hadn’t quite reached his full maturity when he had left his own sire and mother, so it had been a long, long time since he’d had someone like that in his life.

They finished the tree and knelt down in prayer for a while to thank the Dark Lord for looking out for their loved ones. They also thanked Amaymon for the ground that they used to plant it in.

The Siblings were overseeing the catering for the party, which was taking place in one of the orchards near Primo’s greenhouses. Quinn and Zephyr went to clean up and get themselves ready.

“Thank you for the help, Quinn. I can’t say that I enjoy our yearly ritual, but I appreciate you giving up your time for me and Rosie.”

“It’s the least I can do, Zephyr. There’s no need to thank me.”

“Maybe tomorrow we can plant something for your ghulehs? Primo has plenty of things to choose from. I’m sure he will give you something.”

Quinn thought about it and smiled.

“I like that idea Zephyr, thank you.”

“We can call it their birthday treat.”

He nodded and they said their goodbyes when they reached the lairs. Quinn knocked on Air’s door on his way past, but the ghoul wasn’t home, so he carried on down the hallway. He heard a door opening behind him and glanced back to see Earth poking his head out.

“Can I have a word?” he asked, and Quinn could tell he was nervous.

He turned around and walked back. Earth opened the door wide and beckoned him inside.

“You are nervous about Zoe?”

The earth ghoul nodded.

“What did you mean yesterday? Is she my mate?”

Quinn cursed. This was why he shouldn’t have let that slip.

“Look, the ether is a funny thing. Yes, I saw a vision about you and her, and yes, you were together in the future and happy. It showed me you two are potentially mates, but it isn’t set in stone. It just means that you’re compatible.”

Earth looked lost, and Quinn sighed.

“What should I do then? Do I avoid her? Or do I go after her?”

“Do what you feel, Earth. Just don’t place too much stock in the vision. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything and I feel terrible that it slipped out like that.”

“I’m just confused, is all. I haven’t thought about bonding with anyone. My life is with my pack and my Papa.”

Quinn grinned.

“That’s because you hadn’t met someone who was right for you until now. Just see how it goes. And don’t be all scary to her.”

Earth scowled.

“What does that mean?”

“Don’t think of this as a hunt. She’s human and she wouldn’t understand that like a ghuleh would. That would be too intense for her. Just be nice to her, tone it down.” Earth still looked confused. “I was going to say be yourself, but you don’t want to scare her off...”

Quinn yelped when Earth shoved him, and he fell onto the bed.

“Thanks for the pep talk, Quinn,” Earth said sarcastically.

Quinn rolled onto his back and leaned on his elbows, grinning up at him.

“Any time, Earth.”

“Will you come with me to pick her up? I said I’d get her at seven.”

Quinn stood up and nodded.

“Sure thing, big guy.”

They took the nice car again and the closer they got to the city, the more nervous Earth was. Quinn sent him some calming energy, and he nodded and grunted his thanks.

“Why do I feel so worried?”

Quinn felt guilty. It was his fault that Earth was putting too much into this.

“Because you care what she thinks of you. Look. This is just between the two of us, but whoever you end up with, I’m sure you will be a fantastic mate.” Earth gave him a sideways glance, looking sceptical. “Don’t ever expect me to get all mushy again, and if you try to tell the others what I just said, I’ll deny it.”

Earth chuckled.

“Thanks. For this. You were right and I’m grateful for you pushing me into it. And if you tell the others, I will deny it too.”

“Guess we have a stalemate then,” Quinn said with a smirk.

They arrived a few minutes early and the door that led to the apartment above the shop swung open. Helena ran out and went straight towards Earth, chattering excitedly and bombarding him with questions about what they’d do and how many ghouls would be there. Zoe rolled her eyes and shrugged an apology and Earth smiled the most genuine smile that Quinn thought he’d ever seen from him back at her.

He looked away because although he was happy for Earth and he hoped they could make something of this; it brought up unexpected memories for him and unexpected emotions.

The major surprise was the pang of jealousy that he felt at the fact that this could be the start of their journey together. He wished he could remember every vivid detail of his own courtship with Ashtoreth, and every moment of their getting to know each other, but he couldn’t.

He walked away and leant on the back of the car to wait for them to make themselves ready.

“Why are you so sad, Quinn?”

The small voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked down to see Helena staring up at him.

“I’m not sad. I’m just bored with waiting,” he replied to her, cheekily.

She narrowed her eyes as if she was trying to figure out if he was lying or not.

“Well, we’re ready to go now. So you can be happy again. Are you going to drive us?”

He shook his head.

“No, Earth is driving. You and your mother can ride in the back if you like?”

She stepped closer to him and smirked.

“I think mama wants to sit next to Earth, so will you sit with me in the back?" she whispered so that the others couldn’t hear.

“Sure, if that’s what everyone wants.”

Helena chatted to him all the way back and he humoured her. She was very smart and he could tell that when she was older, she would be powerful. He got witchy vibes from her, but he knew that her mother wasn’t a witch. She had the feel of druidic magic in her blood, and he also sensed a connection to the spirit world.

Quinn kept an eye on how it was going with Earth and Zoe and he was pleased to hear they were engaged in a conversation that didn’t seem awkward.

“Did you say there would be other kids there?” Helena asked him.

“Yes. Some of the Siblings have children. Primo teaches them about nature, so some of them will be there with their parents. There are two water ghoul kits as well.”

Her eyes widened.

“No way! Really? Are they babies? Are they cute?”

He could feel her excitement and it made him smile, remembering his own kits and how enthusiastic they would get over new things when they were young.

“I think they are maybe about five and six seasons old, so around the same age you are.”

She nodded and smiled.

“We’re here,” Earth announced as they pulled onto the Abbey’s grounds. They stopped outside the garages and he got out, opening the door for Zoe and helping her out of the car. Quinn did the same for Helena and Earth tossed him the keys. “Will you park it and I’ll take our two guests?”

“Sure. I’ll see you both later. Have fun.”

They walked off towards the orchard and Quinn took longer than he probably should have to park the car. Quinn’s driving was awkward because he wasn’t trusted to do it. He only drove on the grounds because of his visions, but Secondo had made him learn how, just in case there was ever an emergency and he needed to.

He jogged to the orchard and found Air leaning against a tree at the edge of the gathering.

Primo’s ghouls had decorated and strung strings of lights from the trees that zigzagged across overhead. The sun had almost set and there was a magical feel to the air. Everyone seemed to be having a nice time, and Primo looked well after his healing session.

“Look,” Air said. “It’s sickening.”

Quinn followed his line of sight and saw Earth and Zoe chatting under a tree. She was smiling up at him, and he looked relaxed and almost happy. Helena was playing with the other children and the kits, weaving in and out of the trees and laughing.

“It’s not sickening, Air. Just be happy for him."

Air looked over at him, his voice taking on a serious tone.

“I am, Quinn. He deserves someone to look after him. He looks after us all and we take him for granted sometimes.”

Naturally, he was correct, and Air’s confession surprised Quinn. He put the back of his hand against Air’s forehead.

“Are you feeling okay, Air?”

Air pushed his hand away playfully and handed him a beer.

“Poor human has no idea what she’s letting herself in for, does she?”

Quinn laughed and shook his head.

“Nope.”

Chapter Text

Quinn stood on the edge of the gardens as the sun rose, looking down at the flowers that he and Zephyr had planted near Rosie’s cherry blossoms. He rubbed the skin of his forearm under his elbow absentmindedly. Earth had given him the tattoo of the three stars after they’d done the planting and it was healing well already, but it was itching.

A knock on his door had woken Quinn the morning after Primo’s party. Zephyr had been standing there with two coffees and his work clothes on.

Zephyr had asked Primo what the best flowers were and he’d said crocus, as they would come back every year in the spring. When the two quintessence ghouls had got outside, he'd laid out several pots of the beautiful purple flowers ready for planting.

It hadn’t taken them long, but Quinn now had somewhere he could go when he wanted to remember his family. He knew he probably wouldn’t come here too often, but it was good to know that he could when he needed to. Zephyr was happy that they could use the same space to remember Ashtoreth, the twins, and Rosie.

He’d felt like he needed to come here today though because this was the day that he would solidify Imperator’s perceived hold over him. They were setting off in the next hour or so to drive to her function, which would take place after lunch. He and Special were acting as her security and staying the night at a hotel with her before travelling back the following evening when the function had wrapped up.

Quinn knew exactly what she would try once she finished her obligations and had some downtime at the hotel. He didn’t want to think about it, so he’d come here to watch the sun rise and lose himself for a few more minutes before he had to go into work mode.

Quinn felt a presence behind him and turned to see Secondo walking towards him. He smiled at the Papa, who was not wearing skull paints on his face this early in the day.

“Pleasant morning, si?”

Quinn nodded and sighed.

“It is. Shame that the day will not be.”

Secondo chuckled and squeezed his shoulder.

“Remember what I said, Quinn. If it is too much, then we can handle it another way. I know she can be full on and I don’t want this to be painful for you.”

Quinn closed his eyes.

Aside from their being bonded, Secondo could read all of his ghouls’ thoughts with ease if they weren’t blocking him out. He didn’t do it to pry. Sometimes it just happened. So Secondo knew more about Quinn’s reasons for the sexual partners he picked than anyone else did. He had no secrets from him anymore.

Quinn had a problem with blondes. It was superficial and he knew it was stupid, but he couldn’t help it. Ever since Ashtoreth’s murder, he’d avoided blonde females, and avoided ghulehs all together. He’d had female bed partners now and then when he served Andras, but he had avoided the blonde demonesses like the plague.

They reminded him too much of Ashtoreth.

As much as he hated to admit it, Imperator shared many of the physical characteristics that she’d had and that was probably a big factor in why he loathed her so much. Secondo was well aware of all of this, and Quinn knew he wouldn’t be angry if he refused to complete this part of his assignment.

He wanted to do it, though. He felt like he owed it to the boy.

Quinn had seen the man that he would become and the less contact he had with Imperator, the better. She would corrupt him and try to use him to further her own agendas, and he couldn’t sit back and watch that happen. He would use what he’d learned about himself in the demon realms and he would do his job for Secondo.

“I will do what needs to be done. I know it might take a while to gain her trust enough to tell me any useful information, and I’m prepared for that.”

Secondo nodded his thanks and wished him luck. They walked back to the Abbey in silence, and Quinn went to get his bag from his room before going to meet Special in the garage.

Special was odd, even for a ghoul, and Quinn loved that about him. He was on the smaller side and he was relatively shy around others. Once you got to know him, though, he was something else.

If he trusted you, then he would let rip with his full on weirdness. He had little to no social skills and he became easily obsessed with things. His brain was always active, he was a walking fount of knowledge and if you touched on one of his specialist subjects during a conversation, that was it. He could talk for hours about all kinds of random topics. He and Quinn had often spoken well into the early hours about everything from science to magic to human popular culture.

He could tone it down when he had to, though, and he could be professional. Around humans he was nervous, but he did a good job of covering it up. He’d been here on Earth for around seven years now, but he didn’t really ever mix with the Siblings. Like Quinn, he stuck with his pack and a select few other ghouls, of which Quinn was one.

“Are you ready for the big ordeal, then?” Special asked as he threw his bag into the trunk of the car they’d be using.

“Nope.”

Special laughed his nervous laugh, which was just his usual laugh, but it always sounded nervous.

“Same. At least it’s only one night, though.”

Quinn raised a brow at him.

“Have you forgotten it’s with Imperator?” Special shrugged. “Please tell me you didn’t go there with her.”

Special looked confused.

“What do you mean?”

Quinn sighed.

“With Imperator. Did she not proposition you when you first arrived?”

Special’s eyes widened, and his face burned red.

“No! Oh Satanas, no! I couldn’t think of anything worse!”

Quinn smirked. At least poor Special had been spared that little welcome to Earth treat. Maybe Secondo’s talk with Imperator all those years ago had worked and she’d left Terzo’s ghouls alone, but he doubted it very much. He once thought he’d caught her scent on Alpha, but it was just in passing and he’d never asked the ghoul about it because they weren’t that close. Maybe he should ask Omega.

Special drove the car around to the main doors of the Abbey and they climbed the stairs and walked into the foyer. Imperator stood there with an indignant look on her face.

“You are late, ghouls.”

Special looked at his watch and shook his head.

“No, we are exactly on time, Sister.”

Oh shit, Quinn thought as Imperator turned her glare to him.

“When I requested the car to be here at nine, I expected to be in the car at nine.”

She huffed and pushed past them, leaving an enormous suitcase behind.

“I’ll get it,” Quinn said, and Special ran off after Imperator to open the car door for her.

He dumped it in the trunk and climbed into the passenger seat beside Special.

“We need to be there by one p.m. at the latest, so do not dawdle, ghoul. Some of you drive like old ladies. You would think that hell beasts would have some more gumption about them.”

Quinn and Special glanced at each other and he saw the glint in the multi ghoul’s eyes.

“You heard the woman,” Quinn murmured under his breath.

They made the three and a half hour journey in just over two and a half. Special was an excellent driver, but he drove fast.

The hotel was a nice one and the Clergy had booked them a suite with two bedrooms. Of course Imperator had the master bedroom and the ghouls the smaller room. It didn’t bother them though, as they wouldn’t be doing too much sleeping, anyway.

The function was tedious and by the time they broke off for dinner Quinn felt bored stupid. Special seemed to have enjoyed the lectures, though.

He and Special took it in turns to have their break. One would keep an eye on Imperator whilst the other went to get some fresh air and eat outside in the hotel’s grounds. The sun was still out as Quinn chose a stone bench under a tree as the perfect spot to eat. He rested his back against the trunk and let his mind wander, trying not to think too much about the night ahead, but he ended up going over the schedule, anyway. There would be another hour and a half of lectures followed by drinks. He knew Imperator liked to mingle and network, so he guessed she would probably spend a couple of hours doing that before she went back to the suite to relax. That would be when Quinn’s work would really begin.

He ran a hand down his face and huffed out a breath as he realised it was time to go back inside and resume bodyguard duty. A couple of the other attendees had brought their own security as well. Some of them were Clergy members, but there were some branches from other Satanic sects, some witches and some shamans, too.

The lectures wrapped up and the sociable guests moved into a function room. They’d laid out the room with nicely decorated tables and a bar at one end. Waiters and waitresses snaked in amongst the tables with trays of drinks and before too long, most of the guests were at least a little tipsy.

Special rolled his eyes at Quinn as Imperator flirted with a handsome looking dark-haired man. She ran a finger down his chest and laughed at something he’d said that Quinn didn’t find funny at all. The way he kept glancing at the two ghouls made him feel uncomfortable and set his instincts on edge. He was about to go over and escort Imperator away from him, but she glanced at him and smiled.

She was just drunk enough that her inhibitions were down, but still sober enough to know what she was doing. She nodded her head subtly and made her excuses to the man. Quinn felt a flash of anger from him. He’d thought he could easily tempt her into his bed, but he’d been wrong and he didn’t like it. It was clear he had a temper and Quinn watched him carefully until Imperator finally decided it was time to leave.

“Well, that was a fun evening. I made some good contacts for the Clergy so I’m sure Secondo will be happy.”

“It sounds like you did really well, Sister,” Special said, and Quinn glared at him.

She looked down her nose at him.

“Thank you for your confidence in my abilities, ghoul. I will be sure to seek your approval next time the Clergy needs my services.”

Special dropped his eyes and said nothing else. Quinn wanted so badly to snarl at her, but he kept it in.

Imperator dumped her bag and her keys on the coffee table and flopped down onto the sofa with a tired sigh. She took off her stilettos one by one and dropped them on the floor.

“Multi ghoul, will you bring me a glass of vodka, please?” Special quickly did as she asked and Quinn felt surprised that she’d actually deigned to say please to him. He handed her the glass and she sipped it, looking between the two of them. “I think you will be on guard in the living room, multi ghoul. But you, quintessence,” she said as she swung her eyes to him and gestured to him with her glass, “I need to have a word with you in my room.”

She stood and walked towards her bedroom, looking back over her shoulder at him. He followed her and glanced at Special, who gave him a sympathetic look.

Quinn closed the door behind him and tried not to think of it as trapping himself in the room with her. He was feeling like a fly caught in a spider’s web. She finished her drink and sauntered towards him, stopping about six inches away.

“You’ve behaved yourself today, ghoul. I’m impressed. You’ve been very civilised.” She glanced up at him with a sultry look in her eyes and a half smile playing on her plump lips. “I wonder if you are still feral in non-professional situations? I think maybe Secondo likes to keep you that way.”

Quinn steeled himself and tried not to shudder or show the anger that he felt at the insinuation she'd just made about Papa’s relationship with his ghouls.

“I am still the same ghoul, if that is what you are asking.”

“Good. Because I liked that ghoul. I think I might give you permission to let that ghoul out to play tonight.” Quinn frowned. She was referring to that day in her office when he’d lost his temper and pinned her to the desk. He growled and felt his eyes glowing with their quintessence fire. Imperator smiled a predatory smile. “There he is.”

She stepped back from him and took the clip from her hair, letting the blonde strands fall loose around her shoulders.

Her fingers slowly went to her throat and she popped the top buttons of her blouse, keeping eye contact with him. He looked away, feigning embarrassment.

“I don’t think this is appropriate, Sister. I am already on my last warning with Secondo. I wouldn’t want him to think that I had taken advantage of my position here. The punishment would be severe.”

She put a hand on his biceps and gently stroked it. It was a soothing gesture, but it took all that he had not to yank his arm away from her.

“Secondo will not find out about it from me. It would be a real shame if he picked up some different thoughts from my memories, though, wouldn’t it?” Quinn looked back at her and frowned, acting confused. “Remember the other function that you attended with me? The one where you almost ate an esteemed Sister?” Quinn dropped his eyes. “So you see, ghoul, I think that maybe this is appropriate. Maybe I need to borrow that feral ghoul tonight.”

She unbuttoned the blouse the rest of the way, revealing an emerald green lacy bra and smooth, pale skin underneath. Quinn's gaze strayed down to take it in before returning to meet hers. He saw the smug look of satisfaction in her eyes as she dropped the blouse to the floor and he growled.

Her pupils dilated at the sound, and he heard her heart-rate pick up. The smell of her arousal was the thing that finally snapped his resolve and he backed her towards the bed, toppling her backwards onto it. She crawled away from him and he followed, growling low in his throat the whole time. When she couldn’t go any further, she gasped and looked up at him as he loomed above her. He could see the reflection of the glow in his stare in hers and he smiled lazily, showing his fangs and making sure it did not reach his eyes.

“There will be conditions for this, ghoul." Imperator said. "You will control yourself if I ask you to. If you don’t want Secondo to find out about this, then you will do exactly as I wish. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Good.”

She wriggled underneath him and shimmied out of her skirt, leaving her naked except for the obviously expensive lingerie set. It turned Quinn’s stomach, but he looked her up and down with what he hoped was a hungry look rather than a disgusted one.

Her hand reached down towards the waistband of his pants and he grabbed her by the throat, dragging his nose along her jaw. She gasped and rolled her hips up towards him, tilting her head back to give him better access.

He scraped his fangs along her skin and nibbled on her ear. She smelled good. Whatever perfume she used was nice, but he knew that from now on he would feel sick to his stomach whenever he smelled it.

Quinn kept one hand around her throat and let his other wander down and underneath the lace that covered her centre.

Her breath hitched as he sent her some tingles of quintessence and she moaned as he dipped two fingers inside of her, curling them to find her sweet spot. He already knew she’d be soaking wet for him. The scent of it had overwhelmed his senses already.

Quinn bit down on her earlobe and she groaned as he whispered into her ear.

The Infernal spell was a simple one, but it was perfect for this situation. When he was done, he removed his hands from her body and knelt back on his heels.

Imperator had closed her eyes and she moaned, her hands roamed over her breasts and her stomach, fingers slipping underneath the green material of her panties.

Andras had taught him this spell not long before they’d parted ways. It could put someone into a trance and they believed that one thing was happening to them when something else entirely was.

Quinn checked the spell had worked and then climbed off the bed. He went into the en-suite to scrub his hands. It took him four attempts before he felt satisfied that he couldn’t smell her on him anymore.

When he was done, he went back out into the room and smirked. Imperator’s eyes moved rapidly behind her closed eyelids and she writhed around on the bed, giving her instructions to Quinn, who she believed was doing a great job of pleasing her, if her moans were anything to go by.

He left her bedroom, leaving the door open so he could keep an eye on her, and went to join Special, who had made himself a coffee. Special frowned when he heard the sounds coming from the room and Quinn shrugged, doing up the button of his pants that Imperator had undone.

“I don’t think she will need our services for a while. We may as well make ourselves comfortable for the night.”

Special blushed when she said something particularly vulgar, and Quinn chuckled. In typical Special style, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a deck of cards.

“Well, we may as well play some Uno then.”

Quinn barked out a laugh at him.

“Did you seriously just pull a deck of Uno cards out of your pocket, Special?”

The other ghoul gave him a lopsided smile.

“Well, yes. I always have one in case of emergencies. You never know when the need will arise.”

Special jumped at the noise coming from the bedroom and his face turned beet red as Imperator reached the peak of orgasm number one from imaginary Quinn.

He grinned.

“Huh. Air never told me she’s a screamer.”

Chapter Text

Quinn left Imperator to her fun for a couple of hours before he decided it was time for her to sleep. He didn’t ask Special to help him with this part because he knew that the other ghoul would die of embarrassment at seeing her naked.

As soon as he entered the bedroom, he knew Imperator would need a good few hours to sleep this off. She looked absolutely wrecked, but she had a satisfied smile on her face.

Quinn made quick work of slicing through the expensive material of the lingerie set she wore with his claws, removing them and tossing them to the ground. He grabbed her hips with more force than was necessary and used a bit of claw to leave some minor scratches as he turned her over. Authenticity was key; if she woke up with those memories and none of the marks to show for it, she would be suspicious.

He left a few more strategically placed claw marks and a couple of bite marks that didn't break the skin to make it more convincing. He covered her up and sent her some quintessence to put her into a deeper sleep, making sure that she wouldn’t wake until he made her in the morning.

Quinn took one more look at her over his shoulder and felt satisfied that she looked like she’d spent the night with a semi-feral ghoul.

“You may as well get some sleep, Special,” he said when he came back out into the living room.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind keeping watch while you rest.”

Quinn shook his head.

“It’s okay, you’re driving tomorrow so you need the sleep more than me. I’ll nap in the car on the way home.”

“Only if you’re sure?”

He headed to bed and Quinn settled down on the sofa with the book he’d brought with him.

He let Imperator and Special sleep until after nine, waking the multi ghoul up first so that he could resume his guard duty in the living room. Special called room service and ordered some breakfast to be sent up for them.

Quinn crept into Imperator’s room and stripped off, dumping his clothes on the floor around the bed. When he'd had a shower, he stood in the doorway to the en-suite and used his magic to reverse the quintessence and Imperator stirred slightly.

She opened her eyes and realised that he was standing there in his towel. Her hooded gaze raked over his naked skin and again he repressed a shudder. He was getting good at this.

“It’s getting late, Sister. You should get ready. I got Special to order some breakfast. It should be ready by the time you’ve had your shower.”

She stretched languidly and sighed.

“Secondo is selfish, ghoul.” Quinn quirked a brow. “Keeping you to himself these years. Will you join me in the shower?”

She got up and walked around the bed towards him, unashamed of her nakedness.

“As much as I would love to,” he hoped he'd successfully hidden the sarcasm from his voice when he said that, “I need to go over the schedules for today.”

Imperator pouted and trailed a fingernail over the tattoo on his chest.

“Pity.”

She closed the bathroom door behind her, and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up his clothes from the floor and left the room to get dressed in his own. Special shook his head when he saw him, and Quinn grinned at him.

“Last night was fun. We should do it more often,” he said and Special nodded enthusiastically.

The day went quickly, and by late afternoon, they were heading home. Quinn had a nap in the car for a couple of hours, which refreshed him. There wasn’t as much of a rush to get back, so Special stuck to the speed limits this time and they made it home just after dark.

After they’d unloaded Imperator and her bag and dropped the car off, Quinn headed to Secondo’s apartment to give his report.

Papa smiled when he saw Quinn and looked him up and down, checking he was okay.

“Has it been set into motion?”

“Yes.”

Quinn nodded and sent Secondo the image of him and Special playing Uno to the sounds of Imperator breaking apart in the other room.

Secondo laughed heartily.

“Oh, to be a fly on the wall. And I did not realise Imperator was a screamer. I’m not sure I wanted to know that, but now I do.”

Air, who was on guard duty, smirked.

“I could have told you that if you’d asked.”

“We would rather be oblivious, I think,” Quinn said. “How do you sleep at night? Were you not traumatised?”

“Like a baby. And no. She was quite demanding, though.” Air grinned. “She definitely liked...”

Secondo held up his hand to quiet the air ghoul.

“That’s enough, Air! I don’t think we need to know the details.” He coughed as Air must have recalled something from the time he and Imperator had fucked, and Secondo had inadvertently seen the memory. He recovered quickly, though. “Well, anyway, I’m sure she will request your services again soon, Quinn, so we shall see what happens. The boy is safe for now. We've moved him somewhere where I am sure Imperator cannot reach him.”

“That’s good news.”

“Si. Well, thank you for the update, Quinn, and thank you for your service, as always. I’m sure you will want to get some rest.”

Quinn nodded and headed up to the lair. Fire was in the kitchen, stirring something in a large pan. It smelled amazing, and his stomach grumbled. He could sense that Fire was still upset over his fight with Water.

“Welcome back,” Fire said. “It’s almost done if you want some?”

“Thanks. I’ll go put my bag in my room and then give you a hand.”

Quinn sorted out his things and then sat down for a minute, letting his mind wander. A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts and he frowned when he sensed who was on the other side of it. He opened it and stepped out into the hallway.

“Primo? Is everything alright?”

It was unusual for a Papa or an ex Papa to visit the ghoul lairs, but he didn’t sense any panic coming from the old human. Primo smiled warmly at him and held out the bouquet of yellow and purple roses that he was holding. Quinn accepted it with a confused look on his face.

“Everything is fine, Quinn. Don’t look so panicked. I wanted to thank you for your help and for giving me the gift of being pain free for a while on my birthday.” Quinn smiled and was about to speak, but Primo shook his head, so he stayed quiet. "Thank you for looking out for Zephyr too. I appreciate it more than you know. I hope that I have not misjudged but I wanted to do something for you. I am feeling much more like myself since you and Zephyr healed me, so I thought I would do some tinkering in my greenhouse.”

“Oh. Thank you. They are very beautiful.”

Quinn still felt confused, though. He didn’t think anyone had ever given him a bunch of flowers before. He thought it was a human custom for females.

“I cut the roses from three new bushes I planted in Rosie’s avenue of cherry blossoms.” That got his attention. “I created three new varieties of roses using the gifts that our Dark Lord bestowed on me. I have named the yellow rose Ashtoreth, the darker purple is Zaya and the lilac is Lyssa.”

Quinn looked down at the flowers and back up at Primo. He blinked, and Primo gave him a sad smile.

“I... I don’t know what to say to you, Primo. Thank you.”

“Well, I thought they would brighten up your day. I hope I haven’t overstepped the mark, though?”

He looked concerned at Quinn’s reaction. He could feel his eyes filling with tears. Primo reached out and patted him on the arm.

“No, Primo, it was very thoughtful,” he whispered.

“Well, I have established them, so they are blooming now. I will tend to them myself when necessary. Just cut the blooms when you want to. Or leave them as they are. It’s entirely up to you.”

Quinn was speechless. He hadn’t been expecting this and it was bittersweet. It was a lovely gesture, but it was shattering his heart.

Primo gave him another pat on the arm and left. He stood in the corridor for a few moments, silently studying the delicate roses.

“Quinn? What’s the matter?”

He looked up to see Air standing there, looking worried.

“I...”

Air took his hand and led him to his room, closing the door behind him and gently guiding him to the edge of the bed. Quinn sat and put the bouquet he was still clutching down next to him. He looked up at Air.

“It’s just us. It's okay. What’s wrong?”

He couldn’t form the words to tell him and the dam that had been holding his emotions back for the last few days broke. A sob escaped his throat and Air came to stand between his legs, pulling him close and stroking his hair while he laid his face against the other ghoul's stomach and wept.

Chapter Text

Air held Quinn for a while until he composed himself enough to think straight again. He was grateful to the ghoul, as always.

“You don’t need to tell me about it, but I’m here if you want to, okay?” Air said as he took Quinn’s face between his palms and tilted it up to look at him.

He still wore his uniform. He’d just finished his shift.

“It was Primo. A thoughtful gesture and it was just unexpected. It just made me remember how it’s been a lifetime. I still miss them so much, and all I’ve got to show for it is fading memories and some fucking flowers.”

Air kissed the top of Quinn’s head and stepped away.

“Just come to me if you ever feel that way again, Quinn. Sometimes it’s good to just let it go. If you ever want me to help you with it, just ask.”

That was dangerous territory between them. Air had used his powers on Quinn once without him realising and it had made him emotionally vulnerable, which was a state he did not like to be in. It had taken him a long, long time to forgive Air for it, so he didn’t see himself asking for that voluntarily any time soon. He meant well though, so Quinn couldn’t be angry at him for offering.

“Thank you, Air. You know I won’t, but it means a lot.”

Air shook his head sadly.

“What can I do to make you feel better?” Air stroked his thumb over Quinn’s bottom lip and smiled down at him. “You want me to look after you?”

He sighed and nodded.

“Make me forget. I just want...”

“What do you want, Quinn?” Air murmured.

“I don’t want to feel like this anymore. Just for a bit, I want to forget...” His heart broke at what he’d almost just said. He didn’t want to think it but the thought just popped into his head. “I’m so fucking exhausted. I just want to forget them. Just for a little while.”

He could feel the tears threatening to spill again and Air pulled him closer.

“Oh, Quinn.” He stroked Quinn’s hair again, smoothing it down. “You need to just rest. Let me take care of you. I can see how tired you are. How long has it been since you’ve let someone take care of you?”

He lay back on the bed and covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow.

“I don’t know,” he whispered.

He heard Air pick up the roses and put them on the side table. The bed next to him dipped as the air ghoul lay down next to him and nuzzled his throat, leaving a trail of kisses along his neck and up along his jaw. Quinn turned his face to the side and opened his eyes, meeting the purple stare of the ghoul next to him. He smiled and stroked Quinn’s cheek.

“Take off your clothes and get under the covers,” Air said, and he sat up and started removing his uniform. The top came off first, and then he stood and took off the pants. He smirked when he looked down and saw Quinn watching him. A cheeky glint lit up Air's eyes. “You’re still dressed Quinn, how am I supposed to take care of you if you’re wearing clothes?” He smiled. “Or are you expecting me to do it for you?”

“Well, you did say you’d take care of me...”

Quinn sat up again, and Air gently pulled his top up and over his head. He leaned over and undid the buttons of his pants, pulling them off and throwing them onto the chair by the bed. He pulled the covers back, gesturing for Quinn to get in. Air followed him and pulled the blankets over them both. He put his forehead to Quinn’s and pulled their bodies closer, pushing a lock of hair behind his ear tenderly. Quinn sighed.

“I’m sorry, Air. I didn’t mean to fall apart like that.”

Air put a finger over his lips to quiet him and shook his head. His other hand trailed lazily down Quinn’s side and he shivered.

“Just be quiet, Quinn.”

Quinn could feel Air’s concern and his love for him and he double checked to make sure that this was just him, that Air wasn’t trying to manipulate the emotions out of him. When he felt satisfied that the ghoul had kept his promise never to do that again, he resigned himself and let it wash over him.

They lay face to face for a little while and Quinn recalled the last few centuries that he’d spent on his own. He never in his wildest dreams thought he would find a family again, not like this. He’d never spent so much time around other ghouls before, had never accepted them like this. It had taken him a long time to fully settle here, into this life, but he realised now that he had. If this was his lot, then he would accept it graciously.

The vision he’d had on the day of his summoning had been accurate. He didn’t know if it was the fates he had to thank for this, but he was grateful anyway.

“Thank you,” he said and Air furrowed his brow. “For being there for me. Again.”

“When will you realise you don’t have to thank any of us for that? You don’t owe us anything for it. We will always be here. We’re your pack”

Air stroked his cheek and kissed him. It was gentle at first, delicate even, but Quinn felt the surge of lust and saw Air’s eyes glow with purple fire as it became more desperate. Quinn’s hand wandered down the hard planes of the other ghoul’s back and he could feel him smiling against his lips. Air pulled back and looked at Quinn.

“Lay on your back for me.”

He did as he was told and huffed out a laugh when Air threw a long leg over his waist to straddle him and crawled backwards, down underneath the covers. Fangs scraped the skin of his pec and his heart rate picked up as Air took his nipple between his teeth. Quinn's hands roamed the other ghoul’s shoulders and he scraped his claws along the smooth skin.

Quinn shuddered when Air ran his tongue along the hypersensitive skin of his demon brand. Something in the Infernal magic that Andras had used to put it there had left it overly sensitive and whenever it was touched like this, it made him squirm.

Air knew this already, of course; he’d learned all of Quinn’s sensitive spots over the years and he often took full advantage of them to get what he wanted. This felt different, though, but Quinn stopped thinking about the subtleties of it when the air ghoul’s lips wrapped around the head of his cock. He hissed in a breath and his claws found Air’s hair, raking through the dark strands and grabbing on.

He let his head fall back on the pillow, and his hips canted up of their own volition. This is what he’d wanted. A few moments of bliss to distract him from his own thoughts and Air’s mouth was very distracting.

He growled as Air took him all the way in. The claws of one hand dug into Quinn’s hip and he rubbed his thumb along the demon brand. Quinn cried out and almost lost it right then and there. The dual sensations were almost too much, but he held it together for a while longer while Air took care of him.

“Fuck!” he gasped as Air’s other hand dropped under him. His fingers probed and slipped inside, curling up to find his prostate.

That well and truly distracted him from any kind of higher thought and when Air scraped a fang along the head of his cock, he saw stars. The little shit had remembered that from last time and that sting of pain was the thing that finished him off. His eyes rolled back and his mouth opened in a silent scream as he lost it and shot ropes of cum down Air’s throat.

When he finally came down, Air sat straddling his waist. He'd tilted his head and he gazed down at him with a smile. His hands rested gently on Quinn’s ribcage.

“You have no idea how beautiful you are, Quinn.”

Quinn raked his gaze down Air’s body. The ghoul was one to talk; he was perfect and his eyes glowed as he basked in the attention that Quinn was giving him. Quinn’s eyes dropped lower and he realised that Air still needed taking care of as well. He lay back and put his hands behind his head, smirking. Air narrowed his eyes when he saw the look of mischief he was being given.

Air cursed and his back bowed as Quinn sent quintessence tingles to him, directing them straight to the ache the other ghoul felt. He took extra care to light up all of Air’s favourite spots; he’d learned a thing or two of his own over the years as well.

He sent a caress over the place just under Air’s ear that drove him wild when Quinn licked it, another to the place on his neck where he loved Quinn to mark him with his teeth, and one more to the patch of skin just under his navel that always made his hips buck when Quinn ran his claws over it.

Air writhed above him and cursed him again when he sent a stronger wave of magic to skim over his taint.

“Fucking hell, Quinn!” he breathed out and Quinn chuckled beneath him.

“You like that, huh?”

Air went to grab himself to relieve some of the pressure, but Quinn put a stop to it.

“No. Keep your hands on me. Let me play for a while.”

Air whined, but he did as he was told and this time his claws gripped Quinn’s skin harder as he slowly lost it under the onslaught of quintessential magic. He loved to watch when someone fell apart this way, when he didn’t even need to touch them; he wanted to, though.

Air gritted his teeth and Quinn could feel that he was almost done, so he reached down and used his hand to finish what he’d started. The rough grip juxtaposed with the tingles of magic and within seconds Air snarled and tensed up. His seed spilled from him, covering Quinn’s hand and his belly.

Air was breathing hard and his eyes were closed. He flopped down beside Quinn and rested his hand across his stomach.

“Fuck. Tell me again why we never bonded, Quinn?” he said lazily.

Quinn frowned.

“We are bonded, Air. We’re pack.”

The other ghoul huffed a laugh and said something under his breath that sounded like ‘whatever’, but he couldn’t be sure.

A knock at the door made Air jump, and Fire’s voice quickly followed it.

“Are you two done yet? Dinner is ready! It’ll go cold.”

Air laughed.

“Way to ruin my afterglow, Fire!” he shouted back as he buried his face into the pillow.

Quinn sighed and got up. He got dressed again and went to wash his hands. Air did the same and they headed out to the kitchen.

“Fire said he was going to make that curry that I love.”

Quinn smiled. Air loved any food that Fire made.

“About time, you two. What the hell?” Fire said teasingly.

The big fire ghoul was dishing it up and Quinn admitted it looked and smelled amazing. There were only three plates, though. Water had taken over from Air as security for Secondo earlier, but Earth never usually missed their dinners if he wasn’t working.

“Is it just the three of us?” Air asked.

Fire nodded as he added a stack of naan breads to the table.

“Earth is with his human.”

Air’s ears pricked up at that

“Oh, so she’s his human now, is she? That’s moving fast.”

Fire chuckled.

“No, Air, it was just a turn of phrase. I just meant she was coming to visit him.”

Quinn had known about that now that he thought about it. Earth had said Zoe had someone to watch Helena for the night, so they were having a date at the Abbey. It would have been too awkward in the human world as one of the other ghouls would have had to go as well.

“Ugh, does that mean I’m going to be hearing them all night? Can I sleep in your room tonight, Quinn?”

Quinn laughed. Air’s room was next door to Earth’s and with ghoul hearing there wouldn’t be much left to the imagination if he brought her back to the lair for the night.

“They won’t come back here. Secondo said they could use one of the guest suites if they need to.”

Quinn had learned that humans were often a bit more reserved for spending the night with someone. Sometimes they didn’t jump straight into that like ghouls most often did. Earth was sensible though, so he would know if that was something Zoe wanted to do or not and he wouldn’t pressure her into anything.

“Good. I don’t think I can take listening to them going at it all night. I hope that human can handle him. Earth is a real handful.”

Quinn and Fire both chuckled, but Quinn had a feeling that Zoe was more than capable of putting the overbearing earth ghoul in his place if she needed to.

Chapter Text

Quinn, Air and Fire ate dinner in silence for a while until Quinn’s curiosity got the better of him.

“What happened with Water? You two have been frosty with each other for days now, which is practically unheard of.”

Fire frowned and put down his fork.

“He pissed me off.”

“That’s it? He pissed you off? All of this over that?”

Fire looked up at him. He was hurting, so it must have been something bad. Quinn sensed it was something that Water had done, though, not Fire. The fire ghoul sighed.

“He’s been spending time with Alpha.”

“Spending time with him, or spending time with him?”

Quinn was confused. Fire and Water were bonded and there was no way that one would go behind the others’ back with someone else. They shared each other within their pack, which was just a given, but Quinn was certain that Water wouldn’t cheat on Fire or vice versa.

Fire sighed.

“My family and his have a vendetta.”

Quinn raised his brows in surprise. How had he not known that? Fire didn’t like Alpha, which was unusual for him, but he’d just accepted that they just didn’t get on. He hadn’t realised there was a reason behind it.

“Oh. How old?”

“Seven generations.”

Quinn grimaced. Ghoul families sometimes feud for centuries, and often the original reasons for these vendettas are lost to time, leaving only irrational hatred that continues through future generations.

“What did Water say about it?”

“He denied that anything happened, and I believe him, but he knows how I feel about Alpha and he still went to him.” No wonder he was upset. “Alpha doesn't know which family I’m from. I didn’t want to make a thing about it so that it affected our work here, so I’ve never mentioned it to him. But as soon as he was summoned, I recognised him. They all look the same. He’s got that way about him.”

Quinn sent some soothing energy to Fire, as he could feel him getting angry about it.

“I’m sure he had a good reason for being with him. Were they working together?”

Fire growled and shrugged as he picked up his fork again and pushed the food around the plate.

“I don’t think so. But I smelled Alpha on him, and he got all defensive when I asked him why. He wouldn’t tell me. And now we aren’t speaking.”

Quinn had noticed that Water had been staying in one of the spare rooms when he’d left for the trip with Imperator, but he thought they would have fixed this by the time he got home.

“We’ll sort this out. Don’t panic. Do you want me to talk to him?”

Air shook his head.

“I already talked to him and he wouldn’t say anything, just that Fire was being stupid and he left it at that.”

Quinn’s nature didn’t like that there was a conflict between them. Maybe Earth or Secondo was going to have to step in to deal with it because it looked like Fire and Water were both too stubborn to help themselves.

He dropped the subject and they ate the rest of their meal while Quinn filled them in about what happened on the trip with Imperator. That seemed to cheer Fire up and they chatted about some of their past Imperator encounters. None of them had a good word to say about her, it seemed.

“Are you staying with me tonight?” Air asked when Quinn said he was heading to bed.

He shook his head.

“Thanks, but no. I need to catch up on sleep from last night.”

“Yeah, Imperator is...tiring." Air smirked. Quinn laughed and walked away. “Oh, hold on, your flowers...”

Air went to his room and got them.

“Thanks. I should put them in something.”

Air looked clueless and shrugged, so Quinn went back into the kitchen to find something suitable. At the very back of a cupboard was a vase, so he grabbed it, half filled it with water and put the roses into it. He debated leaving them on the kitchen table. Then he realised he didn’t want to have to explain where they’d come from if the others asked though, so he took them back to his room and put them on the altar.

After a quick shower, he knelt down to pray for a few minutes and then headed to bed. Thankfully, his sleep was dream and memory free and he woke up the following morning more refreshed than he'd felt for a while.

He was on duty with Earth that day. Secondo had some Clergy meetings and he usually had two ghouls attend with him if there were a lot of people there. For appearances’ sake, it looked more intimidating.

As soon as Quinn got to Secondo’s study, he smelled the human’s scent all over Earth. He grinned at him. Earth had to know that he would instantly know what they’d been up to last night. They must have made full use of that guest suite that Secondo had offered them. Earth pretended not to notice that Quinn had noticed, but Quinn decided to torment him.

“Nice evening, Earth?”

The big ghoul glared at him and Secondo raised a brow at Quinn’s tone.

“Yes, thank you. Very pleasant.”

Quinn grinned wider and scented the air, making it obvious what he was doing.

“So you discovered humans are not so fragile after all, then?”

Earth’s eyes flashed green and he growled a warning at Quinn.

“Drop it, Quinn," he gritted out.

“Oh, so it didn’t go as well as you’d hoped? I thought from your scent that it had been a good evening for you both. You can ask any of us if you need some pointers, if you need to improve your technique.”

Earth bared his fangs, and Quinn laughed.

“I said drop it!”

Quinn opened his mouth to say something offensive, but Secondo slammed his hand down on his desk.

“Enough! Leave him alone, Quinn! We don’t have time for this today. These meetings are going to be stressful and tedious, so I do not need to be worrying about you two goading each other the whole time.”

Quinn looked down at the floor.

“I apologise, Papa.”

“It is not me who deserves the apology, si? Do not test me today!”

He sighed and looked at Earth, who he could tell was angry with him. He didn't know why the ghoul was being so touchy about it, though. From his emotional patterns, the evening must have gone well.

“I’m sorry, Earth. You know I was only teasing, right? I’m happy you got your rocks off.”

Secondo cursed at him in Italian, and Earth narrowed his eyes at Quinn.

“We were just talking about you, actually,” Earth said to him.

“Oh, really?”

Earth smirked.

“Yes. Imperator wants you tomorrow. She’s going to a spa day thing with some of her cronies.”

Quinn did his own cursing in Ghoulish. His mood was completely ruined and Earth laughed.

“I’m off tomorrow. I’m helping Zephyr with something for Primo.”

“You will have to reschedule. You can have the following day off instead.”

Quinn scowled. He’d been looking forward to spending the day with the older ghoul. They’d planned to recharge and do some research for their healing sessions with Primo. He begrudgingly admitted that this took priority, though. He could wait another day to rest and recharge, he supposed, but he wasn’t happy about it.

“Oh. Well, I can’t drive her there. Someone else will have to.”

“Water will drive,” Secondo said sharply, picking up on his reluctance.

“Oh. Okay.”

He glared at Earth, who wore a satisfied smirk now and he silently curled his lip at him when Secondo wasn’t looking.

Secondo went through the schedule for the day and he and Earth put on their professional air and escorted Secondo through the Abbey to the conference room. Quinn locked up his quintessence self because the meetings were about restructuring the Clergy and about budget cuts for unnecessary expenses. He’d learned that with money and power, humans could get angry very easily.

Most of the relevant people were already there and they turned when Secondo entered, flanked by Earth and Quinn. They dropped their eyes in respect as he passed and Quinn felt pissed off when he noticed Imperator sitting next to where Secondo would be. He felt her eyes on him as soon as they walked in and he could tell how much Earth was enjoying the way she looked him up and down, as if he was already naked.

It made him feel dirty.

He growled a warning growl that was low enough so the humans wouldn’t hear it, but Earth, Councillor Shay and any of the other lower ghouls in the room would. Sure enough, all the ghoul eyes in the room swung to him.

Secondo noticed and gave him a sideways scowl, which should have been enough to quell anything before it even started. Imperator noticed him noticing and gave Quinn an insincere look of pity.

They took their places behind Secondo, and the meeting was uneventful for the first couple of hours. Quinn’s mind wandered, and a couple of small visions teased him, but luckily, only Secondo noticed.

As they were leaving for their lunch break, Imperator made a beeline for Secondo.

“Papa, you’re looking well. I just wanted to thank you for lending me your ghoul as security. He did a fabulous job at the conference.”

Quinn quietly seethed as he felt Earth’s amusement. Even though they all knew what he’d done, Earth loved to see him squirm.

“You are welcome, Sister. Any time I can assist you, just let me know.”

Secondo excused himself and they followed him out of the conference room. He was having lunch in his office and they turned to head towards it.

“Looks like you’re enjoying being Imperator’s bitch, Quinn,” Earth said just low enough for him to hear.

Quinn’s eyes flashed and he launched himself at the bigger ghoul. Secondo had anticipated it though, because suddenly they were both frozen into place when he used his powers of sorcery. Quinn growled in frustration as he struggled against the magic, and Secondo launched into a tirade aimed at them both.

The corridor behind them suddenly filled with members of the Clergy and, of course, Imperator had a front-row seat.

Secondo composed himself, but it was too late. Half of the Clergy stood there in stunned silence at the uncharacteristic display.

He withdrew his hold on them, and Quinn could move again. He shivered as the magic slipped away, but he didn’t have time to recover.

“Both of you, in my office, right now,” Secondo murmured under his breath.

The malice in his voice was enough to spur them into action, and they hurried back to his study.

The door closed ominously behind them and Quinn and Earth both turned around to meet the furious stare of their Papa.

“What has gotten into you both? You are on duty! There is a time and a place to sort this out, and it is in the woods! Not in the middle of a Clergy meeting!” His voice was rising and the two ghouls glanced at each other. “Do not look to each other for backup. You!” He pointed at Earth. “Go fetch the lunches. And you!” He pointed at Quinn. “Sit the fuck down.”

Quinn raised his eyebrows at Secondo, cursing. He barely ever did it, which meant that he was well and truly pissed off.

“I’m sorry, Papa.”

“Do not sorry Papa me! I’ve had enough of your snark and of your inability to control yourself! You have been here a long time now! You should know better! Clearly, your punishments have not been severe enough.”

Quinn whimpered.

“Papa, I...”

Secondo started ranting in Ghoulish and Quinn noticed the door opening and Imperator slipping inside.

“Papa,” she said. Secondo kept on pacing and ranting and Quinn flinched when he got up in his face and switched to Italian for his rant. “Papa!” Imperator said, louder.

Secondo spun around and glared at her.

“What is it, Imperator?” he snapped.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but this ghoul is not to blame. It was the other one who started it. I saw it with my own eyes. Don’t punish him too severely. It wasn’t his fault.”

Secondo frowned.

“Is this true?” She nodded, her eyes wide, and Secondo sighed, turning back to Quinn. “What am I to do with you? You are on your final warning for your behaviour. You should not have let him rile you up like that.”

Quinn hung his head in embarrassment.

“If I could suggest something, Secondo?”

Secondo furrowed his brow.

“What do you suggest?”

A calculating gleam lit up her eyes.

“I could take the ghoul off your hands for a while. With no other ghouls around to rile him up, I’m sure he will be on his best behaviour. Won’t you ghoul? Like you were at the hotel,” she said with a smug smile. “Maybe I can train the wildness out of him for you. Your methods don’t seem to have worked so far.”

Quinn shuddered and looked between her and Secondo, giving Secondo a pleading look.

Secondo thought about it for a moment and then nodded his agreement.

“Si, maybe it will do him good to have a change of scenery for a while. He can finish up his duties today and then he is all yours.” Quinn growled at Secondo, who scowled back at him. “You will do as Imperator says. And if I hear of anything that you’ve done to make me, or the Clergy look bad? I will send you to the Pit myself.”

Imperator gave him a sympathetic look.

“I will be in touch to arrange, Papa. I’d better sort out my presentation before lunch is over.”

She left just as Earth was returning with their food, and she didn’t acknowledge him at all.

The door closed behind Earth, and Quinn huffed out a breath.

“This had better work quickly. I don’t know how long I can last without biting her,” Quinn said.

Earth laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

“I’m sure you can refrain. You know she would probably enjoy that, right?”

"She would, wouldn't she?"

"Don't worry Quinn, I'll be there for you once she's done playing with you. I'll even peel you some of those purple grapes you like. I'm sure you'll need the pampering and the recovery time after spending a little while with her."

Quinn laughed and shook his head.

"Thanks, Earth," he said sarcastically.

“It won’t take long, I’m sure of it. And once we find out what she knows about the boy, we can call you back,” Secondo said.

Quinn wasn’t as confident as he seemed to be, but he nodded before turning his attention back to Earth.

“I’m sorry for goading you about Zoe before.”

“Meh, it’s fine,” he said with a grin.

“So when are you seeing her again, then?”

The earth ghoul blushed and Quinn smiled.

“Later this week.”

“I’m happy for you, Earth.”

“Thanks, Quinn.”

Chapter Text

The next day came around way too quickly for Quinn’s liking. He found himself riding in the front of the Clergy’s car on the way to a fancy hotel somewhere in the city with a scowl on his face. It didn’t help his mood that the ether was prodding at his mind with pointless visions and it was making his head ache. Zephyr was disappointed by his cancelled meeting; he was busy the next day when Quinn was off, so they agreed to meet briefly in the evening when he returned to the Abbey.

Water drove, and Imperator rode in the back. An enormous pair of black sunglasses covered her eyes and a black cloud shrouded her mood. She’d snapped at Water once already before they’d even left the grounds of the Abbey, and Quinn had to bite his tongue so that his mouth didn’t get him into trouble. Again.

Quinn’s instincts prickled as he got out of the car and opened the door for Imperator. She beamed a smile as she saw the women she was meeting. Quinn had to suppress a growl when he noticed the witch that had sent him and Svarog back to their hell dimension from the warehouse in the city all of those years ago. He knew it wasn’t her who had betrayed them, but he hadn’t liked her at the time, anyway.

She wasn’t a black witch, but she wasn’t the same as the Clergy witches either. She was somewhere in-between.

“Marie! You look radiant,” Imperator gushed as she approached the witch with open arms.

Marie obviously recognised him as she looked him up and down over Imperator’s shoulder as they hugged.

“You never seem to look any older, Imperator. Have you been sacrificing virgins again?” she joked, but Quinn could well believe that Imperator would do that if it meant she could stay young looking and beautiful. “And I see you’ve upgraded your security,” Marie said as she stepped back and gave Quinn and Water a once over.

Water was just as much, if not more, uncomfortable around Imperator and her friends as Quinn was. Water was generally chilled out, even for a water ghoul, but he could fight as well as any of the others if he had to. Quinn had noticed that Imperator made him uncharacteristically edgy, though. It made him wonder if she had tried something similar to what she’d done with Quinn when she’d tried to proposition him.

Imperator usually had ghouls from the lower Clergy to accompany her outside of the Abbey. Secondo hadn’t allowed her to summon her own ghouls for obvious reasons. Quinn didn’t want to imagine the misery any poor ghouls she summoned would suffer if bonded to her. Secondo didn’t tell her that was the reason why, though.

“Yes. Secondo has finally deemed me worthy enough to have my own ghoul.” Water slid his eyes over to Quinn, who scowled. “Well, I have him for a trial, but we shall see. He has proved himself worthy so far,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

The witch looked impressed, and Quinn gritted his teeth. He felt his eyes glow, but he covered it with his glamour.

“Well, maybe we should have a Martini to celebrate? Come on.”

The witch linked arms with Imperator and Quinn and Water dutifully followed them inside. There were two other human women who Water told him were from one of the other Abbeys.

The day was as awful as Quinn imagined. He and Water hung around in the background whilst Imperator and the others had various eye-wateringly expensive beauty treatments and got progressively more drunk.

“How do the lower ghouls put up with jobs like this?” Water murmured as they stood guard. Imperator and her friends sat by the edge of the large swimming pool, drinking cocktails. “At least working for Secondo is important. Even the most boring business meetings are more fun than this.

Quinn nodded his agreement as he watched the women who had their heads together and were whispering.

“I have no idea. And what the fuck? She thinks I’m going to work for her permanently? Is she delusional?”

Water gave him a sympathetic look as Imperator got up from her lounger and strutted over to them. She wore one of the plush white robes that the spa provided and she still held her Martini. Quinn got the feeling that she hadn't worn much else under the robe. She motioned for him to lean down and she whispered in his ear.

“We are leaving for a few minutes. The water ghoul can stay here and look after my friends. I need you to do something for me.”

Quinn tried not to look too pissed off, and he nodded. She walked towards the changing rooms and beckoned for him to follow.

“What is it you need from me, Sister?”

She gave him that smug smirk.

“I think you probably know that already. I thought we could have a little fun for a few minutes. Nobody will bother us. I find myself wanting.”

She trailed a finger along his cheek and he managed not to flinch.

Shit. He had thought of this type of scenario and planned to just use the spell again. But the witch being here caused a bit of an issue with that. Witches and sorcerers could sense Infernal magic and if Quinn used the spell on Imperator, Marie could pick up on it and would know that something suspicious was going on.

“It’s not very secure here, Sister. There are other humans here. Can you not wait until we are home?”

He hoped that sounded promising to her, but she pouted and shook her head.

“I don’t think I can wait that long, ghoul. I’ve been craving that tongue of yours again and it has barely been twenty-four hours since we were at the hotel.”

She walked backwards until she met the bench along the wall where the sinks were. Quinn would have to resort to his backup plan. It wasn’t as hands off as the spell was, but it was the next best thing.

He strolled towards her and stopped in front of her. She squeaked when he lifted her up and sat her on the countertop, coming to rest between her parted thighs. He leant over and nuzzled her ear, placing his hands on either side of her on the marble so that he didn’t have to touch her too much.

“Do you know why quintessence ghouls make the best lovers, Imperator?” He used the name that he knew she hated because, why the hell not? She wouldn’t be complaining that it was disrespectful in a minute.

She raised her eyebrows at him, and he could feel and smell her lust.

“No, ghoul. I do not,” she murmured.

Quinn leaned into her and ran the sharp edge of his fang along her earlobe, nicking the skin slightly. Her breath caught and he heard her heart rate pick up speed.

“Because we can do this without even touching you,” he whispered.

She gasped as he directed his quintessential magic right to her clit. Her head tipped back and he bit into the flesh of her exposed throat hard enough to leave a bruise. He fantasised so hard about ripping out her throat with his teeth, but he reined himself in.

Within seconds, she was writhing and moaning and he didn’t hold back. He wanted this to be over as quickly as possible, so he made it rough for her; no teasing and no building her up to it slowly. He went straight in for the kill.

The noises she was making were pissing him off, so he put a hand firmly over her mouth to shut her up and growled into her ear.

“Shut the fuck up, Imperator.”

She liked that—a lot—and it tipped her over the edge. He was sure that if her scream hadn’t been muffled, the hotel staff would have thought he was murdering her.

Quinn removed his hand and stepped back, trying to ignore the compulsion to jump into the shower stall and scrub his skin raw. She gave him a sultry smile and sighed.

“Well. You learn something new every day. I should probably thank you for that later. You deserve a reward, I think.”

She hadn’t even noticed that he remained completely unaffected by the whole thing. She was so lost in her own little universe that revolved around her.

“I don’t need a reward, Sister. I just need to stay on Secondo’s good side.”

“Indeed,” she said smugly, pulling the edges of her robe together again. She got down from the counter and turned around to look in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, but she looked fine otherwise. She tilted her head and ran her fingers over the bruise he’d left on her neck with his teeth. Their eyes met in the reflection of the mirror and she smirked. “It’s going to be obvious what we were doing in here, isn’t it?”

He knew she would be happy about that, but he nodded anyway.

“I think your friends already knew why you were leaving.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. But they will know now.” He pretended to look worried, and she gave him a reassuring smile. “Do not worry, ghoul. It is to be expected. I think the masseuse thinks I am some kind of battered woman from the marks you left on me the other night. I knew what I was signing up for with you. You’re less civilised than the other ghouls, so I’ll make allowances.”

He nodded as she walked past him and back out into the pool area. She held her head high as she walked, and Quinn trailed behind her. When she re-joined her friends, their heads went together and they spoke in hushed tones, laughing and giggling.

Quinn resumed his place next to Water.

“You okay?” he asked.

The other ghoul would have heard most of their exchange, and he could smell Imperator.

Quinn huffed out a breath.

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

Quinn slid his eyes over to the water ghoul.

“I would say I can’t wait to get home, but I think she has plans for me tonight.”

Water winced and he chuckled.

“I really hope Secondo is giving you a fat bonus for this.”

Chapter Text

The drive back to the Abbey was as awkward as the drive to the spa, but at least Imperator’s bad mood had lifted.

“You will report to me this evening, ghoul. I will give you some time to eat, so should we say seven pm?”

“I have the evening off. I have plans,” Quinn answered her.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“You made those plans when you were on Secondo’s schedule. Now you are on mine.”

Quinn scowled.

“I already cancelled these plans to come with you today. I don’t want to cancel them again.”

“And what is so important?”

He suppressed a growl because that was none of her fucking business, but he had to play nice for now.

“It’s ghoul business.”

“So it is unimportant, then. My needs come first. You can reschedule your plans for tomorrow afternoon. I do not need you then.”

Quinn met Water’s eyes through the rear-view mirror. He wanted so badly to rip that smug look off of Imperator’s face; it became a physical ache. He knew full well that tonight was unnecessary. This was just about her flaunting her newly found power over him.

He said nothing else because he didn’t want to ruin what he’d worked for already with her. Hopefully tonight they would talk. He prayed to the Dark Lord that she would and then he could go back to his duties with Secondo.

They dropped her off and she dismissed him for now. The two ghouls went to the canteen to pick up some dinner.

“You did well back there,” Water said to him.

Quinn chuckled.

“She really walks the fine line between me tolerating her and me ripping out her guts. No wonder Secondo doesn’t let her have her own ghouls. They would have killed her during their first week and been sent to the Pit.”

Water laughed. The canteen was busy with siblings when they got there, and Quinn frowned as a vision teased his mind. He searched the sea of humans until his eyes came to rest on Sister Martha. She hadn’t noticed him yet, but he growled when he saw who she was with. It was that prick Tom and they looked close. He cursed as the vision became clearer to him.

“What is it?” Water asked, wondering what the growl was all about.

Quinn sighed.

“Will you grab me something to eat and bring it to Secondo’s for me? I need to speak with him.”

“Sure, no problem.”

He left the hall and jogged to Secondo’s apartment, where he knew he would be getting ready for the dinner he was attending in the city later. Quinn knocked on the door and Air let him in.

“What’s got you so rattled?” the air ghoul asked, looking concerned.

“I need to speak with Secondo. It’s urgent.”

Air nodded and they found him in the bedroom, buttoning up his dress shirt.

“Ah, Quinn, is everything okay?”

Quinn shook his head.

“We have a big problem.”

After the civil war in their hell dimension, they arrested and executed most of the sham government. But Ose had somehow escaped and had gone into hiding. They could not find him, and Quinn just learned why.

“It’s Ose. He’s here on Earth.”

Secondo cursed in Italian.

“He’s what?”

Quinn sent him the vision that he’d just had. The vision didn’t show him Ose’s location, but it revealed that he and his earth ghoul had been summoned to Earth and bound to humans to remain here.

Secondo picked up the phone.

“Si, it’s me. I need two Siblings apprehending and taking to the cells. Right now. But it needs to be discreet.” Quinn heard Earth’s voice rumbling on the other end of the phone. He was still on duty but due to finish soon. Earth asked which Siblings. “Sister Martha and Brother Tom.”

“Fuuuck,” Air said under his breath.

Secondo left Earth and Fire to handle it and they went to the cells to wait for them. It seemed Quinn’s plans with Zephyr would be rescheduled again. As they descended the stairs that led to the basement cells, Vukan was finishing his shift. Quinn asked him to send his apologies to Zephyr once again, but at least the reason was more valid than having to cancel because of Imperator’s whims.

It wasn’t long before Earth and Fire returned. Earth held the human Tom’s biceps and was forcefully walking him along, but he wasn’t putting up much of a fight. Fire walked behind a frightened-looking Martha.

Quinn could feel Tom’s anger at being discovered, but the overwhelming emotion from Martha was guilt. That fucking prick had used whatever influence he still held over her and talked her into this. That was not an excuse; she wasn’t stupid; she knew what she was doing. Her gaze briefly met Quinn’s and she looked ashamed. He felt his eyes glowing and he lifted his lip from his fangs in a silent snarl. Martha whimpered.

“Put him in the holding cell. Put her in the interrogation room.”

She whimpered again, and Quinn felt her fear prickling along his skin at the mention of interrogation. It made him shiver and it caught the attention of the part of him he kept leashed here, except for when Secondo required it.

Earth threw Tom into one of the small holding cells in the little hallway they’d turned down and slammed the door behind him. He started shouting his protests, faking not knowing what was going on. It was all lies though, and when Quinn concentrated, he could see the magic of the bond that tethered them to the ghouls.

There were two types of interrogation room in the Abbey’s basement cells. The upper level, where they were, was more like the human police interview rooms that Quinn had seen on TV shows. Each one had a table bolted to the floor and chairs. A florescent strip-light flickered overhead. The lower level interrogation cells were a different thing entirely. They were more reminiscent of medieval torture chambers. Quinn had a feeling that Martha would have had a heart attack if they’d put her in one of those cells, judging by her reaction to this one.

Fire roughly sat her down in the chair and she folded her arms around herself protectively. Her eyes darted nervously between Secondo, Quinn, and Fire.

The two ghouls stood behind Secondo. This was the way they always started out these things.

“Sister Martha. I’m sure that you know why you are here. Your track record at the Abbey has been impeccable until now, so I am curious about what has changed? What was it that tempted you to betray our trust?”

Her eyes strayed to Quinn and he stared passively back at her, but he tilted his head. She looked down at her lap. Secondo knew that she had been one of his past partners, and he also knew what had happened. Surely that was not enough motivation to go to these lengths, though?

“I... I’m sorry.” She burst into tears and even without his barriers against emotions up, Quinn did not feel any need to comfort her or to soothe her with his magic. What little guilt he had felt over the way he ended it with her had melted away the moment he had the vision in the canteen.

Secondo was staring at her intently and Quinn could tell that he was harvesting all the information that he could from her memories. There would be no need to torture anything out of her. She had given it up freely without even realising it.

Secondo sighed.

“This is most unfortunate, Sister. Most unfortunate indeed. I’m sure you are aware of the penalty for betrayal. The Clergy does not look upon these things lightly, which you will have been made aware of when you first joined us. We will keep you here in the cells indefinitely until we locate the rogue ghouls. We will probably need you for a locating ritual, and I warn you, it will not be pleasant. You have brought this on yourself.”

Martha sobbed, and Quinn could tell that she wholeheartedly regretted Tom talking her into this. She looked up at Quinn between sobs.

“I’m sorry, Quinn. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I don’t know why I agreed to it. It seemed like such a good idea at the time...”

Fire picked her up and dragged her out of the cell. They'd take her down to the lower cells, where she would not see the light of day again until they needed her for a ritual.

Quinn sighed and looked away from her. He didn’t bother to answer her, he just let her misery wash over him as they escorted out of the cell. The door closed, which left him and Secondo alone.

“She may have been be-spelled. From what I can gather from her memories, she let herself be taken in by Tom, but if it’s the spell I think it is, she could have resisted it if she wanted to. He didn't force her into her decision. We cannot risk letting her go, though. If she is still under the influence, then she could be dangerous. She is bonded to Ose’s earth ghoul.”

Quinn growled at the mention of the ghoul that he had defanged, declawed and castrated after Air’s capture. He should have nicked the ghoul’s artery to finish him off, but he wanted to make sure he suffered for as long as possible.

“She has been stupid. She let herself be influenced and now she has to face the consequences.”

Secondo nodded.

“Si. So now we have two ghouls to locate. They could be anywhere by now. I am tempted to call the Council in and let them have a traditional hunt.”

Quinn’s eyes glowed at the prospect of a hunt. It would be reckless to order such a thing in the human world though, there was often collateral damage if a hunt got too intense. The ghouls would get so riled up sometimes that they would stop at nothing to find and kill their prey.

“We could just kill the Siblings and our problem would be solved, Secondo,” Quinn suggested.

He would have no qualms about killing either of them if it meant the threat was gone. The bond they had meant that if one half of the partnership died, then the other would as well. As much as he would love some time alone with Ose, he would give it up if it meant that the threat had been neutralised.

Secondo gave him a kind look.

“Quinn. Ose is the last known link to the kit that the rogue Council bred from you. Wouldn’t you like to find it? If we can capture Ose, then we can find out what happened. If they have a seer locked away somewhere, Boreas needs to know. He has gone to great lengths to rehabilitate and to care for the seers that Ose abused during his reign.”

Quinn wasn’t expecting that answer and it threw him. The memory of the water ghoulette’s terrified eyes as they dragged her away from him flashed through his mind, and he closed his eyes and sighed.

“You’re right, as always, Secondo.”

Secondo reached over and squeezed Quinn’s shoulder.

“Come. We can question Brother Tom later. It seems to me your dinner was interrupted and I see Imperator has requested your presence tonight.” Quinn shuddered at the reminder. “The sooner we get this sorted, the sooner we can focus on this. We’ve got it covered for now. Come back to my apartments and I will make sure you are properly fed.”

Quinn gave him a half smile and did as he was told. It had been a long day, and he still had a long night ahead of him. He looked forward to tomorrow afternoon when he would finally have some time to himself. He couldn’t fucking wait.

Chapter Text

Secondo made sure that Quinn ate the food that Water had brought for him, and he added some of the bread rolls that the Abbey’s children had made for him in their cookery class. They always sent him cakes and other treats, and the ghouls looked forward to Tuesdays because it was their baking day.

“We will perform the locating ritual later tonight to find out where Ose and his ghoul are hiding.”

“You will have to tell Imperator that I am needed elsewhere,” Quinn said, grateful to get out of having to spend time with her, but also annoyed that it would be dragged out longer.

“No, Quinn. We can handle this. It is best for you to go to her. Terzo is assisting me and Anya will be there, so we have it covered.”

“Oh.”

Air smirked at him.

“I’m sure you’ll tire her out pretty quickly.”

Quinn hoped so.

He left Secondo’s apartment just before seven and went to pick up some things from his room, just to piss her off by being a few minutes later than she’d requested. As he rounded the corner towards Imperator’s suite, a Sister was hurrying towards him. Distress wafted off her and she was crying. He stopped walking and she looked up at him. She was momentarily stunned to come face to face with one of Secondo’s ghouls. Quinn let his quintessential self send her some magic to soothe her, and she took a deep, shaky breath.

“What is wrong, Sister?”

She looked surprised that he’d spoken to her and he could tell that she was nervous of him. It made her less likely to lie to him.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t think I would run into anyone.” Quinn gave her his most reassuring smile, making sure not to show any fangs. “I messed up. Imperator is not happy with me.”

Fucking Imperator.

“When is she happy with anyone?” he said gently, shrugging.

The Sister gave him a tentative smile and sighed.

“I love it here so much and I don’t want to ruin it.”

Quinn recognised the scent of this Sister. She must have been close to Imperator because he’d smelled her on Imperator’s clothes several times.

“What job do you do?”

She glanced back at Imperator’s door nervously and then up at Quinn.

“Are you her new ghoul?” Quinn gave a mock snarl and nodded, making the Sister giggle. “I thought you were. I heard her talking to someone about it. She seems to be...happy about it.” He frowned. “I clean her apartment and look after her laundry, things like that. Sometimes I hear her talking.”

That was interesting.

“And what did she do to upset you so badly that you'd run away from her in tears?”

He tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice, but some of it bled through, and it wasn’t entirely accidental. This Sister’s soul was pure and she had an innocence about her that was rare. It was unfortunate that she’d ended up working for Imperator. That woman didn’t seem to treat anyone well who she deemed to be below her.

The sister worried her bottom lip with her teeth and Quinn sent her some more quintessence subtly to relax her. He'd become skilled over the years in hiding it when he had to. She wouldn’t have even noticed.

“I broke one of her wine glasses and she went off at me. I guess I’m just over sensitive. I’ve tried so hard not to mess up, but she makes me so nervous and I get clumsy around her.”

“I’m sure it will be okay. Do you want me to put in a good word for you with her? I think I am in her good books for now.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that. She’d probably get angry if she knew I spoke to someone about it. But thank you for offering.”

Quinn nodded and smiled at her, her cheeks flushed pinker.

“No problem. Come and find me if she gives you any more trouble. I know what she can be like. What’s your name?”

“Sister Angelina.”

“I’m Quinn.”

She smiled up at him shyly, the blush across her cheeks deepening even further.

“I know. All the Siblings know who you are. We know all the ghouls’ names.”

Her eyes widened and she looked embarrassed at having mentioned that, but he smiled at her again and wished her a good evening. Quinn would mention her to Secondo. He was willing to bet that someone like that would overhear a lot of conversations and see a few things that maybe she shouldn’t have when she was doing her job for Imperator.

He strolled up to Imperator’s door and knocked. At her instruction, he took a steadying breath and entered. He’d never been inside her personal apartments before and the first thing that hit him was the overwhelming scent of her, but he tried not to let it piss him off too much.

She lay draped over her couch, drinking a glass of wine. She looked at her watch and frowned.

“You are late again, ghoul. This is not acceptable. Punctuality is extremely important to me, so we will have to work on that. I will whip you into shape, though. Secondo has skipped the basics with you, I think.”

Quinn didn’t respond to that and changed the subject.

“What is it that you need me for tonight, Imperator?”

She took a sip of her wine and smirked at him.

“I thought you could keep me company, ghoul. I found that I very much enjoyed your company at the hotel.” She looked down at the stack of books that he held. “And what are those?”

He looked down and back up at her.

“Books.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Well, I can see that. But what do you need them for?”

“I wanted to catch up on some reading on my break.”

“Break? There will be no break. I have plenty for you to do. Put them on the table and come here.”

Quinn did as she asked and went to stand before her.

“Secondo has loaned you to me for the next week. I’m sure you remember our arrangement. You want to keep on his good side, so that means that you will need to keep on mine. If you perform as well as you did at the function last week, then we will have no issues.”

“I will need to go over the schedules with you, then. I like to plan and know what I need to prepare for.”

She smirked again and stood.

“There will be plenty of time for that. But right now, I want that feral ghoul in my bed.” She ran a fingernail down the front of his chest. “You have something that the other ghouls do not, and I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

She beckoned him to follow her and headed into her bedroom.

Just over an hour later, a naked Quinn sprawled next to an equally naked but be-spelled Imperator, reading a book on astronomy he’d borrowed from Special. It was hard to concentrate with her having such a great time beside him, but he was taking most of what he was reading in.

He winced at the ear-piercing shriek she let out when imaginary Quinn must have done something that tipped her over the edge of her orgasm. He quickly put the book down onto the floor beside the bed, lay down beside her, propping his head up on his elbow. He removed the spell as she was coming down.

Imperator's eyes opened and she met his stare with a hooded gaze. She sighed and stretched, rolling her hips and shivering.

“Well. I think I need a cigarette after that.” Quinn sat up and reached over to pick one up from the bedside table. He lit it and took a long drag before handing it to her. She propped herself up against the headboard and tipped her head back as she smoked. “That has finished off my day rather nicely.”

Quinn stood, and Imperator arched a brow at him, signaling that she wasn’t quite finished with him yet.

“I need the bathroom," he gritted out.

He did what he needed to do and went to pick up his clothes from the floor when he came back out into the bedroom.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting dressed.”

“No. I’m not done with you yet. You can spend the night in here.” Quinn inwardly cursed, but climbed back onto the bed with her. She eyed him and he didn't like the look she had in her eyes. “Do you have a ghuleh?”

She'd surprised him with the question, but he didn’t let her see it. And he didn’t let her see his hurt, either. If she was feeling chatty, he thought, he had better indulge her.

“Not for a long time.”

“A ghoul then?”

He hummed.

“Hmm. Maybe.”

She smirked.

“Ah. That pretty dark-haired one. I notice you two together a lot. He is almost as entertaining as you are.” Quinn suppressed a growl and nodded sharply. “Maybe he could come and join us one night. I do not usually play with the same ghoul more than once, not with Papa’s ghouls, anyway. But I will make an exception for you and he. You make a striking couple.”

Quinn's eyes glowed with what she thought was lust, but it was actually anger. The way she thought of the ghouls as mere objects to get her off and look pretty doing it irked him no end.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. When we are together, we can get quite possessive of one another.”

She took another drag of the cigarette and tapped it out into the ashtray next to her side of the bed.

“Oh, I’m sure that I would love to see that.”

She turned towards him and ran a hand down his side. It gave him chills, and not in a good way, but he forced his hand to touch her stomach and stroke her. He’d noticed the thin, silvery marks she had on the toned skin of her belly. Human eyes would probably not have noticed them unless they were very close to her, but he had seen them straight away. They were the marks she bore from carrying the child that she and Nihil had created.

He stroked them softly and she flinched slightly—he knew she was self conscious of them. They were the only insecurity about her body that she had as far as he could tell. He sent her some of the subtle quintessence and she relaxed again.

“Can I ask you something, ghoul? You know Secondo’s comings and goings. I know that you and the other ghouls are loyal to him through fear, and I respect that. I saw his display of temper the other day and can only imagine how bad it must be for you behind closed doors. If it means escaping his wrath, I’m sure you would give me just a small piece of information. Insignificant in the grand scheme of things.”

Quinn frowned at her.

“I don’t think that I can do that. If Secondo found out, that would be it. He would send me to the pit for sure.”

“And if I tell him what happened with the Sister at the luncheon, he will probably do the same. It will not be anything ground-breaking. I will not ask you to disclose the Clergy’s deepest, darkest secrets. Maybe you need some more incentive.”

Her hand reached between them and grabbed at him. He hissed in a breath and had to restrain himself from tearing it away. Quinn grabbed her by the throat instead. He closed his eyes and tried to separate his disgust and his emotions from his physical body. It worked, and he let her believe he was enjoying this as she stroked him. She was good at what she did, he’d give her that, but he didn’t let himself forget totally who he was dealing with.

His hand tightened around her throat slightly, but not enough to cause too much discomfort. He knew she liked when he did that, so it all added to the illusion.

She leaned into his hold and whispered into his ear.

“Where did Secondo move the boy to?”

“The boy?”

Quinn feigned ignorance, and she gripped him harder. He gasped and his hips bucked into her hold.

“You know who I mean. My boy.”

He gritted his teeth and panted as she worked the hardened flesh of his cock.

“I don’t know. He said he was moving him, but he didn’t say where. I only overheard a conversation.”

She let go of him and growled in frustration. Quinn breathed a sigh of relief, but he also felt pissed at himself for being a tiny bit disappointed that she hadn't finished him off. Only for a moment, though. His rational self soon damped that feeling down.

“Ugh. It has been months since I last heard anything.” Quinn could tell she wasn’t lying about that because it was tinged with sadness, but he also sensed she was angry at herself for letting her cool, calm and collected mask slip. So she did care for the boy in her own fucked up way then. “Maybe you will need to do some digging for me, then.”

Quinn was just about to refuse when he heard a pounding at the door. He quickly got up and put his jeans on to answer it.

It was Water.

“You need to come quickly. Secondo needs you. It’s Sister Martha.”

Chapter Text

Quinn and Water jogged along to the chapel where they had performed the locating ritual.

“What happened?” Quinn asked.

“We aren’t sure, but it looks like she wasn’t strong enough. That ritual is brutal. Omega and Zephyr are already there.”

Imperator hadn’t been happy, but Quinn left her to her bitching and didn’t look back.

Water threw open the door, and a scene of chaos greeted them. Alpha held Tom back, snarling at him. The human didn’t look in great shape himself. His nose was bleeding and his skin had gone deathly pale, but he still had the energy to scream obscenities at Secondo.

Zephyr and Omega crouched on the floor, leaning over a shaking form. Martha lay on her side, twitching. It looked like she was having a fit, and Omega and Zephyr were struggling to bring her out of it.

This was one thing Quinn hated the most about what he was and what he could see. Whatever had happened to her during the ritual? 

It was too late. 

Whatever the other two quintessence ghouls did, it would make no difference. Martha’s soul was half gone already. What they were trying to save was not saveable. Martha had become nothing more than a twitching, convulsing body on the cold stone floor.

Secondo stood over them and he looked up when he registered Quinn’s presence. He was the only one who noticed his sadness at what was happening. He walked over and knelt down by her head. Secondo knew immediately what Quinn could see. He'd left his thoughts wide open, and Papa gave him a sad nod.

“Zephyr, Omega, that’s enough. Leave her be now, si? Let Quinn deal with it.”

The two ghouls looked up at him, confused, but they did as he asked. They stood and waited to see what Quinn would do. He ignored them and the sounds in the chapel faded away. He pulled Martha’s head gently into his lap and bowed his head, saying a prayer to the Dark Lord to keep her soul safe. Quinn looked up at Secondo.

“What do you want me to do? Do you want to keep her here? Until we find the earth ghoul?”

His eyes slid over to Air. Quinn would love some more time up close and personal with that particular earth ghoul for what he'd done to his pack mate, but he’d had his fun with him already. Air had not had his revenge for what they'd done to him all those years ago, though, and this could be his chance.

Secondo glanced at Air also and then nodded.

“Si. Keep her alive. We do not want to clue Ose in to the fact we know they’re here, and I’m sure that Air would love to be reacquainted with the earth ghoul.”

Air dropped his gaze and looked at the ground. Quinn saw the purple fire glowing in his eyes, but he also felt his apprehension. He was fine now, and even though the attack on him had been brutal, he had recovered and moved on with the help of his pack and Secondo. This was the first time in a long time, though, that Quinn had felt that insecurity coming from him, and it made him angry all over again.

He sighed and muttered an Infernal spell to stop Martha's convulsions. It was similar to the magic that Secondo used to freeze people into place, and it would have been cruel had she been conscious. As it was, yes, she would probably be in pain, but Quinn felt no conscious mind within her shell of a body. The magic of the ritual had damaged her brain so badly that it was no longer capable of thought and reasoning.

Death would have been kinder, but the Clergy did not require that of her just yet.

When the spell was complete, she stilled and Quinn smoothed the dark curls back from her face.

“What the fuck did you do to her? You’re all fucking monsters!” Tom had started up his ranting again, and Quinn turned to look at him. A growl rumbled out of his chest and it took every bit of self control he had not to rip out the human’s throat with his fangs. “This is your fucking fault, ghoul! She was never the same after you got your claws into her! She told me what you did to her and it’s sick! She was never like that before. You corrupted her!”

Quinn closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. There was nothing that he and Martha had done together that was not consensual—unlike her time with Tom. Quinn had always used his extra sight to check that she was on board, and he explicitly told her what they would do and gave her the opportunity to refuse. She had allowed herself to explore her adventurous side with him. She trusted him more than this piece of shit human, and Quinn wanted nothing more than to torture the fuck out of him right here in the chapel. Secondo put paid to that dream, though.

“Put him back in his cell and take Sister Martha to the infirmary. We have a trip to make.”

Omega and Zephyr picked her up gently and took her limp body out towards the infirmary.

Quinn raised a brow and Air came and stood beside him, draping his arm across his shoulders. He had that mischievous glint in his eyes that Quinn knew nothing good would come of.

“Better pack your shit, Quinn. We’re going on a little flight to find those ghouls tomorrow!”

Quinn groaned. He hated flying with a passion and had mostly managed to avoid it since his early days on Earth. He found it worked to get blind drunk before takeoff so that he could fall asleep for the journey.

“Fuck! Why couldn’t they have just been up the road or hiding in plain sight like normal villains?”

Air shrugged and grinned at him.

“Don’t worry, Quinn. You can hold my hand the whole way if you need to.” 

Quinn growled at him.

“Fuck off, Air!”

The other ghoul cackled, and they made their way back to the lair to prepare.

Chapter Text

Quinn went back with Secondo and Air to give his report about Imperator.

“As far as I can tell, she doesn’t know about the Infernal eye. She said it has been months since she heard anything about the boy and I believed her.”

Secondo sifted through the memory Quinn sent him and nodded. He wasn’t shy about anything he showed to Secondo now. The Papa pretty much knew everything about him and he’d shown him a lot worse than a memory with Imperator’s hand on his cock. Secondo wasn’t fazed at all.

“Si, I think it is safe to assume that. It would be handy to keep tabs on her, though, just in case.”

Quinn smiled.

“We may have an ally there—or a potential one. The Sister who is Imperator’s housekeeper was upset yesterday. She seems like a sweet girl. Too sweet to be suffering Imperator.”

He noticed Air’s interest at the mention of a sweet Sister. Secondo noticed too.

“I wonder if we could persuade this Sister to keep an eye on Imperator and report any interesting things she hears or sees?”

“I volunteer,” Air said a little too eagerly.

Quinn and Secondo both smirked.

“I was going to suggest you anyway, Air. I know you can be very persuasive with these things.”

Air grinned.

“Which Sister is it? I don’t think I know who works for Imperator these days.”

“Sister Angelina.”

Air’s eyes lit up.

“The little redhead?”

Quinn nodded.

“You’re right, she is sweet.”

Quinn shook his head and sighed. Air was partial to a redhead.

“So am I dismissed from Imperator, or do you want me to see what else I can find out?”

“I think you have suffered long enough, Quinn. I think I will recall you back into the fold. I will contact Imperator and let her know you are no longer available.”

“Thank you, Satanas,” Quinn murmured.

Secondo chuckled.

“No, thank you. I am grateful to you and you handled it perfectly. I have been thinking about giving you a little bonus to show my appreciation.” Quinn was about to protest. There wasn’t anything in the way of material possessions that he needed. He certainly didn’t need any extra money. Secondo looked between him and Air. “I was thinking maybe I will lift my ban on the two of you leaving the Abbey together.”

Quinn and Air grinned at each other.

“Thank you, Secondo,” Quinn said.

“However. If I hear of any more rule breaking, that ban will become permanent. Do I make myself clear?” Both ghouls nodded. “Good.”

Earth came in to take over from Air, so after a few minutes of handover, they left.

“So we just need to make sure that Secondo doesn’t find out this time, then,” Air said with that glint in his eye.

“Ugh, seriously Air? Is it worth the risk?”

Air pouted.

“Yes?”

Quinn rolled his eyes at the other ghoul.

“I need a shower.”

“Imperator, huh? I can smell her on you.”

“Yeah. Shit. I left my shirt and my books in her apartment.”

“Meh, it’s fine. We’ll get Earth to go pick them up. Oooh. Or maybe we can ask Sister Angelina to get them for you? I can go find her right now.”

Quinn laughed.

“The poor girl will be sleeping.”

“And?”

“Come on, let’s just go home. I need to get this stench off me and we need to rest up for tomorrow.”

He was dreading it already, could feel the nagging anxiety in the pit of his stomach. The thought of being trapped in the metal box of death and being tormented by the visions of everything that could and would go wrong was not pleasant.

“When this is over and we get back, we’re taking Aurora out for a proper drive and we’re going to have some fun. Maybe we can go to a concert or something? Ooh, maybe we can stay over, have a weekend away.”

Quinn wasn’t sure what he thought about that. He didn’t like the idea of being in amongst that many humans so close together, but the thought of some time away was nice. He wasn’t sure Secondo would allow it, though. Maybe with Fire and Water, or Earth and any of the others. But Quinn and Air? He wasn’t sure Secondo’s trust in them would stretch that far.

“I wonder if we can get Secondo to change his rules?” Quinn wondered out loud.

“Hmmm. Good luck with that,” Air said as they walked. “You staying with me tonight?”

Quinn tilted his head and considered it. He knew that he’d be scrubbing himself raw in the shower and Air could probably smell Imperator’s perfume on him. Spending the night with his pack mate would cover the remnants of it up. He could use the company too, after what happened with Martha. It had been years now since their little thing ended and he had been fond of her at the time, but he hadn’t wanted it to go beyond that, and she had. It was wrong that it had ended this way, though.

Quinn didn’t know the circumstances, but he thought he’d had a pretty good idea about her character, and this was completely at odds with the Martha that he’d known. He had warned Tom away from her before, but clearly he’d wormed his way back into her life, and this was the result of it.

“Yeah, I think I will. I’ll get my shower first though. My nose is itching.”

“Just come in when you’re ready, then.”

Quinn headed to his room and straight into the bathroom. He took off his jeans and threw them into the hamper. He considered burning them but realised that was maybe a little extreme.

The water was on the highest setting and it still didn’t feel like it was hot enough to scrub the filth from his skin. He hadn’t realised at the time just how dirty it had made him feel, even just that little piece of contact with Imperator. The fact that in her head she had used him and she had gotten what she wanted from him. Quinn shuddered; anyone else, he would have done his job and not given it a second thought. But her? After what she’d tried to do when he’d first arrived here, it just felt wrong. At least it was done with now, though. Secondo would ensure the boy’s safety and provide him with good care and education.

When Quinn deemed himself clean enough, he towelled off and went to find something to wear. The vision caught him off guard, and he cursed. It was Anya and Imperator, but again, the image was too fleeting to pinpoint anything specific. He growled in frustration, dressed quickly and knelt before his altar. He prayed for Martha and for all of his family here. Whatever the vision was, it made him uneasy.

By the time he made it to Air’s room, the ghoul was under the covers, fast asleep. He crept into the bed next to him and curled up around him. Air stirred slightly, but he didn’t wake. Quinn suppressed the tears that threatened to fall as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

_____

They slept soundly and Quinn woke early the next morning to sunlight streaming in through a crack in the curtains. He could feel Air’s breath tickling the back of his neck and he smiled. The other ghoul’s arm tightened around his waist and pulled him closer, spooning into the back of him.

“Hi," Air said, his voice still full of sleep.

“Hi.”

Air sighed, and Quinn sensed there was something bothering him.

“I just want to get this off my chest and then we can move on. Okay?” Quinn frowned. Air sounded serious. He went to turn around and face him but the air ghoul stopped him. “No, this will be easier if I can’t see your face.” He took a deep breath and Quinn felt apprehensive, but he stayed quiet and let him speak. “I know you won’t ever bond with anyone again and I get it. But just so you know, if you did want to do that, I totally would. With you. You and I? We fit. I won't get all melancholy over it, because I’m not heartbroken and I know it will never happen. I just wanted you to know that I can’t imagine my life without you—whatever that life may look like. I’m happy with the way things are now, and I just wanted you to know that you’ll always have me—even if I find my other half in the future.” He huffed a laugh. “You know me. I like to keep my options open.”

Quinn sighed and closed his eyes.

“I know, Air. I just...” He didn’t need to say it—Air already knew. He turned over and stroked Air’s cheek. “I love what we have. We don’t need a bond. I like us just the way we are. What brought this on?”

Air smiled sadly and nuzzled his face against Quinn's cheek.

“I was just thinking. I shouldn’t. It hurts when I think too hard. Boreas took all the brains that our sire and mother had to give. I was just left with the good looks and the charm.” Quinn laughed. “I just wanted you to know where I was at. I know you probably already knew it—that I didn’t have to say it—but I wanted to.”

Quinn frowned, wishing he was a better ghoul. Wishing he wasn't so fucking broken.

“I appreciate it and if I could give you that, then I would. But I can’t.”

Air’s gaze roamed his face and he smiled again.

“I’ll take whatever you can give me.”

Quinn’s eyes darkened, and Air’s glowed in response.

“Will you now...”

Chapter Text

A couple of hours later, the ghouls and Secondo ate breakfast together in his study. They went over the plan for apprehending Ose. Shay had contacted the Council and they were sending a small team to help. Amon would lead them; he was Boreas’ right hand ghoul and had been since their days as resistance fighters when they'd fought to overthrow Ose. The big earth ghoul had a vested interest in this.

Their need to capture Ose was so great that they had contacted the Shadow Council who were sending two of their elite shadow ghoul trackers. The Council ghouls would be summoned to the nearest Abbey, but Secondo and his team would have to fly.

The locating ritual had placed Ose and his earth ghoul Ravana in a forest in Finland. The nearest Abbey to there was in Oulu so they would need to fly there, meet the Council ghouls and then drive and hike the rest of the way.

Quinn chewed his porridge slowly, but his stomach was churning. He was trying not to think about the ten hours plus that he would be spending on the Clergy’s private jet. He planned to drink a bottle of whiskey in the van on the way to the airport and become oblivious. Air had been teasing him about it all morning since their heart to heart chat and the subsequent session to obliterate Imperator’s scent from his skin. The air ghoul found it hilarious that the dangerous missions they went on never bothered Quinn, but the flights to and from them turned him into a nervous wreck. He didn’t let Quinn forget it.

“So, when we have them we will bring them back here and hold them until myself and the Council have all of the information we need. The Council want to make a public display of Ose’s execution so when we are done he will be sent back to the hell dimension. We will have to be very careful about the level of torment we dole out, si?”

Quinn looked up and met Secondo’s eyes as he realised that the Papa was addressing him. He nodded slowly and forced another mouthful of breakfast into himself. He could restrain himself as far as Ose was concerned if Secondo needed him to.

The drive didn’t take too long. They’d taken two vans to the small air strip that the Clergy used and Quinn vaguely remembered staggering out of the door with Earth holding him up and guiding him onto the plane. He’d chugged the bottle of whiskey on the way there and it had taken effect fairly quickly. He remembered himself ranting about a vision he’d had on the way and Air was trying to shut him up. The last thing he remembered was being shoved into his seat and then he must have blissfully passed out because he woke up just as the plane was about to land.

Of course he had to wake up during the worst part, but at least it was almost over. He felt like shit so he closed his eyes again and tried to look forward to the coffee and the food they would have at the Abbey before they left for the wilderness at first light.

Contrary to what the ether showed him - a vision of a very similar looking plane to theirs not making a successful landing - Quinn and the others stepped out of the plane unscathed. He said his prayer of thanks and they headed to the cars that the Oulu Abbey had sent. It was late spring back home but here it was still pretty cold in comparison, plus it was the middle of the night by now which didn’t help with the temperature.

The Council ghouls had already arrived when they got to the Abbey and Quinn was happy to see Svarog amongst them. He and Amon had brought two more earth ghouls plus the Shadow Council’s ghouls; twin shadow ghouls named Hugin and Munin. Quinn recognised the names from a book he’d read on Norse mythology and they made him think of Andras and his raven form. They were both black haired with pale skin and dark, intelligent eyes. He hadn’t encountered too many shadow ghouls before as they tended to keep to themselves and were a minority amongst the other ghoul species. From what he knew of them though they were formidable warriors and exceptional hunters.

Amon introduced everybody and they sat down to eat and refuel. Svarog came to sit with Quinn and Air.

“Good to see you,” the big fire ghoul said.

“You as well. And how is Agrat?”

Quinn could smell her scent on him and he was glad that they’d been reunited.

“She is well, they didn’t treat her too badly which is more than can be said for the other seers.”

Quinn nodded sadly.

“I heard that Boreas is making sure they are looked after.”

“Yes, he has put Agrat in charge of them. A handful will make a full recovery, but the rest have been lost. Including Agrat’s sister.”

Quinn met Svarog’s eyes and he felt the pain he was feeling at the loss.

“Was she very similar to Agrat?”

Svarog nodded.

“Well yes, they were twins.”

That explained Quinn’s vision then. It was not Agrat he had seen linked to the ether, it was her twin.

“I cannot fucking wait to get my claws into Ose.”

The fire ghoul’s eyes glowed with orange fire. There wasn’t a ghoul here who didn’t want a piece of Ose.

“Oh, I brought something for you.”

Svarog handed him the demon blade that he had lost when he was taken by the Council. Quinn’s eyes widened when he recognised it.

“Where did you find it?”

He couldn’t believe it. Air whistled when he saw it.

“That’s an impressive blade.”

“When we took stock of the weapons arsenal at the Council buildings I recognised it. There aren’t many demon swords around so it stood out. I asked if I could bring it for you because I knew you’d be here on this mission.”

Quinn was speechless, he didn’t think he would ever see it again when he’d been captured. It had been a gift from Andras, forged by the same demon smith who had made his own blade.

“Thank you,” was all he managed to say.

Svarog gave him a warm smile and they turned their attention back to their food. The alcohol had gone from Quinn’s system by now and he was feeling more alert from the coffee. Dawn was almost here and Secondo gave up control of the hunt to Amon.

They would drive as far as they could into the forest and then make their way on foot. All ghouls loved the forest, especially if they were hunting there. The shadow ghouls would find the place that the locating ritual had pinpointed Ose and Ravana to be and then track them from there before returning for the backup.

The drive took about an hour and then they began their journey through the forest. This was more like the forests that ghouls were used to. The woods at the Abbey were nice but they were nothing compared to this. The wilderness stretched for miles upon miles and there were no humans around. Quinn had to admit that Ose had chosen a good place to hide. Without the locating spell they could have easily gone undiscovered for many years to come.

The shadow ghouls changed into the black smoke of their shadow forms and sped off ahead, weaving in and out of the trees looking for a trail to follow. They would also check for any magical defences the ghouls might have set up to deter anyone from discovering them.

Around thirty minutes passed and Hugin and Munin reappeared to give their findings to Amon.

“We saw them. There is a small hunting cabin where they’re staying. We didn’t get close enough for them to sense us.”

“Excellent.” Amon turned to the others. “Remember, we take them alive. Both of them.” He grinned. “ Let’s hunt!”

The ghouls melted into the trees and stealthily made their way towards the place where the shadow ghouls had confirmed was their hideout.

It was hard going through the trees and they kept their pace relatively slow. There was no need to hurry, their quarry didn’t know they were coming, and Secondo was slower than the ghouls even though he was relatively fit for a human. There were too many ghouls for Ose and Ravana to outfight and outrun.

Quinn caught the earth ghoul’s scent a couple of miles from the cabin and he grinned. His instincts took over as he tracked it. The ghouls all spread out throughout the forest that surrounded the small log cabin and they waited for their instructions.

Secondo had used his magics to cover them all so that the two ghouls inside would not be aware of the presence of others. He looked to Quinn who reached out with his extra sight and recognised the signatures of two ghouls inside the building.

"They're in there," he said to confirm.

One of the shadow ghouls ghosted inside under the door frame and opened the door for the others. Secondo went first and used his magic to freeze them into place.

By the time Quinn stepped into the cabin he could sense that Ose was spitting mad.

Amon spoke up.

“Well, well, well. We’ve been looking for you Ose, and who would have thought we would find you here on Earth?”

Ravana bared his teeth at them and Quinn laughed. Air had come to stand beside him and he could tell that he was anxious at coming face to face with one of his tormentors.

When Quinn looked the earth ghoul up and down he noticed that all of his claws had grown back after Quinn had removed them with his teeth just about six years ago. The thing that made him grin though was when he noticed that the other ghoul still had one of his fangs missing. They were much harder to grow back than claws were and apparently much more painful too. It looked like Ravana had only got one of his back after Quinn had removed those too.

It took him a minute to notice Quinn and Air in amongst the other ghouls but his eyes darkened with anger when he did which only made Quinn’s grin wider.

“You!” he growled as he locked stares with Quinn.

Ose swung his eyes over to him as well and they glowed with fire when he realised who and what Quinn was.

“Hello. It’s been a while. I bet you’ve missed me.”

He let their anger and their dismay at being caught wash over him and he shivered. This was going to be so much fun.

Chapter Text

The first part of the walk back to the vans was challenging. Ose and Ravana were gagged, had their hands bound behind their backs and were being as awkward as they could. Quinn and Svarog were dragging Ravana, Earth and Amon had Ose. Both ghouls were refusing to use their own feet. After about an hour Quinn sighed impatiently.

“Do you know what Rav?” Quinn said to the earth ghoul. “I fucking hate cowards. If you don’t even have the balls to walk to your execution on your own two feet, then...” He chuckled. “Oh, right, I forgot.”

Earth snorted and he heard the others laugh. Ravana didn’t find it funny though and cursed through his gag, the words came out muffled but everyone got the gist of it.

The sounds of a scuffle broke out behind them and Quinn stopped and turned them around. Ose had managed burn through his binds, somehow breaking loose of Earth and Amon’s hold and he ran. He didn’t make it far though. The two shadow ghouls changed forms and within a heartbeat had re-formed in front of him. He skidded to a halt and Quinn could feel his uncertainty; should he try to run or try to fight them? Their eyes glowed with pewter fire as they waited to see what he would do and Munin smirked. They made an intimidating picture standing there, shoulder to identical shoulder. The other ghouls stood back and watched.

“I’m just begging you to try it, Ose. Please give me an excuse to end you.”

Quinn sensed that there was something personal behind those words. Ose had done a lot of damage during his tyrannical reign. A lot of ghouls and ghoulettes had lost friends and family members as a direct result of his archaic laws and his actions.

Ose was stupider than Quinn had given him credit for as he ran at Hugin. The ghoul was ready for him though and managed to twist out of the way, ending up behind Ose and shoving him to the ground.

The fire ghoul screamed in frustration. Quinn realised he’d wanted the shadow ghoul to end him so that he didn’t have to go through the process of interrogation and the humiliation of public execution.

“Nice try Ose, but we are not stupid," Munin gritted out. “You will face the ghouls back home and pay for your crimes.”

Ose growled through his gag.

“Quinn?” Secondo said. “Knock him out.”

Quinn sent a powerful wave of quintessence to Ose and the ghoul went still. It should keep him out long enough to get back to Oulu and then they could put him in the warded cells at the Abbey there. Earth picked up his prone form and threw him over his shoulder to carry him the rest of the way.

Quinn, Svarog, Air and Fire rode in the van with Ravana. The earth ghoul kept glancing at Air who was glaring at him, his eyes glowing purple. He noticed Quinn watching him and glanced at him sideways.

“It looks like we will be busy for a while, Air.” Ravana turned his eyes to Quinn. “I do not think they need any information from this one. That leaves him free for us to play with.”

Air smiled and Ravana looked back to him, growling.

“I think so. Shame your buddies from your last visit to Earth couldn’t join you.”

Quinn reached over and took out Ravana’s gag.

“Was it as painful as they say?” Ravana scowled. “The fangs. I’ve always been told it hurts when they grow back. If they grow back.”

He reached over and pulled the earth ghoul’s lip up to see his teeth. Ravana turned his head away.

“Fuck you.”

“Oh, we might get to that later." Ravana growled again. “I’m guessing you won’t have had much action lately other than being Ose’s bitch.”

Ravana acted unaffected and he chuckled.

“Speaking of bitches. I wish you could have seen what happened to that pretty little water ghuleh after you were done with her. Ose couldn’t keep an eye on her all of the time, he was busy with Council business. Accidents happened. On a daily basis. Anything went as long as the kit didn’t get hurt. She didn't have much strength to her.”

Quinn closed his eyes and took a calming breath. He knew that Ravana was lying but it didn’t make his words any less effective. In his mind he had torn into flesh and ripped out the earth ghoul’s throat with his fangs, and he’d have to let that image satisfy his bloodlust for now.

“It is not wise for you to goad your future tormentors, Rav. I know you are stupid but I didn’t realise how much you must have enjoyed the pain we caused you last time.”

Ravana was good. He’d hidden his fear pretty well behind shit talking and feigned anger, but Quinn could sense it. He talked the talk but underneath the bravado he was still affected by the memory of the last time he’d been in a room with and at the mercy of the Clergy ghouls.

Quinn roughly shoved the gag back in his mouth as he recognised the scenery. They were getting close to the Abbey which was on the outskirts of the city. This Abbey was smaller than theirs but it still had the basics they would require. It had holding cells, a summoning chapel and lower level cells but on a smaller scale to what they were used to.

The prisoners were dumped unceremoniously into their cells whilst it was decided what would be done with them. They could be interrogated here, but the resources at the main Abbey were better so Secondo and Amon decided in the end that they would fly the ghouls back there. They were provided with warded chains for Ose so that he wouldn’t be able to burn through with his fire ghoul magic.

It was dusk by now and Quinn and Air sat on a wall in the Abbey’s gardens sharing a smoke. Quinn knew that seeing Ravana again had brought back bad memories for Air and although he was doing a good job of hiding his anxiousness from the others, he had no chance of hiding it from Quinn. He put an arm around the air ghoul’s shoulders and sent him some quintessence to steady him.

Air sighed.

“Thanks. I didn’t think it would bother me, seeing him again. I’ve been angry at them all of this time. But I didn’t expect to feel intimidated.”

“There is nothing to be intimidated by. He’s a worthless piece of shit. From what I’ve heard he’s been responsible for too much pain and suffering in Ose’s name and we will be the ones who finally end it. You will be.”

Air glanced at him.

“You know me, Quinn. I can fight when I have to, but I’m not like you. I won’t be able to make him suffer the way you would.”

Quinn smirked.

“Do you want to make him suffer?”

“Well, yes. Of course. You know how long I had nightmares for.”

Quinn’s eyes glowed in anger when he remembered being woken up by Air reliving his ordeal through nightmares. The others didn’t know about that, Air had sworn him to secrecy, but Quinn recalled every single one. It had happened for many months afterwards.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about then. I’ll be there with you. But you need to do this. It will be good for you in the long run and it will help you to heal once and for all.” Air opened his mouth to protest but Quinn talked over him. “Don’t. I know you’re fine, I do. But the fact that you’re feeling intimidated by him when you should be out for his blood means there is still some more room for healing. This is it. I guarantee that seeing him suffer will make you feel better.”

Air sighed again and leaned into him.

“Yeah. I guess.”

He didn’t sound convinced.

Quinn stood up and stretched out.

“Come on, let’s go and see what Secondo has planned.”

“It must be dinner time by now too. Surely.”

Quinn laughed and they headed back inside into the warmth of the Abbey.

Secondo gave them time to eat before they set off for home. Amon and his ghouls went back to their home dimension to rest up and they would be summoned again the following day.

At Secondo’s request, Quinn knocked both Ose and Ravana out enough to keep them unconscious for the flight home. He then set about the process of knocking himself out too. Air decided that he would join him in the drinking and after a couple of bottles of vodka were consumed in the van, they staggered onto the plane together much to Earth’s annoyance.

“I know Quinn is a fucking pussy who can’t handle flying, but seriously Air? You as well?”

“Hey! Quinn is not a pissy! Pussy! Pissy pussy? Fuck.”

“Just sit down and shut up. Go to the back away from everyone else.”

Quinn growled at Earth on the way past as Air dragged him towards the back of the plane. He meant it to sound threatening but Earth just shook his head and laughed.

They sat and Quinn rested his head on the back of the seat, looking up at the ceiling.

“Earth is just pissed because he hasn’t seen Zoe for a few days and his little delicate heart is sad,” Air said in an exaggerated whisper that every ghoul on the plane, plus Secondo heard. Quinn felt Earth’s annoyance and it made him chuckle.

Everyone else settled into their seats once they’d secured the two captives and Quinn felt his eyelids growing heavy.

“You’ll be fine Air. I’ll make sure of it," he murmured.

Air snuggled into his side as the plane started to move towards the runway.

“I know you will. You always do.”

He felt Air’s hot breath on his neck and he smiled as he gave in to the alcohol, falling asleep for the rest of the journey.

Chapter Text

A storm raged the following day when Secondo and his ghouls arrived back at the Abbey with Ose and Ravana in tow. Quinn had kept them asleep for the drive home from the airstrip and they’d been placed in their respective cells. The corridor they were on was one of the more basic ones that the dungeon had to offer. Bare stone, dim lights, cells with warded bars that ran from floor to ceiling.

The prisoners were placed in cells that were next to each other. When they were awake they could communicate, and they’d also be able to hear everything that was happening to the other but not see it.

Quinn and Fire dropped Ravana onto the ground. He landed on his face but none of them cared what happened to him now.

“Wake him up,” Secondo ordered Quinn.

He called back the quintessence magic he’d used and the earth ghoul started awake. It took him a second to realise where he was and he looked up at Secondo who was flanked by Quinn, Fire, Earth and Air.

“Nice of you to join us, Rav," Quinn said with a grin.

The earth ghoul’s eyes flashed green for a second and he growled.

“I will get through the formalities first, Ravana,” Secondo said. “You have been found guilty of crimes against ghoul kind and crimes against the Clergy. The Council has deemed you punishable by Clergy law to get this over with swiftly and cleanly.” He huffed a laugh and smirked as he looked back at Quinn and Air. “Well, maybe not so swiftly and cleanly, but it will be done with in the next twenty four hours. Your sentence is death and has been agreed to by the relevant authorities. Those who you have maimed and tortured, and the families of those that you murdered wait with bated breath to hear the details of your end.”

Quinn relished the fear that Ravana felt as the clock began counting down to his demise. He didn’t show it outwardly though.

“You are all weak. This so called civilised society goes against everything ghoul kind should be. It sickens me to see these pets that the Clergy keeps. You are nothing but slaves,” Ravana growled out.

“Do I sense some jealousy there, Rav? I’m guessing you were too stupid to be selected and it hurt your precious feelings?”

Earth and Fire laughed but Air kept quiet. Quinn sent him some mojo as he could feel his nerves kicking in.

They all left the cell and went to wake up Ose. Secondo didn’t pass the sentence down to him, that was up to the Council ghouls to do officially on the other side of the Divide. Secondo wanted a word with him though.

Ose blinked and shook his head as he woke up stretched out on the floor of the cell. He was tall and lean with sandy coloured hair and cruel eyes.

“Ose. Finally we meet. I never did get the chance to speak with you and I’ve been looking forward to this.”

Earth went and grabbed the fire ghoul by the hair, dragging him to his feet.

“I have nothing to say to you, human.”

He said it as though Secondo was the lowest of the low.

“Oh, I don’t need you to say anything to me. I will ask you about what I need to know, and I will take the answers I need from you.”

Ose looked confused as Earth yanked his head to the side and Fire jabbed his neck with a syringe.

“What the fuck?” Ose spat.

“Just a little something to relax you. It will give me better access to your thoughts and make you that bit more compliant.”

Ose swung his eyes to Quinn and he could feel his anger rising but he shut it off, together with his empathy. Ose bared his fangs at Quinn.

“You. My entire elite guard was obliterated because of you.” Quinn raised a brow at him and his eyes slid to Air. He did a double take and a sly smile crossed his face. “Oh, I presume that you are the precious little brother? No wonder fate chose you to be captured. You look so much like him, no wonder my ghouls were so eager to fuck you up. The next best thing to the resistance leader. I’m sure they were extra rough with you because they were imagining Boreas. You are both so pretty and I know what my ghouls can get like.”

Quinn felt his eyes glowing but he managed to suppress the growl that tried to escape him. Air did not suppress his though, and Quinn didn’t think he’d ever heard such a threatening sound come from the air ghoul. In that moment he knew for certain that Air would be okay with what he had to do to Ravana.

Secondo broke the tension and moved things along.

“We know that you gave the order to take out Quintessence, and we received the message you sent to the Clergy via Air. I am curious about your motives though.” Quinn could sense the drugs that Fire had injected Ose with beginning to work. His heart rate was slowing and his pupils were blown. He was warring with himself to stop his mind wandering to the place Secondo was directing it to, but it was no use. Secondo smirked as he harvested the thoughts. “You are more bitter than I realised. All of this over a slight? Your mate was overlooked in favour of Quintessence for a Clergy place? All of this because of that?”

Quinn frowned. Ose was corrupt, that was clear to him, so how could a quintessence ghoulette stand to be mated to him? Just being in his presence made Quinn’s skin crawl. He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to be bonded to someone like him for life. Ose growled in frustration.

“No. This was not about that. That was just a convenience that occurred, killing two birds with one stone. His death was a gift to my beloved and it just happened to further our agenda.”

Ose looked to Quinn again and snarled.

“Ah yes, that brings me to Quintessence’s replacement. The Clergy does not look favourably on kidnapping its ghouls and be-spelling them. What happened to the kit?”

Ose scrunched his brow in concentration, trying and failing to block Secondo out of his thoughts.

Secondo glanced at Quinn and he could feel his sadness and frustration but he tried not to think of it.

“You will never find her. She has been moved on several times since I came to Earth. Even I don’t know who has her now. I am not so stupid as to have her fall into the Council’s hands.”

Secondo spent a while longer quizzing Ose and sifting through his memories before he was finally done.

“I will leave you with my quintessence, my earth and my air. The Council have the final say but as long as you are able to be executed there, they are not fussy about the state that you are sent back in. There will be some Council ghouls joining us again very soon so I’m sure they will come and pay you a visit also.”

Quinn smiled when Ose’s veneer of confidence slipped as Secondo left the room, leaving Earth, Air and he behind. He wasn’t a fighter himself, he had left the dirty work to his followers.

“Such a shame that we don’t have too much time. We have another to deal with also, but we can still get better acquainted, I’m sure,” Quinn said.

He could feel Earth’s eagerness at causing Ose some pain. This was the ghoul who had ordered for his best friend to be killed, the ghoul that had set the events of the years since Quinn was summoned into motion.

Quinn and Air stood back and watched as Earth let go some of his frustrations on Ose. Quinn winced as the massive earth ghoul caused some serious damage to the fire ghoul. He had to step in a few times and do some intense healing because Secondo would not be happy if they killed him before he was sent back to face the Council. Ghouls could take a lot of damage from a beating, but with Earth’s brute strength they had to be careful. As much as it pained him to heal the prick and ease some of his suffering, he did what he had to do.

When it was deemed that Earth had doled out enough punishment, Air escorted him out into the corridor. Quinn picked Ose up and propped him against the wall of the cell in a sitting position. He sat down on the ground next to him. The fire ghoul’s face was pretty much unrecognisable, so Quinn did some healing on it as he wanted the ghouls and ghoulettes who attended his execution to be able to recognise him. He left the broken bones alone though; none of them were life threatening and they were causing him a lot of pain so he figured he would leave them as they were. There were quite a lot of them and he didn’t have time to try and heal them all anyway.

Quinn sighed as he listened to Ose struggling to catch his breath with his broken ribs.

“This is nothing compared to the suffering I wanted to cause you. I’m under no illusions that what you did to me and that water ghoulette was an isolated thing. How many more seers did you try to breed?”

Ose laughed and winced, spitting blood out onto the ground beside him.

“You are wrong there. I did not get the opportunity again. The fates aligned to make it possible only that once. I hope you feel special because it looks like you are unique. It’s a shame we couldn’t breed you two again, but Calista suffered greatly bringing your kit into the world, so it would not have been possible a second time.”

Quinn felt the rage at his words bouncing off the walls he’d put up around his emotions. That ghuleh was collateral damage to Ose, a means to an end. Finally, after all of these years he had a name for her. He had prayed for her soul many times since this had all happened.

“I will find that kit and I will make sure that your influence has not corrupted her. If it is the last thing I do, I will wipe you from her memory. I would not usually let you know how much you have affected me, it is a sign of weakness that I do not allow myself. But in this case know that you created a monster as far as I am concerned. I have already had one family taken from me so I will make it my life’s mission make this right... And to make yours suffer.”

Ose snapped his gaze to Quinn’s and he felt his surge of panic.

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you have a family, even though you went to great lengths to hide them.” He tapped his temple, indicating the vision he'd just had. “Fate doesn’t always work against me, sometimes it gives me bits of insight to work with. And it showed me the lovely little cabin in the mountains where you’ve hidden them.”

Ose's swollen eyes widened as much as they could.

“You wouldn’t. You are quintessence. You could never harm innocents.”

Quinn chuckled.

“Couldn’t I? You know nothing about me beyond what you forced from me those years back. You have no idea of the things I am capable of. Surely your minions mentioned the demon brand I bear? There was nothing left to the imagination when they be-spelled me and drugged me, they must’ve seen it all and reported it back.”

He felt the moment when Ose was convinced that Quinn meant what he said. It was gratifying in a way that he couldn’t describe. He drank it in and leant over to murmur the Infernal spell into his ear. This time he directed it so that Ose could see exactly what might become of his family when Quinn got a hold of them. Of course, the images would be coloured by Ose’s own fucked up moral code and Quinn almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Even though he had experienced first hand the devastation that came with seeing what had been done to his loved ones, he didn’t have it in him to feel any sympathy for the fire ghoul. As far as he was concerned he could bask in his misery until the end of his days.

Quinn got up and left Ose to wallow in his fucked up imagination as he left the cell. Earth and Air were waiting patiently further down the hallway and they looked up when he appeared. Air’s anxiety spiked and he walked over and gave him a hug.

“Come on, we’ll go and get a drink and then we can come and finish off that eunuch fuck.”

Air nodded against him and they made their way upstairs.

Chapter Text

Air passed Quinn the bottle of vodka and he took a long swig. They sat side by side on the wall of one of the cloisters, staring out into the rain that lashed the paved courtyard. Lightning illuminated the Abbey every so often and rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance.

"I miss the storms back home. Boreas and I would always watch from the window of our room when we were kits. Mama always got angry when we left the window open and the rain soaked everything that was close to it."

Quinn passed the bottle back.

"My grandsire always took me to the stone circle near our home during storms when I was little. His connection to the ether was strong and he taught me how to use the storms to control my visions."

Air glanced at him.

"Oh, that's cool. I didn't know you could do that."

"Hmm. It's been a while since I've done it. I usually try and avoid them if I can."

Air smiled sadly at him.

"Part of me wishes you didn't have the visions. They are nothing but a burden. But then another part reminds me that I wouldn't have met you if you weren't a seer, so then I have a dilemma."

Quinn laughed.

"Don't think too much on it Air, you'll make your brain implode."

Air sighed and Quinn felt a dark cloud of anxiety settling over him.

"I'm just stalling now, aren't I?"

"Have some more vodka and then we'll go." Quinn put an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. He nuzzled Air's neck. "Do you realise how hot that growl was earlier?"

He felt Air's confusion.

"What?"

"At Ose. That is the Air that I want to see tonight. Can you do that for me?"

He added some command into his tone and Air shivered and relaxed a little. 

"Yes."

"Good. Do you want me to tell you what's going to happen?"

Air nodded.

"Yes," he murmured.

Quinn rested his chin on Air's shoulder and spoke quietly into his ear.

"We will go in there to face him together. You won't be alone this time. You will not be helpless. He is the helpless one now. He is going to suffer, yes?"

"Yes," Air whispered.

"You will make him suffer. Do you trust me? Will you do as I say?"

Air dropped his gaze and studied his lap.

"Yes," he breathed out. 

Quinn got up and came to stand in front of him. He put his finger under Air's chin and tilted his head back to look at him. He could smell the vodka on his breath and he leant down and kissed the other ghoul's forehead.

"Just lean on me and you will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you. You are stronger than you think, but it is fine for you to be nervous."

Air took a shaky breath and nodded. He took another long swig of the vodka to finish the bottle and stood.

"Let's do this."

Quinn felt him steel himself for what was to come.

They walked through the cell block and Quinn smelled something offensive. He looked over at one of the cells near to where Ose and Ravana were being kept and snarled. Tom. The human looked up and scowled at him.

"I thought I smelled something rotten," Quinn said.

Air glanced over at Tom and his eyes flashed purple.

"It stinks," he growled.

Tom didn't react. He looked traumatised and Quinn soon realised why. He heard whimpering and crying coming from Ose's cell.

"W-what did you do to him?" Tom stuttered.

Quinn stopped outside his cell and grinned at him.

"Do you really want to know? Don't worry though, he won't die from it so you have a little while longer."

The fear that wafted from Tom was heady and he drank it down. It hadn't reached the point of being all consuming yet. Death was still an abstract concept to the human. He would still have some kind of hope that his life would be spared. It wouldn't be though. He had bound himself to Ose and there was no way that the ghouls on the other side of the Divide would allow him to live. He would be torn to pieces once he got back there, and Tom here would follow him into death when their bond was broken. Quinn couldn't wait for the moment that reality sank in, but he would have to.

They reached Ravana's cell and the ghoul looked up at them, curling his lip. He was sitting on the ground in the far corner. Quinn unlocked the door and he and Air stepped inside. The vodka had been a good idea as it seemed to have steadied Air's nerves, he felt calm now but Quinn would keep an eye on him.

Quinn sent some quintessence to Ravana to daze him and the ghoul's eyes glazed over.

"It is probably best if we strip him and lock him to the wall."

The dungeon being the dungeon had manacles bolted into the stones of the wall. Medieval chic was the overall aesthetic here. As well as creating a mood though, it was also functional. Quinn always laughed when he thought of it like that.

He and Air made swift work of stripping him and chaining him using the cuffs on the wall. He made little to no protest because he was subdued by quintessence. As soon as he was secured though, Quinn woke him up properly. His whole body jerked with the shock of suddenly coming awake somewhere different, naked and vulnerable.

"What the fuck?" he snarled.

"Don't point fangs at me, Rav. Sorry, fang." Ravana glared at him. "Oh, actually, I have something of yours. Here."

Quinn reached into his jeans pocket and pulled something out. He flung them at Ravana who jumped as they hit his face and bounced off onto the floor. Quinn had made a point of keeping the fangs he'd removed from the earth ghoul as a little memento.

Ravana's eyes dropped to the ground and he cursed and struggled against the chains when he realised that it was his lost fangs.

"You're a fucking psycho! What the fuck?!"

Quinn and Air laughed.

"What? You're telling me that Rav - big, mean, scary torture prick Rav - did not keep any souvenirs from his playtimes? I find that hard to believe."

He growled in frustration and turned his attention to Air. Here we go, Quinn thought.

"I can smell the fear on you, along with the vodka you've had to drink to work up the courage. You're shitting yourself at facing me. Are you going to cry like a little fucking kit?"

Air growled that growl again and the hairs on the back of Quinn's neck stood on end. He shivered and felt his eyes glowing with blue fire.

"Shut your mouth, Ravana," Air gritted out.

"Are you going to shut it for me? You don't have it in you, pretty boy. Best fuck I ever had."

Quinn laughed.

"Last fuck more like," he said with amusement.

Ravana turned back to Quinn.

"You would think so, but no. I'm sure a lot of the traitorous ghouls and ghoulettes that we captured would testify to that for me."

Quinn's gaze flicked down between Ravana's legs, to the scars that he'd left behind. 

"Hmm, not much left to play with though. They probably didn't even notice."

Ravana snarled.

"It was more than enough for that whining water bitch. I didn't hear her complain." Quinn sighed in a bored way and let him continue. Ravana turned his attention back to Air. "I can smell you two's scents all over each other. I bet you think of us every time though, think of getting fucked by a real ghoul."

Air flinched ever so slightly at the words and Ravana noticed. He broke out into a satisfied smile. It had taken a long time for Air to be comfortable with Quinn or any of the others again afterwards so his words had hit the mark.

"You know what, Rav? Your bitching is really starting to piss me off. Air?" The ghoul looked over to him, surprised by the sharpness of his tone. Quinn could feel his shame and the pain from his attack trying to surface and take over so they really needed to move this along. "Take out his tongue."

Ravana frowned, he thought he'd misheard. He hadn't. His eyes widened.

"What?"

"You heard me," Quinn said to him coldly. "Air, I will hold him, you use your claws. His fucking moaning voice is giving me a headache."

He sent some quintessence to Air to steady his nerves and some more to Ravana to calm him down so that he didn't struggle too much.

"I..." Air started to say.

"Do you trust me?" Quinn said sharply.

"Y-yes."

"Do it."

He added the command to his tone and stepped over to Ravana. 

The ghoul was dazed again but he still realised what was happening. His reactions were sluggish though. Quinn wrenched his jaw open and Air stepped closer. Quinn gave him a small smile and felt the moment that Air gave in to his instincts. He grabbed Ravana's tongue between his thumb and forefinger, pulled it out and sliced with the claws of his other hand. 

Ravana's eyes went wild and he screamed a muffled scream. Air stepped back and dropped his tongue onto the cell floor. He was breathing hard and he was pale and Quinn sent him mojo to soothe him. It helped and he composed himself. He also sent some healing energy to Ravana to slow the bleeding. They didn't want him to die too soon.

Quinn waited for Ravana to calm down and for him to stop his muffled screaming. He walked over to the wall of the cell and leant against it. The earth ghoul was whimpering now and Quinn smiled. Air was watching him and Quinn could see the fire in his eyes and feel his hunter's instincts taking over. It must have been the smell of the blood. This was good.

"Now that he's finally shut up, I'm thinking maybe you need to learn the basic places that will cause the most pain with the least amount of effort. Claws is a given, that hurts like a bitch so maybe we'll start there?" Air took a deep breath and grabbed Ravana's hand. The ghoul tried to pull it away but the chains didn't allow too much movement. "Use your teeth. It makes it easier."

Ravana was shaking now and trying to jerk away. Quinn smiled at him, he knew what was coming as Quinn had done this to him the last time. It made it that much sweeter. He was trying to say something, but anything he had to say was irrelevant now.

He screamed again as Air took Ravana's claw between his teeth and ripped it free. 

A noise in the corridor pulled Quinn's attention away. He checked that Air was doing okay, and he seemed to have given in to his ghoul instincts so Quinn left him to it and walked over to the bars of the cell.

"Hey, Svarog, you doing okay?" he said as the big fire ghoul and Amon stepped into view.

He nodded. Both ghouls' eyes strayed to the tongue on the floor and up to Ravana who would go quiet every now and then but then start up the muffled screams again.

"Having fun?" Amon said with amusement. 

"Yeah. He was running his mouth too much. I'm guessing you know what he's like." Quinn looked back over his shoulder. "Air? You doing okay?"

"Yup," he growled.

Svarog growled too. He had been on the receiving end of Ravana's torture back at the Council buildings when he was a prisoner for a few months, so Quinn didn't even want to know what he'd been through.

It seemed as though all of the claws were gone now as Ravana had gone quiet except for some pathetic sobs and some heavy breathing.

"Might as well get rid of that fang too," Quinn called out over his shoulder conversationally before turning back to the two other ghouls. They smirked at him.

"The Council made a mistake sending you here. Your talents are wasted."

Svarog chuckled as the sounds of fang being ripped out of skull took over.

Quinn shrugged.

"Meh. I like it here. There's no TV over there. Give me a sec," he said as he held up a finger to the other ghouls.

Quinn turned his attention back to Air who was standing in front of Ravana again, unmoving. This was taking its toll on the happy-go-lucky air ghoul now and Quinn realised that he'd reached his limit. He went to stand between he and Ravana. The earth ghoul's head lolled and he was breathing in shallow pants. The smell of his blood filled the cell and he'd pissed himself at some point too.

Quinn reached out and put his hand around the nape of Air's neck. The ghoul looked up and his eyes were wide.

"Are you done?" Air knew what he meant. Quinn had said he would step in if it became too much and that was the question they'd agreed on. Air nodded sharply. "Good. You did well."

Quinn stroked his cheek and gave him a brief hug. He looked up to see Svarog and Amon watching them. Svarog's eyes glowed with orange embers as he glared at Ravana. 

Quinn led Air out into the corridor and gestured to Svarog.

"He's all yours if you want him? He'll be nice and quiet for you."

The fire ghoul grinned.

"Oh, we can't have that. I'm sure I can make him sing again." 

Quinn and Air waited in the hallway with Amon, sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. Air had calmed now and was coming down from the adrenaline. He was shaking but Quinn could tell that he was pleased with himself for facing one of his tormentors. He'd known that Air probably wouldn't have wanted to go as far as actually ending Ravana, but Quinn was so proud of him and he hoped that causing some damage could give the air ghoul some peace. 

Quinn had been prepared to step in and finish the earth ghoul off if necessary, but Svarog had more justification than he did so it seemed like he'd arrived at just the right time.

The smell of charred flesh reached their nostrils and Quinn's nose twitched. Svarog had indeed made him sing over the last hour or so. Quinn felt the moment that Ravana's black soul vacated his body and the large amount of blood that he suddenly scented confirmed that he'd met his demise.

He stood and stretched out, walking over to the bars of the cell. The fire ghoul was turning to leave and Quinn clapped him on the back and grinned.

"Looks like you finished what I started all those years back." 

Another piece of flesh had joined the tongue on the ground. Svarog shook the ashes of blood from his hands, he'd incinerated the blood with his fire ghoul powers.

"Yeah. A fitting end I suppose."

Amon and Svarog headed into the cell next door to pick up Ose. It was time for him to go home and meet his maker. Quinn removed the Infernal spell and realised that he didn't need to send him any quintessence to subdue him. Whatever he'd been experiencing over the last few hours had left him nice and traumatised so he wasn't going to cause them any trouble on the way back.

Air was waiting for him and Quinn put an arm around his shoulder. 

"We going home?"

"Yeah."

"Come on then," he said as he guided them back up to the lair. 

Chapter Text

Quinn and Air went to report to Secondo on the way home. He was in his study with Shay going over the paperwork for the Council. He’d asked them for an update when they had finished with Ravana.

“It is done, si?” Quinn nodded and sent the image of Ravana’s lifeless body to him. Secondo frowned and then smirked. “Well, thank you for the graphic update Quinn.”

“No problem. We let Svarog do the honours in the end. I think he was pretty grateful.”

“Indeed,” Secondo said under his breath. He sighed and looked up at Air, studying him for a few moments. “And you are okay, Air?”

He nodded and offered Secondo a half smile.

“Yes. It’s over with now.”

Secondo walked over and squeezed Air’s bicep affectionately.

“Si. It is. I’m proud of all of you, the way you’ve handled this. Now that Ose is captured I hope we can put this to bed. Speaking of which, I can feel how tired you all are. Go and get some rest. I will speak with you all tomorrow but it can wait until the evening.”

Quinn frowned but he didn’t ask for details. Secondo had something on his mind though.

They were dismissed and finally headed back to the lair.

“You hungry?” Quinn asked.

Air nodded.

“Yeah. When am I not?”

“Well, go and get cleaned up and I’ll make us something.”

“You aren’t cooking are you?”

“Well, no. I was going to make a sandwich.”

“Good. I mean... Okay. Thanks.”

He headed to his room to get cleaned up and Quinn set about making use of whatever he could find in the fridge. He took the food and the drinks back to Air’s room and set them down on the table.

The bathroom door opened and a cleaner looking Air stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame. His hair was damp and he wore a towel wrapped around his lean waist. He looked at the ground and Quinn could tell that he was struggling. He walked over and tipped Air’s chin up to look at him.

“You know how proud I am of you, right?”

Air met his gaze and pursed his lips

“I guess,” he said quietly.

Until Quinn had arrived at the Abbey, Earth and Fire had handled most of the physical side of the interrogations and persuasions that Secondo conducted. Water, Air and Quintessence had other skills that the Clergy utilised so they didn’t need to get up close and personal. Air was trained in all kinds of hand to hand combat and he was exceptionally skilled with a blade, but it wasn’t in his nature to do the kinds of things that Quinn had been made to do, so this level of violence was not something he was used to.

“I don’t think you do.” He trailed a hand along Air’s shoulder and down his arm, taking him by the hand. He leant in close to his ear and ran his tongue along that sensitive place just under his earlobe. Air’s breath hitched. “You were such a good boy for me in there. Are you going to be good for me again now?”

Air nodded and Quinn felt the change in him. The warm glow that he got from the praise made his shoulders relax and his breathing pick up. Quinn led him over to the bed and they sat on the edge of it, turning towards each other.

“I tried my best but it wasn’t good enough.”

Quinn growled and put a finger over the other ghoul’s lips to quiet him. Air’s eyes flashed purple.

“No. It was more than good enough. Think about how it felt to make him hurt. It felt powerful, yes?” Air sighed and nodded. “Do you feel better when you think about it?”

Air closed his eyes and his lips twitched into a smile.

“Yes.”

“Mission accomplished then.”

He opened his eyes again and looked up at Quinn.

“Thank you. For making me do this.”

“You think you did it for me, but you did it for yourself.” Quinn gently pushed Air down to lay on the bed and he stood, pulling his top up and over his head. “I will show you how good you are, would you like that? You can have whatever you want from me tonight.”

Air’s eyes widened when Quinn said that to him. He’d never offered himself up like that willingly to Air before, but Quinn already knew what he would want.

He unbuttoned his jeans and let them drop to the floor, stepping out of them. Air scooted further up the bed and Quinn followed him, crawling up his long body. His hands came to rest either side of Air’s head and he let his weight rest on top of him. Air reached up and ran his fingers through the unruly strands of Quinn’s hair.

“Please. I want you like this.”

Quinn smiled and stroked a claw along Air’s cheek.

“Look at you. So perfect. Asking so nicely.” Air closed his eyes and sighed. His hands smoothed down Quinn’s back and he gripped the muscles gently. Quinn ran his hand down Air’s neck and down the side of his torso, petting him. He reached between them and undid the towel that was still frustratingly in place, scraping a claw along that sensitive spot under Air’s belly button and swirling it in a circle. Air gasped and his hips rolled upwards, grinding against Quinn and sending his blood southwards. He scraped his claws further down, past his happy trail and found him hard and hot and ready. He gripped him not quite as hard as he usually liked it, but firmly enough to cause Air to whimper as he stroked him. Quinn dropped his face to Air’s neck and dragged his nose along his jaw. “That’s it, is that what you want?”

Air shook his head.

“No...”

He gasped again as Quinn let go and tested the slick that ghouls made when they were needy and ready to be taken. He didn’t actually need to, he could smell the other ghoul’s arousal and he knew that Air was always ready for him. The way that he squirmed and panted at the intrusion of Quinn’s fingers was too much of a reward to resist though, so he made sure that Air was good and ready.

Air reached up and put a hand around the back of Quinn’s neck, pulling him down so that their foreheads touched. Quinn removed his fingers and went back to stroking Air who he could sense had overcome his doubts and his worries about earlier; he was positively glowing now. He smiled and Quinn shivered as Air’s other hand took him and lined him up.

“So good,” Quinn murmured as he sank into Air’s slick heat and the other ghoul held his breath.

Quinn stilled and stayed there for a while, basking in the happiness that Air felt at sharing this intimacy with him. It hadn’t happened like this since the night that Air had betrayed his trust. Quinn hadn’t wanted to go there again, and he hadn’t been able to accept this kind of intimacy again since.

Tonight though, Quinn wanted to show Air that he’d done well; that he was proud of how he’d faced his fear and got some semblance of revenge against Ravana. He wanted Air to know that he deserved to be treated this way, that he was loved. He sensed that Air, despite the fact that everyone he came into contact with instantly liked him, often felt like he didn’t deserve to be loved. He felt like his powers tricked people into liking him and that he tried too hard. Quinn thought that he often let himself be used because of it. Before he was attacked by Ose’s ghouls Air didn’t have many insecurities, but since then, that had been a major one. Quinn felt guilty that he couldn’t give this side of himself to him too often. He made it count now though.

“Quinn, I... Oh fuck!” Air moaned and tipped his head back as Quinn circled his hips to hit just the right spot whilst sending quintessence to him to intensify the sensations.

Quinn stilled again, leaning over him and scraping his fangs along his throat. He licked and nipped his way down to Air’s collar bone and sucked on the skin that surrounded it. He felt claws scraping the skin of his ass cheeks and he growled.

“Careful, Air. No scratches,” he said against the air ghoul’s skin.

“Please, Quinn...”

“What do you need from me?” Quinn whispered.

He started off slow as he rocked his hips and Air’s hands skimmed up his back. One came to rest at the back of his head, guiding it so that their faces were level again as his fingers teased the hair at the nape of his neck.

“You, that’s all I need. Just like this, but just you.”

Air pulled him down and kissed him. It broke the moment because the ferocity of it surprised him. There was no sweet build up, just tongues and fangs and lips clashing. Blood and spittle and growls. Quinn let the mood take over and he gave Air what he wanted.

He sensed when the air ghoul was getting close. He’d tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He whispered Quinn’s name over and over but he whined when Quinn pulled out of him suddenly. He gracefully crawled backwards down his body, took his cock into his mouth and swallowed him down whole. Air’s hips bucked into him and he cried out at the unexpected manoeuvre, shooting his hot seed down the back of Quinn’s throat as his hands uselessly scraped against his shoulders.

Quinn gave him a couple of kitten licks and looked up to see Air grinning down at him. He sat back and Air reached for him, his eyes straying to his still hard cock. Quinn smirked. He straddled Air's waist and looked down at him.

“Do you want a hand with that?” Air said, nodding towards it.

“Nah I got it,” he said as he palmed it. He’d been close himself just then, but this had been about Air. Now that the ghoul was laid there blissed out beneath him though, he needed to stake his claim.

Air lay back and put his hands behind his head as he watched Quinn, his eyes following every stroke of his hand with rapt attention. Quinn's head tipped back of its own accord but he forced his eyes open and made himself look at Air.

He met glowing purple eyes and felt the fire burning in his own which was what finished him off. He gritted his teeth as the ropes of cum hit Air’s stomach and his chest. Quinn was breathing hard from it, and he leant forward and nipped Air’s bottom lip with his fangs. His hand smoothed over skin and muscle, spreading out the heated wetness and coating Air’s skin. Air shuddered beneath him and he felt the other ghoul’s contentment.

Quinn laid himself down beside Air and pulled him close, kissing the top of his head.

“Fuck. What do you do to me? You’ve been so fucking good,” he murmured into his hair.

Air draped an arm over Quinn’s hip and sighed happily.

Chapter Text

Air stirred and mumbled something in his sleep and Quinn sighed. He’d stayed awake because he still had some things he needed to do. It was past three a.m. and he figured it was time to go. He carefully untangled himself from Air so as not to wake him, threw on his jeans and a t-shirt and silently left the lair. He sensed that all of the others were asleep.

He made his way through the hallways of the Abbey and down the stairs at the back of the building. He hadn’t been down this way often but he knew where he was going. He used his sense of smell to guide him to the place he wanted to be and stopped outside the basic looking door for a few moments, taking a deep breath.

The Abbey’s morgue was just the same as the ones he’d seen on TV shows, kitted out with stainless steel and clinical. There was only one body in here right now and he walked over to the small form that was covered by a grey sheet. Quinn pulled the sheet down to uncover the head and he stilled.

Sister Martha looked as though she was sleeping, the only outward clue that she was gone was the pallor of her usually olive toned skin and the unnatural stillness of her. Quinn reached out and stroked her curls, running a dark strand between his fingers. He leant down and kissed her forehead, not realising a tear had dropped onto her skin until he stood up again. He closed his eyes and murmured a prayer to the Dark Lord for her soul which was now gone completely from this body.

He had wanted to pay his respects to her, even after what she had done. She had been a big part of his transition to life on Earth, life at the Abbey; life as he knew it now. He was grateful to her and he didn’t expect to feel as guilty as he did. If he hadn't chosen her that day, if he hadn’t followed through with his interest in her then would she have ended up like this? Lifeless on a slab, no loved ones around her to grieve her loss. He didn’t think so.

He stroked her cheek and leant down to kiss her forehead again.

“I’m sorry little one, I hope you are at peace.”

He covered her up again and swiped his sleeve across his eyes before leaving the room, leaving Martha alone in the cold.

Quinn thought about it for a second and checked his watch. It was almost time. There was a spark of anger still from what had happened to Martha. She wasn’t entirely to blame for her actions, she was coerced into them, but that didn’t mean Quinn couldn’t be angry.

He made his way back up through the Abbey and down a different set of stairs. Alpha was on overnight guard duty in the dungeon and he raised a hand in greeting when he noticed Quinn.

“Hey. How’s you?” the fire ghoul said.

“Good. Thanks. I’ll be better in half an hour or so though.”

Alpha frowned and then grinned as the realisation hit him. He let Quinn through and he wandered along the corridor and came to a stop outside the human’s cell. He was curled up in the corner, asleep.

“Wake up Tom. I want a word with you,” Quinn growled.

Tom started awake and groaned. He rubbed his eyes and sat up but as Quinn unlocked the cell door and stepped inside he scooted to the back corner trying to put as much distance between them as he could.

“Look, I don’t know what you want, but I’m sure it won’t come to violence,” he whined.

Quinn could feel his eyes glowing and he smiled, revealing his fangs to the human.

“Oh, I think I’ve got all the violence out of my system for now. I am tired and I am pissed off, but do you know what will make me feel better?”

Tom was shaking and he shook his head slowly.

“No,” he whispered.

“I’ve just been and paid a visit to Sister Martha to give her my last respects,” Tom whimpered, clearly not having realised that Martha had died when Ravana did. Quinn looked at his watch and furrowed his brow, mentally working out the time difference between the Abbey and the other side of the Divide. “Ose is facing an angry mob of ghouls right about now. The Council decided that seeing as he loved his archaic ghoul ways so much, they would go old school for his execution. Any ghouls or ghoulettes who he had wronged are given the chance to have a piece of him. It isn’t pretty, not when that pack mentality takes over and the blood starts to flow. With the amount of ghouls he’s pissed off? He isn’t going to last too long.”

Quinn felt a grin break out across his face as that delicious moment happened. The concept of his own end was no longer abstract to Tom, now that he was staring death in the face it was suddenly looking very real and very scary. Tom was shivering and Quinn smelled his tears.

“No. There must be something they can do, a spell or something. They can keep me here, I won’t be any trouble. I don’t want to die!” he sobbed.

Quinn chuckled.

“Did Ose not go over the basics with you? I’m guessing not. I’m guessing he gave you the benefits of binding your life force to a ghoul, all of that extra life. Shame you chose a dead ghoul walking, isn’t it? And I will be here watching you as it happens. My face will be the last thing you ever see.”

“I didn’t know! He never told me! This isn’t fair!”

“It’s more than fair Tom. Your existence is a stain on this Abbey.” Quinn tapped his temple. “I saw the mind fuck you’d done on Martha. You are toxic. How many others did you affect in that way? How many other innocent souls did you take advantage of? Now they are free of you. You are an abomination.” Tom was openly sobbing now and Quinn stood back, casually leaning against the wall. He checked his watch again and sighed. “They are late. Or maybe he is putting up more of a fight than anticipated. Oh well.”

He walked over and crouched in front of Tom, putting their faces level. The human tried to shrink away but he was already pressed against the stones.

Quinn could see the magics of the bond he shared splintering, it wouldn’t be long now.

Tom’s eyes widened momentarily as the bond was broken. Ose must have finally gone, and Tom followed him. The last image he saw was Quinn’s glowing stare as the light bled from his eyes. Quinn felt his soul disappear and he breathed a sigh of relief. It should have been more painful and it should have been messier but he didn’t want to go back to Air’s bed stinking of human, so he resigned himself to just being satisfied with watching the human die.

He stood and walked out of the cell, not bothering to lock it behind him. Alpha wished him goodnight and he made his way back to the lair.

Air didn’t even stir when he crept back into bed and Quinn drifted off into a dreamless, restful sleep.

Chapter Text

Most of the ghouls had slept until the afternoon, Quinn included. He’d gone to his own room to get cleaned up and ready when he woke though; he needed some time alone. Air would have been happy for him to spend every night in his room, but he couldn’t. Even though his bond with the rest of the pack, and with Air, had surpassed anything he thought it would when he’d first arrived here, he still craved solitude more than any of the other ghouls did. A lot of the things he did and felt were private and he wanted to keep them to himself.

He prayed for a little while until it was time to go and take over from Fire who was on security for Secondo. They did the handover and Quinn was left alone with his Papa, who happened to be cooking a large pot of pasta sauce; it smelled amazing. He had summoned all of his ghouls to a meeting in his apartment at dinnertime. The others had tried to speculate over what it could be that Secondo wanted to discuss and Quinn thought that he had a pretty good idea. He would wait and see what happened when they all arrived later though.

Secondo loved to cook, but he didn’t often have the time what with his duties as Papa, the security of the Abbey and his other endeavours. In fact, he didn’t really get much time to himself at all. Even his night times were mostly spent entertaining various Siblings in his quarters.

Every few weeks he would make time to cook for his ghouls though, and tonight was one such occasion if the amount of sauce was anything to go by. Five hungry ghouls would finish that off in no time. Quinn was looking forward to it.

“Sit, Quinn. Here.” Secondo handed him a coffee. He knew how he liked it, he always made sure the ghouls were well fed and caffeinated when they were on duty in his apartment.

“Thank you, Papa.”

Quinn could tell Secondo had something he wanted to speak to him about but he let him work through it before he began. He busied himself with stirring the pot and adding more herbs or more garlic or more wine and asking for Quinn’s opinion on the taste every now and then.

“I’m glad we’ve got a chance to be alone today. I wanted to make sure that you are alright after yesterday.”

Quinn furrowed his brow, Secondo knew that he could separate himself from these things so he didn’t need to check on him afterwards. He was always fine.

“I’m okay, just glad that it is done. Glad that Air is okay too.”

Secondo nodded.

“Si. I know how hard that was for him. Sometimes I think I should make him do that kind of thing more often, but it would be a delicate balance with him I think. I wouldn’t want to push him too far.”

Quinn nodded.

“I think it helped him, but he didn’t enjoy it. Looking back, yes. But he didn’t really have the stomach for it at the time.”

“Si, si. But I wasn’t referring to that, I was referring to Ose.”

Quinn studied the bubbles floating at the top of his coffee and swished it around gently in the mug.

“Oh.”

“Ose was not lying when he said that he did not know where the kit currently is.”

Quinn tried not to feel the disappointment that he did, but it was no use. He knew that he would probably never see her, but she was still his flesh and blood despite the circumstances of her conception and he worried for her.

“I have tried not to think of her, or what has happened to her. I hoped with everything I had that she did not receive the curse from me.” Quinn looked up and Secondo gave him a sympathetic smile. “She did though, didn’t she?”

“She did. I’m so sorry, Quinn.”

Quinn sighed and Papa stepped over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He huffed out a breath.

“Then all I can do is pray that wherever she ends up, it is not somewhere that Ose wanted her to be.”

“We are still looking. Boreas knows about everything that happened and he is not giving up hope.”

“I feel so useless, I cannot go back there to properly look. Maybe if I could go back I could get some clues. Or maybe I could ask the ether...”

“No! No ether! It would not work anyway. You said yourself that it does not show you the things that are so closely linked to your own life. You would be risking much for little to no reward. You already tried it anyway.” Quinn looked up at Secondo, he thought he’d managed to hide it when he had asked the ether for answers not long after he’d recovered from being at Ose’s mercy, but clearly Secondo had realised. “Yes, I knew about that but I let it go because I knew you wouldn’t try again and you were hurting enough already.”

Quinn knew Secondo was right, but it didn’t stop him feeling the familiar anger at fate for fucking him over yet again.

“I know. I just want to do something.”

Quinn stood and put his empty coffee cup in the dishwasher.

The other ghouls started to arrive one by one and Secondo greeted them all warmly. He was completely different with them than he was with outsiders. He never truly let his guard down around others, even those who he was close to, but with his ghouls he could. They were like a family, they were a family.

Quinn checked in with Air to see how he was and he was happy to see that he seemed to be doing a lot better. The knowledge that Ose and the last of his ghouls was gone seemed to have lifted a weight from his shoulders and he seemed in a really good mood, even for him.

They were soon seated around the table and Secondo had piled their plates high with pasta and sauce. There was salad and homemade bread also, and he’d uncorked plenty of wine. He hadn’t bothered with glasses for the ghouls, they drank it from the bottle.

“Are we celebrating something tonight, Papa?” Earth asked.

Secondo smiled and looked around the table at them all.

“Si, I suppose we are, in a way.”

Earth narrowed his eyes.

“Oh?”

“I have been thinking, and our trip to capture Ose and Ravana confirmed it to me, but I wanted to run it past you all before I make any final decisions.” All of the ghouls glanced at each other nervously. “I enjoyed being more hands on with this mission. And as we were trekking through the forest I realised something; I have not been happy for a long while. That mission was the closest to true happiness I have felt since Elizabeth was lost to me and the reason is because being Papa has become a burden. Do not get me wrong, I adore our congregation, but I find myself wanting to take a step back.”

The ghouls all stopped eating and stared at him.

“Take a step back?” Air said, not hiding the shock in his voice. “Do you mean quit?”

Secondo thought about it for a few moments and smiled.

“Si. I think that is what I mean. I think I want to retire as Papa. Terzo is more than ready to take over. He and his ghouls are more suited to spreading the message also. When was the last time we toured with the Ghost Project? The music has taken a back seat. I find myself wanting to concentrate on working with you ghouls, on making sure that our Abbey is safe and on dealing with any threats to us. Let Terzo deal with the rest. I think that being Papa has become a chore. What do you all think?”

Everyone looked at Earth who looked the most shocked out of them all. He frowned but he didn’t say anything so Quinn spoke up.

“If that is what it takes to make you happy, then I’m sure I speak for us all when I say that we will support you in your decision. I have already seen that Terzo will make a great leader one day. I’m confident that whatever you decide to do, that it will be the right choice.” He looked around the table at the others. “Right?”

Earth was still scowling but Fire and Water both nodded.

“Well, yes. I think it is just a shock. But whatever makes you happy makes us happy,” Water said.

Secondo smiled at them all and his gaze came to rest on Earth.

“But you do not think it is a good idea, Earth?”

He looked up at Papa.

“Like Water said, it is a shock. But if that’s what you want then...”

Quinn found himself getting angry with Earth as he sensed that he didn’t think that Papa should do this.

“What’s the problem, Earth? Surely you’ve seen that Papa has been miserable lately? It hasn’t just been from the stress of all of this. You of all ghouls should be happy about it. Think of how much more free time you’ll have to fuck Zoe. And she won’t be so much of a target if she doesn’t belong to the Papa’s ghoul,” Quinn said.

Earth rumbled a warning growl at him.

“Don’t bring her into this, and do not speak about her like that,” he growled.

The others all watched, waiting for the fireworks, but they didn’t come.

“Get over yourself Earth. Just accept that this change is for the better. I know you’re stuck in your ways but try and go with the flow for once in your life.”

Secondo huffed a laugh and Earth’s scowl turned into a half smile.

“You’re a fucking dick, Quinn.”

“And that’s why you love me so much.”

Earth sighed and turned to Secondo.

“Well, it looks like we are all happy for you Papa.” He raised his wine bottle in a toast and the others joined him. “Congratulations on your retirement!”

Chapter Text

As it turned out, one cannot just suddenly retire from being the head of the Satanic church. There were many rituals and procedures that needed to be followed before Terzo could take over from Secondo. Terzo was extremely happy to have his chance to shine and Secondo patiently humoured him because he knew that his younger brother would put his heart and his soul into this; he would make sure that he was the best Papa he could be.

It had been a few weeks since Secondo had cooked his ghouls dinner and asked for their thoughts about him retiring and tonight was his final midnight mass as Papa. Quinn and the other ghouls flanked him, dressed in their full ceremonial Clergy uniforms and looking suitably menacing. Or they would have looked menacing if Air had not spent half of the time making goo-goo eyes at Sister Angelina who was seated in the centre of the congregation.

Quinn nudged him with his elbow and the air ghoul glared at him from inside his hood.

“Give it a rest Air, you’re seeing her later,” Quinn mumbled under his breath, earning him a low warning growl from Earth.

The chapel was full to capacity. Secondo was well respected and all of the Clergy’s followers had made a special effort to be there, even those who lived and worked outside of the Abbey.

Quinn was studiously ignoring Imperator who had been staring at him the whole time. He could feel the anger pulsing from her, anger at having her new favourite toy taken away from her. She hadn’t taken it well when Secondo informed her that Quinn’s trial period with her was over and she would not have access to her own personal ghoul after all. He’d managed to avoid her since then but he could feel that her patience was wearing thin. They were going to have to have the showdown soon because she still believed that she had a hold over him, and that he would cater to her whims. He was going to have to make it clear to her that he wouldn’t.

Secondo gave a final unholy communion and wrapped up. Quinn was glad to be done. The ether had been particularly brutal today, especially during the mass because of the amount of people who were gathered so closely to him. Small visions stabbed at his consciousness and he was glad when the congregation began filing out of the main chapel.

“You okay?” Earth’s voice startled him but he nodded. “You sure? Because you don’t feel right to me.”

He sounded concerned and Quinn sighed.

“Just too many people is all, it’s hurting my brain.”

“Want me to take the rest of your shift tonight?” he offered.

Quinn set out to refuse but he could use the time off. He remembered that Zoe was staying over with Earth tonight. He hadn’t seen her in amongst the crowd though.

“Thanks Earth, but what about Zoe?”

“She cancelled. Helena isn’t well. Going to rearrange for next week.”

Quinn felt bad for Earth, he was more disappointed than he was letting on.

“Oh. That sucks. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Nah, it’s fine. Go and relax.”

“Thanks. Want me to do your shift tomorrow?”

“Sure, thanks.”

Once the chapel was empty the ghouls escorted Secondo back to his quarters which was empty of any Siblings tonight.

“Will you all have a drink with me before you go?” Secondo asked. Everyone agreed. Secondo got out his best bottle of scotch and poured them all a generous glass. “Should we have a toast to new beginnings?”

The ghouls all raised their glasses and Secondo smiled as he looked around. His emotions bled out and Quinn knew that Secondo had made the right decision for them all. He felt more relaxed than Quinn had ever sensed from him before and he was glad for him.

“New beginnings,” they toasted.

“The ritual will take place on the new moon, so three days time. Three days and we are free,” Secondo joked. “I dread to think how big Terzo’s ego will be when it is done.”

Everyone laughed and the conversation went on for a little while before they all started to drift home. Fire and Water were the first ones to leave. They had sorted out their problem and were back to being the doting couple they’d always been, which Quinn was glad about because the whole pack was affected when there were issues like that.

“You going to find Sister Angelina?” Quinn asked Air as they left Secondo’s apartment.

The ghoul grinned at him.

“Yup. She said she would wait up for me.”

Quinn smiled. Air was quite taken with the red headed Sister and she had readily agreed to feed them little bits of information about Imperator. Air hadn’t even needed to use his persuasion on her, she didn’t like Imperator anyway so she was more than willing to keep tabs on her for them. She had quickly become one of Air’s favourites.

“Have fun.”

Air studied Quinn for a few moments.

“I was thinking of inviting her to the lair maybe.”

Quinn frowned. It wasn’t usual practice to bring Siblings back to the lair. Earth had brought Zoe a couple of times but she was practically a pack member now.

“Oh. Okay,” he said, not sure what else he should say.

“You like her, right?”

“She’s a sweet girl.”

Air smirked.

“She is that. She mentioned that she likes you too.”

Quinn quirked a brow when he realised what Air was getting at.

“Did she now,” he murmured.

“So should I invite her over? You’ve got the night off now, right?”

It was common for Terzo’s ghouls to share Siblings or entertain multiples and Air sometimes joined in with them, but Quinn had never partaken in that since he’d been on Earth. The only human Sibling he had been with was Martha.

“Well yes, but I’m supposed to be resting.”

The air ghoul’s eyes glowed purple.

“I’m sure we can think of some ways to relax you.” Quinn tilted his head and thought about it. He technically didn’t have to get involved. He could sit back and enjoy the view. Although Air probably wouldn’t be happy about that. He could always leave if he changed his mind. It wasn’t like it would be a regular thing, and it was with Air. He could feel the anticipation vibrating from the other ghoul as he waited for Quinn to decide. He sighed and shrugged, giving in. “Okay, why not.”

Air hugged him and kissed his cheek.

“You so won’t regret this. She is just...” He grinned and shivered. “Meet us back at mine?”

Quinn nodded and Air went off to fetch her. He went to his room to get changed out of his uniform, but then he realised that Air was still wearing his so he didn’t bother. He’d noticed the way some of the Siblings seemed to like these robes more than the day to day black uniforms they wore for Secondo.

On the way out he happened to glance up at the shelf where the three skulls sat and he paused, waiting for the familiar guilt to surface. It didn’t. He was seeing Zephyr at some point tomorrow so he was sure that little revelation would warrant an in depth discussion with the older quintessence ghoul. That was tomorrow’s problem though. Tonight he should do as Air said and try to relax.

Quinn grabbed a bottle of vodka from the kitchen for he and Air, and a bottle of wine and some glasses for good measure. Human women seemed to like wine, from what he’d noticed. He let himself in to Air’s room and sat on the wing backed armchair that faced the bed, opening the vodka and taking a long drink of it.

Now that he was alone he breathed a sigh of relief as he realised that the ether had stopped sending him visions. That few minutes of peace was priceless and he tipped his head back and closed his eyes for a few moments to savour it. The vodka helped him relax a bit too so by the time Air and the Sister returned he was in a much better place.

Air ushered her into the room and Quinn looked up whilst taking a drink from the vodka.

“Started without us, huh?” Air grinned.

Quinn passed him the bottle and gestured to the wine.

“Would you like a drink Sister?”

She eyed him and bit her lip before smiling sweetly.

“Sure, thanks.”

Air poured her a glass and before long he was sitting on the floor by the bed with her leaning back against him. They made small talk for a while but there was an underlying tension there. Quinn quietly watched them interact; the way Air’s hand rubbed her hip and the way he nuzzled her hair every now and then. The way she arched into his touch and the way she blushed when she noticed Quinn studying them.

“I think we have had enough small talk,” Quinn said out of the blue. “I think I need to see why you are so enamoured with this sweet little human, Air.”

Air’s eyes flashed with purple fire and he smirked. Quinn felt a surge of lust from Angelina and her green eyes met his. He knew she was quite shy usually, but the wine had given her courage. She licked her lips and Quinn gave her a half smile.

“How can we show you?” Air asked.

Quinn took another drink from the vodka, meeting Air’s purple gaze. He was buzzed but not drunk yet.

“Sit on the bed. Maybe the Sister can use that pretty mouth of hers and we can take it from there. I think you are both wearing too many clothes though, so we should deal with that first.”

Angelina’s eyes widened but she smiled a slow smile and Air did as he was told. He stood and took her hand, pulling her up to stand too. They made short work of stripping and soon enough Air sat on the edge of the bed opposite to Quinn with Angelina knelt between his parted thighs. Her deep red hair fell in waves down the pale skin of her back and Quinn took a moment to appreciate the view. Air needed zero prep, he was more than ready to go so the Sister got to work.

Air tipped his head back and groaned as she took him in and Quinn’s eyes followed the movement of his throat as he swallowed. He took in every hitch of his breath and every twitch of muscle under exposed flesh. Air raked his claws through her hair and along her scalp, gently tugging to guide her head. He looked back at Quinn and his eyes glowed as their gazes met and held.

Quinn smirked at him and sent some quintessence to Angelina as a reward for doing a good job. Air hissed as she must have caught him with her teeth when she was hit with the surprise sensations and momentarily lost focus. Quinn still refused to let him look away though.

Air was panting now as the Sister found the rhythm that Quinn knew drove him wild so he thought he would spice it up a bit for them. He directed some quintessence magic right to Air’s prostate and some more to Angelina’s clit. He wasn’t gentle about it and she reached her peak quickly, moaning around Air’s cock. Air finally broke eye contact with Quinn and he threw his head back and cursed. His hips lifted off the bed as the orgasm hit him hard and Sister Angelina drank him down.

Quinn took another drink of the vodka and realised he’d drunk most of the bottle. Huh. He was definitely feeling more relaxed.

Air flopped back onto the bed and pulled Angelina up with him. She lay next to him and petted his chest before looking over to Quinn.

“What did you do?”

Quinn grinned at her.

“Quintessence ghoul.”

Air laughed and Angelina turned her attention back to him.

“I guess it’s your turn now, Sister,” he said with that mischievous glint in his eye that Quinn loved.

She giggled and Air rolled her onto her back. He came to rest above her and bent down to kiss her. Her hands linked around the nape of his neck and Quinn had no doubt that Air was ready to go again. He broke the kiss and looked back over his shoulder at Quinn.

“Are you joining us?”

Quinn took in the scene before him and he frowned. Angelina’s hand strayed downwards as she stroked along Air’s back. It came to rest on his ass cheek and he ground his hips into her as she dug her nails into his skin. She sighed and turned Air’s face back around to capture his lips in a kiss again. Quinn downed the rest of the vodka.

This was unexpected. He felt his eyes glowing and it wasn’t from lust. He had to suppress a growl and his eyes widened at the realisation that he wasn’t happy about this at all. He stood up and put the now empty vodka bottle on the table.

“You know what? I’ve actually got a headache and this vodka hasn’t helped.”

Air pulled away from the Sister underneath him.

“What? You okay?”

He smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

“I’m fine, I’ll leave you to it. I think I need to sleep it off.”

Air narrowed his eyes and studied him for a few heartbeats.

“Are you sure?” Angelina said as she held her hand out towards him, giving him a sultry smile. “I bet we can make you forget all about that headache.”

It was the ’we’ that did it. He gritted his teeth and shook his head.

“No. I’ll get going. Have fun kids. Toodles.”

Quinn spun around and left, closing the door behind him and not bothering to wait for their reply. He stormed along the hallway to his room and tried his best not to slam the door.

Fuck! Where the hell had that come from? Air had a never ending cycle of favourite Siblings, he’d come back to the lair covered in their scents on a regular basis and it had never bothered him before. Since when was Quinn so territorial? Maybe it was seeing it with his own eyes? Or the fact that she was in Air’s bed; the bed that he and Air had shared on countless occasions since he’d been summoned.

It wasn’t as if they were bonded, Air could do whoever he wanted and Quinn didn’t mind. The same went for Quinn, Air wasn’t possessive of him either.

He growled when he thought of the little red head with her hands all over Air. As hot as it was, as hot as the whole thing had been, he didn’t like it. He was being irrational, he knew it, but he couldn’t help it.

He needed a cold shower. Maybe that would shock him out of whatever this was, so he stripped out of his uniform, turned the water on as cold as it would go and stepped under the spray.

Chapter Text

Pounding woke Quinn up with a start. Was it his head or the door though? He rolled over onto his back and realised he’d fallen asleep naked and star fished on his bed. His mouth tasted like last night’s vodka and sure enough, his head was throbbing.

“Quinn!” Followed by more pounding. Oh. So it was the door.

He rolled out of bed and stood, opening it up to Air. His reactions were slow because of the hangover so he wasn’t quick enough when Air shoved him backwards and burst into the room with him.

“Fucking hell, Air!” he cried as he stumbled backwards.

“What the fuck was that about last night? What’s the matter with you?”

Quinn came to his senses a bit more and he smelled Sister Angelina all over Air’s skin. He rumbled out a growl and pushed Air back towards the door.

“Don’t fucking barge in here like this. I told you. I had a headache. What the fuck, Air?”

His eyes widened as he realised that Air was in his room. He’d never actually been in here before and sure enough, the ghoul did a double take when he saw the three skulls sitting on the shelf by the door. He looked back to Quinn and frowned as his eyes wandered around the rest of the room.

“No wonder you’ve never invited us in here. Seriously?”

That was it. Quinn saw red and shoved Air back out into the corridor, pushing him against the wall and putting his hand around his throat. Air squeaked and his hands went to Quinn’s forearm to try and relieve some of the pressure.

“Don’t you ever fucking come into my room uninvited again. I will rip your fucking throat out in a heartbeat!”

Air bared his fangs and snarled.

“What has gotten into you?”

Quinn could see Earth striding towards them in his peripheral vision and he gave a low warning growl. The big earth ghoul stopped a few feet away and Quinn noticed the others gathering behind him. Nosey fucks.

“Quinn!” he barked out in that authoritative way of his. “Let him go. I know he’s annoying, but seriously, we’re kind of attached to him.”

Air glared at Earth who gave him a smirk.

Quinn took a deep breath and let go of Air’s throat with a shove.

“Don’t ever come to me stinking of her again,” he growled. “And stay out of my room!”

He felt the shock from the others like a slap to the face and he realised what he’d just said. Air was staring at him, his mouth hanging open and Quinn whimpered.

Fuck!

He turned tail and stalked back into his room, slamming the door and locking it behind him. He turned around and rested his forehead on the wood of the door, taking shaky breaths to try and calm himself. He wanted to rip something to shreds but he tried to rein it in. The others were still out there and he heard them discussing him.

“What the fuck did you do, Air?” Earth rumbled out.

“What the fuck, Earth? I haven’t done anything! He’s acting all crazy for no reason.”

“He wouldn’t act like that for no reason. That’s not like him. He felt off all day yesterday.”

“The fuck if I know,” Air bit out and Quinn could feel the frustration and sadness wafting off him. He heard him sigh. “I’m done. I’m fucking done.”

The sound of Air’s long strides receded as he walked away towards his room.

Why did those last words stab him in the heart so much? Why the fuck was he acting this way all of a sudden? It wasn’t the full moon for another couple of weeks. He sighed and did what he always did when he felt off kilter. He lit a candle and some incense, knelt before his altar and bowed his head in prayer to try and figure this out.

A soft knocking pulled Quinn out of his thoughts and he realised the room was relatively dark now. His legs had cramped up from kneeling for so long and he shivered as he realised he was still naked.

“Quinn? It’s Zephyr. Can I speak with you?”

He sighed and stood up, staggering slightly when his legs didn’t co-operate as quickly as he’d expected them to.

“Give me a minute, Zephyr.”

He used the bathroom, splashed some water on his face to wake him up and threw on whatever clothes were handy. It was either his robes or a pair of jeans and a top from the dirty laundry hamper, so he went with the latter.

Zephyr was waiting for him in the hallway and he smiled, blue eyes looking him up and down to check he was okay.

“Take a walk with me?”

Quinn sighed and followed the older ghoul out of the lair. The others had made themselves scarce but he was under no illusions that one of them had gone to Zephyr to ask him to try and sort this out. He had a reasonably good idea who.

It was summertime now so the evening was a warm one. It must have been a good few hours since he’d had the little thing with Air because it was around midday when he’d knelt at the altar and now it was dusk.

“Are you well, Zephyr?” Quinn asked, not just out of politeness, he genuinely wanted to know.

The older ghoul was coming towards the end of his life now so every day he had was a blessing.

“I am. Thank you Quinn. You, it seems, are not though. What’s going on? Earth came and got me, he is worried about you.”

That was a surprise, and it hurt him a little that it wasn’t Air who had gone to find Zephyr to help him, as he’d suspected.

“I don’t know, Zephyr. It was all just too much yesterday.”

“With Secondo stepping down? Do not worry about that, when Primo retired it was the best thing he ever did. He’s been so much happier since.”

Quinn shook his head.

“No. Well, yes, that too. The ether was bad yesterday, I didn’t see anything really important but by the time we left the chapel I’d had enough. I can ignore it for so long but sometimes it just gets me down.”

Zephyr put his arm around Quinn’s shoulders as they walked towards the woods. Zephyr was around the same height as Quinn but much leaner. He still carried himself like a younger ghoul though and Quinn was sure that he had been typical of their kind in his younger days; tall and strong.

“It is a heavy burden that you carry, and we all have off days, but your pack is worried for you. They seem to think it is something more than just a bad day.”

Quinn growled.

“They’re so fucking nosey. They shouldn’t interfere.”

Zephyr laughed.

“It’s because they love you, Quinn.” He scowled but kept quiet. “What happened with you and Air?”

Zephyr knew that Quinn and Air were very close. Everyone knew it. Siblings and other ghouls often presumed they were bonded.

“I just... I don’t know. I lashed out at him because I was pissed off at him. He hasn’t even done anything wrong.”

Zephyr huffed a laugh.

“That makes no sense, Quinn.”

“I know.” He sighed. “For the first time last night I looked at my ghuleh on the way out and I didn’t feel guilty that I was heading out to fuck another female. It didn’t happen in the end, but that’s not the point. What does that say though? Have I forgotten her completely now? So much so that I don’t care about giving what’s hers to someone else anymore?”

Quinn felt Zephyr’s soothing energy washing over him and he let it do its thing.

“Even after all this time that’s what you still think, isn’t it? That you shouldn’t give yourself to someone else because you think that you only belong to her. She is gone Quinn, she is not coming back.” Quinn closed his eyes against the pain those words caused him. He knew this already but he didn’t want to hear it. “She would not want you to live in this misery for the rest of your life.”

They’d stopped by a fallen log and Zephyr sat down. Quinn paced in front of him.

“I know this Zephyr. I know what I should be feeling, but I can’t help it. I don’t want to give myself to anyone except her.”

Zephyr frowned.

“And what about Air?”

Quinn stopped walking.

“What about him?”

“This is not fair on him.” Quinn growled. “Don’t growl at me. You know I’m right. I can see what’s happening here. You and he have that spark and you can’t hide that from anyone else but yourself. Omega can see it and I can see it. You are trying to fight your instincts but you can’t.”

Quinn glared at him. He didn’t want to have this conversation anymore.

“Fucking watch me,” he spat as he strode off deeper into the woods.

Chapter Text

Quinn found himself standing on the edge of the small stream that flowed through the Abbey’s woods. He hadn’t felt this rattled for a very, very long time and he didn’t know what to do with himself. He had little outbursts of temper every now and then which was unusual for a quintessence ghoul, but not for him. This was different though. It was like the feelings of dread that he sometimes got when the ether was trying to tell him something, but he knew that it wasn’t that.

This was more... personal.

He dropped to his knees, landing on the carpet of leaves and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to get a grip; he was supposed to be quintessence, navigating emotions was what they did and apparently he sucked at it. Navigating his own at least.

Quinn had grown so used to being the way that he was that he had just muddled along, refusing to believe that he could actually bond with someone again after Ashtoreth. This had crept up on him and he didn’t like it one fucking bit.

Zephyr was right though, this wasn’t fair on Air. He’d laid his cards on the table and Quinn had shut him down time and time again. This was just another way for him to torment the other ghoul. He couldn’t fully have Quinn, but it appeared that with this latest development Quinn wouldn’t let him have anyone else either. He growled and cursed himself for being such a fucking selfish prick.

Quinn closed his eyes as he sensed another ghoul approaching and he said a mental fuck you to the universe when he realised who it was.

“Zephyr told me you came this way. What are you doing?”

He opened his eyes again and saw Air standing on the other side of the stream with his hands on his hips. He looked like he’d just had a shower, his hair was damp.

“I decided to carry on walking when he stopped.”

Air raised his brows in surprise at the grumpy way Quinn said that. Quinn and Zephyr were never off with each other, they always got on and were respectful towards one another.

“You don’t look like you’re doing much walking now, Quinn.” He looked up at Air and he was lost for words. Air frowned and crossed the stream to get to him. “What have I done? Why are you being like this with me?”

Quinn ran a hand down his face. He hadn’t wanted to have this conversation with Zephyr and he certainly didn’t want to have it with Air right now, not when he hadn't even sorted it out in his own head.

“I... It’s not you. You haven’t done anything wrong. I’m sorry. I...” He huffed out a breath and got to his feet. Air was looking at him expectantly. He may as well tell him the truth as he knew it because he’d hurt Air and he didn’t like that. “I didn’t like seeing the Sister with her hands all over you. I didn’t like seeing her in your bed with you. I...” He growled a frustrated growl and met Air’s purple stare. “I was jealous, okay?”

Air’s mouth twitched into half smile.

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”

“And now you’re freaking out because you think that we’re going to have to bond and that your little, insulated, emotionless world is going to implode because you had a feeling.” Quinn scowled at him. “We’ve had this discussion before. I told you where I stand, I can handle things as they were. But you can’t have it both ways. I’m not going to stop doing the things I enjoy because you will freak out about it. You’re just going to have to deal with it because I need to live my life too.”

“I know that. I know. I can’t help it. I...”

It was Air’s turn to scowl.

“You know what, Quinn? Fuck you. That’s such a fucking cop out. You’re just too stubborn to deal with these emotions.” He laughed a humourless laugh. “You’re the shittiest quintessence ghoul I’ve ever met. I said I was done, and then I had to come out here and chase after you like some pathetic little kit.”

Quinn felt his eyes glowing as he waited for what he knew was coming. He could sense Air warring with himself over it.

“Don’t. Please.”

He took a step towards him and Air growled a warning. He stilled.

“If you can’t control yourself then we’re going to have to draw a line under this. I will put up with a lot of shit from you because I understand why you are the way you are, but I can only take so much. There is a fine line between me putting up with your shit and you making me constantly miserable.”

He turned and walked away and a whimper escaped Quinn’s throat.

“No,” he whispered but he felt his anger rising. “No! Don’t fucking walk away from me,” he growled.

Air stopped walking and his shoulders slumped but he didn’t turn around.

“Don’t do this, Quinn.”

Quinn went after him. Air heard him coming and looked back over his shoulder, eyes glowing with purple fire. Quinn caught a faint scent of Sister Angelina still lingering despite Air’s shower and he bit back the growl that tried to escape him. Air turned to face him just as Quinn reached him. He didn’t stop though, they were chest to chest and he used his momentum to force the other ghoul to either lose his balance or walk backwards.

After a few clumsy steps Air’s back came into contact with one of the ancient tree trunks that lined the bank of the stream. Quinn pressed him into it, wrapping a possessive hand around the base of his throat and putting their foreheads together.

“You shouldn’t have turned your back on me. I give you everything I have to give. I walked away last night rather than start something. I did it for you.”

Air snorted at him.

“What? I’m supposed to be grateful for that?”

“Yes! I like that Sister, I wanted to join you but I knew that it would end badly if I did so I put a stop to it and I walked away. I know she’s your favourite right now and I didn’t want to ruin it by scaring her off. I can still smell her on you and it’s driving me fucking crazy!”

Air looked him in the eyes and he saw that spark of mischief there.

“What are you going to do about it then?”

The charged atmosphere became electrified and Quinn spun Air around so that he was facing the tree trunk. He dropped his hand and undid Air’s jeans, reaching inside and grabbing his already semi-hard cock with force.

“You should know by now not to challenge me.”

Air gasped and bucked into Quinn’s hold and the excitement he felt from the rough treatment was heady. Quinn used his body to pin him to the tree and his other hand went to sort out his own jeans, freeing himself and moving the offending pieces of denim out of the way. He could smell how much Air wanted him but he spat in his palm and rubbed it onto the head of his cock anyway, lining himself up. Air whined at the feel of his heated flesh and Quinn put his face onto the back of his neck, breathing in his scent.

“I’ve got you. Take what you need from me,” Air whispered and Quinn felt a tear escape his eye and drip onto his spine.

Quinn buried himself into Air on a sob and the other ghoul moaned and tipped his head back. His hold on Air’s cock tightened and he whined again and fucked into it. Quinn felt the wetness there and he ran his thumb over the slit making Air jerk beneath him.

“I’m sorry,” Quinn mumbled against Air’s skin and he let the sensations wash over him as he fucked him.

Within seconds Air was a mewling mess underneath him and Quinn knew that he was going to have to mark him, going to have to show everyone who he belonged to.

Quinn couldn’t leave his heart unguarded enough to take that final step but the world didn’t need to know that. He grabbed Air by the hair and yanked his head to the side. The angle looked painful but he didn’t protest. Quinn ran his fang along the side of his throat and chose a spot that would be visible to anyone he came into contact with. He could feel the pressure building in his balls and Air started twitching around him. He licked the place he’d chosen, under Air’s ear, right on the tendon and he bit down hard. Fangs broke through skin and hot blood coated his tongue.

The taste of Air and the way he responded to Quinn made the tension snap and it was explosive. The orgasm momentarily blinded him and he snarled and bit down harder. He gripped Air’s cock and he mindlessly arched into Quinn’s hold. Hot jets of seed spilled from him too, covering his hand. He worked him through it and when he was finally still and didn’t feel as though he would pass out any more, Quinn extracted his teeth from Air’s flesh and his hand from his cock. He spun him around to face him and brought his fingers to his mouth, sucking Air’s essence from them. Air’s pupils were blown and he watched every movement as Quinn closed his eyes and savoured the combined taste of his blood and his seed.

When he opened them again Air was studying him with a frown. Without warning the other ghoul grabbed his shirt and dragged him closer, pulling their faces together. Their lips clashed and Air moaned at the taste of himself on Quinn’s tongue. He speared his fingers through Air’s hair, gripping a handful of it and growling into the kiss, grinding himself against him and pressing him back against the trunk with all of his weight. He’d needed this so badly, needed to cover the scent of the Sister with his own. He felt himself relaxing at the knowledge and he realised once again what a selfish prick he was.

Quinn pulled away and dropped his face to the crook of Air’s neck. Arms came to rest on his back and he let Air hold him as his tears fell. Air whispered sweet nothings to him as he cried.

“Hey,” Air said when he’d finally stopped sobbing. “Come on, it’s late. Let’s go home.”

Quinn stood up and stretched out, coming to his senses. He smelled blood and he cursed.

“Shit, your neck. Here.”

He reached out a hand and ran it over the bite mark he’d left, sending healing energy to it. The bleeding slowed and then stopped. He’d made a real mess of it. Quinn took off his shirt, balled it up and went to wet it in the stream. Air hissed as he wiped it over his neck, cleaning most of the blood away.

“It’s good, I’m good,” Air said with a small smile.

They walked back to the lair shoulder to shoulder in silence, neither one acknowledging what just happened, or what didn’t happen. They stopped when they reached Air’s door.

“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” Quinn asked him.

He felt Air’s surprise at the invitation to Quinn’s bed and he nodded as they carried on to the end of the corridor.

He locked the door behind them and they fell onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs, wrapping around one another. Quinn was finally content to have Air there, surrounded by his sheets and covered in his scent.

He was sure they would have to unpack all of this at some point because this was not a resolution but that was the beauty of procrastination; there was always tomorrow.

Chapter Text

It was the morning of the ritual that would transfer leadership of the Clergy from Secondo to his younger and more flamboyant brother, Terzo. Quinn was pulling a double shift because after the drama of a couple of nights ago, he had missed covering Earth’s shift. Earth had said it was fine but Quinn insisted on doing his day security shift followed by the ritual and overnight security for Secondo. He didn’t mind at all.

He sipped his coffee and watched from the edge of the chapel as Secondo, Terzo and Anya set up for the evening’s events. Only the highest members of the Clergy would be in attendance so they were using the smaller chapel of ritual rather than the main one at the Abbey.

Omega wandered over and came to stand next to him. The ghoul seemed down, not his usual self at all.

“What’s wrong?” Quinn asked him.

The big ghoul sighed and looked over towards Terzo.

“I’m worried about him. He’s excited and he is definitely ready for this but it will make him a target. How do you deal with that?”

Quinn knew that Omega was Terzo’s favourite, just as Earth was Secondo’s and Zephyr was Primo’s. It seemed to be something that happened when a human summoned packs of ghouls. They were always closer to one and that ghoul seemed to be the one to keep the others in line. Omega’s connection to Terzo seemed to be particularly strong and their bond was brighter than Quinn had seen between any of the other Papas and their ghouls.

“You get used to it, Omega. And now that Secondo will be concentrating on security full time he will be a lot safer. Everyone loves Terzo, you don’t need to worry.”

He winced as a vision crossed his mind but it was one of the fleeting ones that made little to no sense. The impression that he got from it though was concerning. Apparently not everyone loved Terzo.

“Secondo seems happier. Which is also worrying me. Is being Papa that stressful? Did Secondo hate it that much?”

Quinn thought on it for a minute.

“He is happier now that the responsibility isn’t his anymore. He loved being Papa, but he loves his sorcery and his security even more. It tore him in two trying to be the best at both. So now he gets to concentrate on what he loves. And so do we.” He grinned and Omega smiled but Quinn could tell he was still worried. “Just keep on doing what you’re doing. Terzo depends on you a lot and that won’t change.”

Omega looked up and Quinn followed his line of sight. His grin widened when he saw Air bearing breakfast.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“Good. All good. Thanks.”

His eyes strayed to the mark on Air’s neck and it gave Quinn a little pang of satisfaction, the same way it had done every time someone had noticed it over the last couple of days. To the humans it would just look like things had gotten a bit rough, but all of the other ghouls would know what it meant. It was a claiming bite. The wound wouldn’t leave a scar, but it would be another week or so before it was completely gone. Air handed Quinn a bag filled with various breakfast goodies and he thanked him.

“Are you joining us, Omega? We can share?”

He shook his head.

“No. Thanks though. We just ate.”

Terzo was calling Omega and he rolled his eyes and went over to join him.

“Are we taking Aurora out tomorrow?” Air asked.

Quinn smirked. It had been a little while since they’d been allowed out of the Abbey together and he’d missed their drives.

“Sure, I finish at nine so whenever you want.”

“Sleep first, then fun? Or fun first and sleep later?”

“Fun first. I can sleep when I’m dead.”

Air grinned at him and bit into his bacon sandwich.

The day was long. The ritual would be held as the new moon rose so there were a good few hours until it was time. Secondo had some boring last minute things to wrap up. There was paperwork to sign, some meetings with other Clergy members and finally a fancy dinner with Terzo in one of the formal dining rooms. They would discuss the evening’s plans and finalise any last minute details.

Quinn let his mind wander for a while until he sensed someone watching him. He looked up and met the calculating stare of Imperator. She narrowed her eyes and smirked at him and he had to repress a shudder. He curled his lip back at her and she didn’t look happy about it. His intuition told him tonight was going to be the night that they sorted this out once and for all and he sighed as he thought about it.

Secondo was, yet again, patient with Terzo who had enjoyed the wine a little bit too much at dinner. Quinn sensed he was nervous as well as excited to start the next chapter of his life. Secondo was the complete opposite. He was cool, calm and relaxed and Quinn yet again felt glad for him. He’d known since that very first night when he was summoned that he would like Secondo, and sure enough his intuition on the soon to be ex Papa had been correct. He must have seen Quinn’s thoughts as he momentarily looked up and gave him a smile. Quinn felt the warmth of Secondo’s love for him through their bond and he let himself bask in it for a little while.

Omega finally managed to steer Terzo away from the wine and on to the coffee so that he could sober up enough for the ritual. He hadn’t been too drunk, he loved to party but he could be responsible when he had to be. Secondo patiently humoured him and guided him through what needed to be done as they made their way back to the small chapel.

Seven ghouls donated some of their blood for the pentagram and the spell that would transfer leadership from Secondo to Terzo. Quinn, Earth and Air donated for Secondo and Omega, Alpha, Special and Mist donated for Terzo.

The ghouls all took their places around the chapel and watched as Anya performed the ritual. The few rows of pews were full of the upper Clergy members, Imperator included. Secondo and Terzo stood at the front, both dressed in their papal robes with Anya between them. Secondo’s were black and lined with his signature green, Terzo’s were again black and lined with purple. He cut a striking figure at the front of the chapel.

Quinn smirked because it made him think of the human marriage ceremonies he’d seen on TV and Secondo must have picked up on the stray thought because he looked over at him and scowled. Quinn dropped his eyes and tried to hide the smirk.

“We call upon our beloved Dark Lord on this new moon to spoil us with His presence. Behold your devoted servants and bless them with the transfer of power. Papa Emeritus the Second hereby relinquishes control of Your unholy church and passes it down the bloodline to a worthy successor.” Anya sliced a ceremonial blade over Secondo’s outstretched palm and used a pewter goblet to catch the blood that ran from the wound. “Do you stand down from your esteemed leadership and offer up your position to another with the Dark Lord’s blessing?”

“I do,” Secondo said and Quinn smirked again.

“And who do you name as your successor, Papa?”

“I hereby relinquish control to my beloved brother, Terzo Emeritus. May you walk the path of the Dark Lord until the end of your days, and carry out His work to the best of your abilities and beyond.”

Anya took Terzo’s hand and sliced his palm too, catching the blood in the goblet and swirling it around.

“Do you, Terzo Emeritus accept the mantle that your elder brother is passing on?” Anya asked Terzo.

“I do.”

Anya mumbled a spell and moved her hand over the combined blood before handing it to Terzo.

“Then drink and take your rightful place at the head of the Clergy, give yourself to the Dark Lord and become his most faithful servant.”

Terzo took a drink and a flash of dark light erupted throughout the chapel. He cried out and put his bloody palm to his eye as the magic bestowed the Infernal eye on him and with it whatever powers the Dark Lord saw fit. The Clergy members all gasped but Quinn paled when he sensed a presence behind Anya. He looked up and his heart stopped.

Standing behind the witch was a tall and beautiful figure who oozed power and the hairs on Quinn’s skin all stood on end. He instinctively knew who he was looking at and he dropped to his knees and bowed his head. Air nudged him and he looked up to see the air ghoul’s confused face.

“What are you doing Quinn?” he whispered.

“Get the fuck down, Air! What is wrong with you?”

Air snorted and Quinn looked around the room. Nobody else was kneeling and he was getting some strange looks from the others. He looked to the figure behind Anya again and was met with an amused stare. He realised that nobody else was seeing what he was. The others were completely oblivious that the object of their worship, the being that their whole religion was based on was standing casually within their midst.

“Stand, quintessence. They think you’ve gone mad,” the melodic voice said.

Quinn took in a shaky breath and did as he was told. He had only ever caught one glimpse of the Dark Lord during his life and it had been at a celebration for the Demon Lords when he had accompanied Andras. Even Andras had never met Him personally. He didn’t often mix with anyone beyond his tight inner circle so sightings were highly unusual.

Lucifer was as stunningly beautiful as they said. He had black hair and black eyes that swirled red every now and then. His wings were black also but some of the feathers glinted red in the candlelight. Secondo suddenly looked over at Quinn and his eyes widened when he saw what Quinn was seeing through his thoughts. He didn’t give any outward clues though and Quinn stayed silent, but Secondo was rattled.

Lucifer looked down at Secondo fondly, then back to Quinn.

“He did a good job but he is tired. He has my blessing. Terzo will be a worthy successor.” He turned to Terzo and smiled. “Oh, this one will shake things up though.” He ran a finger affectionately down the side of Terzo’s cheek and the newly ordained Papa flinched and smiled, not realising that he had just gained the approval of one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He turned his attention back to Quinn. “You have been an unexpected asset to my servants and do not think that your devotion and your sacrifice has gone unnoticed. Many times you have stood between what could have been and what should.”

“I... I don’t understand,” he murmured and out of the corner of his eye he saw Air gave him a questioning look.

Lucifer gave him a half smile and Quinn’s breath hitched. He was so radiant.

“You have a big part to play in the future here and don’t let that bitch Fate steer you in the wrong direction. She will try her best but you must go with what you know is right. Everything in your life that has happened so far was meant be. Everything. She will try to blame you for changing the course and she will punish you; she has already punished you and you haven’t even realised it was her. But you will come out the other side stronger. You will come out the other side whole.”

Tears ran down Quinn’s cheeks and he tried to keep himself composed but he could feel the fire in his eyes glowing. He feared the Dark Lord as well anyone should fear one so powerful as He, but he also felt anger at all of the events of his life and all the ways that he had been fucked over. Why him? Why was his life the one that they’d chosen to fuck with? He growled and Lucifer raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at him.

“Quinn?”

He opened eyes that he didn’t even realise had been closed and Air was gently shaking him by the shoulders. The other ghoul stood in front of him and he looked worried. Quinn blinked and looked around. The ritual was over and the Clergy was making their way over to congratulate Terzo, but Secondo was walking towards them.

“Vision. It’s fine,” he said to Air, but he looked sceptical.

“Then why are you crying?”

Quinn dragged his sleeve across his eyes and sniffed.

“I wasn’t.”

Air scowled at him and was about to call him out on the lie when Secondo reached him.

“Come. My place,” he said as he put his arm around Quinn’s shoulders and guided him from the chapel.

Air made to follow them but Secondo dismissed him. He looked put out but he obeyed and went to find the others.

Once they were in this rooms Secondo sat Quinn down on one of the sofas by the fireplace. He poured them both a drink and handed Quinn the generous measure of scotch. Quinn scented blood and came to his senses. He took Secondo’s hand and turned it over.

“Your hand Secondo, it’s still bleeding.” He sent quintessence to it to heal and the bleeding stopped.

“Thank you, Quinn. Are you alright? I did not know what to do. I did not want to displease our Dark Lord but I could see that you were getting upset.”

Quinn downed the scotch in one and Secondo fetched him another. He sat next to him and sipped his own, putting his arm around Quinn’s shoulder again.

“They told me you were special when my colleague at the Council contacted me after we lost Quintessence. The seer had said that you were a child of Fate. I do not see you that way though. You are just Quinn. I love you like I love all of my other ghouls. Do not let all of this Fate and Destiny crap get to you. You matter to me because you are you. Yes, you wouldn’t be here in the first place if it wasn’t for all of that, but if the visions stopped tomorrow? I would love you all the same. You are not the visions, they do not define you.”

Quinn whimpered and curled into Papa’s side. He didn’t want to talk about any of this, he didn’t want to tell Secondo that he was wrong. He felt the pull of their bond though and he didn’t fight it this time.

“I’m so tired. I don’t know how much more I can take. I would be so happy if the visions stopped tomorrow. They’ve been nothing but a curse for me.”

“Si, but you have helped so many. Even in the years since you’ve been here. Are you telling me that it is not worth it for that?”

Quinn huffed out a laugh.

“Some days I carry on by telling myself that, that there are some who are alive and happy because of my curse. Most days though I would answer you no. No, it is not worth it. Not even a little. Everyone who knows me knows I’m a selfish prick and that right there just proves it.”

Secondo sighed and held him and just for a little while he imagined that he was a kit again and Secondo was his sire. He let himself believe that none of this had happened, that his life would take him down a different road in the future; the same road as his older siblings who had escaped the curse of their bloodline.

His thoughts were wide open because he was so tired but Secondo didn’t say anything more. He led Quinn to his bedroom and sat him down on the bed.

“Sleep here tonight, my ghoul. I will get Air to watch over us, si?” Quinn nodded numbly and curled up on top of Secondo’s covers. Papa made the call to Air and then got himself ready for bed. He turned out the light, climbing into the bed next to him. He could hear Air pottering around in the kitchen, making coffee. “You do not have to fight this fight alone, we are all here for you. If Fate is going to try and fuck you over then she is going to have to get through all of us. Don’t you ever forget that Quinn.”

He fell into a dreamless sleep surrounded by the soothing scent of Secondo and his surroundings.

_________

Air and Quinn left the apartment at nine after Fire took over the security.

“Are you going to tell me what that was all about? Or are you going to suffer in silence like usual?” Air asked him. Quinn scowled and Air sighed. “Silence it is then.”

Quinn cursed as they headed along one of the quieter corridors and bumped straight into Imperator. This was it, he realised, and he was too fucking exhausted for her shit right now.

“I’m glad I ran into you, ghoul. I was just headed to Secondo’s to have a little chat about you.”

“Do you never give up, Imperator? Are you that fucking desperate?”

He felt Air tense beside him but he didn’t have the patience to play her games today. Imperator’s eyes darkened with anger.

“How. Dare. You,” she gritted out. “I have been more than reasonable with you, and although you are very talented I have come to the conclusion that you are better suited to life in the Pit. I will be involving the Council in this, so I would be more careful about the way you speak to me.”

Quinn glared at her and she looked momentarily surprised at the malevolence she saw there. He mumbled the Infernal spell under his breath and Imperator’s eyes rolled back in her head for a few seconds. He let the spell work for a moment and then called it back.

Imperator looked around, confused and her eyes met Quinn’s again.

“What did you just do?”

There was anger there but also worry.

Quinn tilted his head and smirked and he heard Air curse under his breath.

“Do you really think that I would lower myself to become your plaything? You sicken me. I would rather fuck Nihil than you.”

A blush of anger tinted her cheeks and he could feel the red hot rage that she was trying to contain to keep her composure.

“What are you talking about?”

“Those little sessions we had? Or you thought we had? Infernal spell. That amazing night we had in the hotel room? I had more fun playing Uno with Special than I’d ever have between those thighs of yours. You are a disgusting excuse for a human and everyone around here knows it.”

She was actually lost for words, she was spitting mad and he relished the humiliation she felt at the realisation that she’d been played by them. It wouldn’t take her long to realise that Secondo had orchestrated it. She screeched in frustration as she shook with an all consuming rage.

“This is not the end of this! You will end up in the pit by the end of the week! All of you ghouls are no better than animals!”

Air chuckled as she stormed away and Quinn hung his head. He didn’t feel bad about it but Secondo probably wouldn’t be happy with him at all now.

“Fuck, Quinn! What did you just do?” Quinn shook his head and sighed. “Come on, let’s get a coffee and go for that drive.”

The two ghouls headed out into the human world, blissfully unaware that Quinn’s words had just set into motion unstoppable events that would have repercussions for everyone at the Abbey.

That crack that Quinn had seen in Imperator’s soul the first time he’d met her was about to become that bit wider and the corruption that would bleed from it would be devastating for them all.

Chapter Text

Quinn walked through the halls of the Abbey towards the library, scratching his hip absentmindedly. The demon brand had been feeling weird for the last few days but he hadn’t really noticed it because the feeling of dread that he got when the universe was planning something big had overshadowed anything else recently.

He’d woken from an exhausted sleep at exactly the same time yet again. 3.13am. The same as the last five nights. Quinn knew better than anyone that this was a sign and it shouldn’t be ignored, but he did his best to anyway.

The library was deathly silent, the faint glow of the desk lamps was the only light source but he didn’t need much light to be able to see clearly. He wandered through the shelves of books and scrolls, aimlessly picking up a book here and there, flicking through it and then putting it back again. He had plenty of books in his room already, but there was always room for more. He chose a book about alchemy, left a note on the librarian’s desk to let them know he’d taken it and headed back up to his room.

He’d spent a lot of time secluded over the last few weeks. The ether had been scratching at his brain relentlessly and he’d found that he’d shut himself away from the others more and more lately. Secondo knew that the ether had been tormenting him and he’d tried to offer his help but ultimately there was nothing that could be done.

Quinn had been absolutely useless in his duties since it started happening and the thought once again crossed his mind that the visions he had were doing permanent damage to his brain. The way things had been lately made that more than plausible. The one thing he was certain of though was that something big was coming and he was exhausted by it already.

Air’s door opened as he walked by and he sighed.

“Quinn?” He stopped walking and turned to look over his shoulder at the air ghoul. “Will you come in? I’ve missed you.”

Quinn dragged a hand down his face.

“Air, I...”

Sadness wafted over from the other ghoul as he realised what the answer would be. It was the same as it had been for a while now. He couldn’t bring himself to spend the night with Air since the ether had ramped up the visions. Even his sleep had been invaded by them and he startled himself awake multiple times a night. Sometimes it was through the visions, and other times violent memories. He did tend to dream of times past on a regular basis but the ether’s involvement had brought up the most depraved and painful ones and Quinn didn’t want to inflict the aftermath of that onto any of the others.

“Just sit with me for a while. We can have a drink. Please?”

Air was whispering, but the others would probably have heard him anyway. Quinn looked at his door at the end of the corridor and then back at Air.

“Just a drink.”

Air smiled and nodded and Quinn felt his relief that he’d finally given him some leeway. He stepped inside the room and Air closed the door behind him softly. Arms came around his back and he let Air pull him close, let him stroke his hair and let him breathe in his scent. He jumped and screwed his eyes shut as the ether threw another pointless vision at him. It was fuzzy and it made no sense and Quinn felt a tear escape his eye. He was so fucking tired. Air held him tighter and he hugged him back.

“What’s happening? Why won’t you let us in?” Air said against his hair. He led them over to the sofa and they sat. “Do you want that drink?”

“No.” Quinn shook his head. “I don’t know. I just want my head back. I’m tired, Air. It won’t let me sleep.”

Air pulled Quinn down so that his head rested on his shoulder and he stroked gentle claws through his hair.

“When was the last time you ate something?”

Quinn furrowed his brow. He couldn’t remember.

“Yesterday maybe?”

Air sighed and got up, opening the mini fridge he had in his room. He pulled something out and brought it over. Quinn laughed, of course Air would have an emergency sandwich in his room.

“Here. Eat this. I can make another later.”

“Thanks.”

He hadn’t realised how hungry he was.

“We’re going to have to make you eat again, aren’t we?”

After Quinn had been captured by the Council his recovery had been long and slow and the others had taken turns to make sure that he ate regularly to regain his strength. It looked as though he was going to have to put up with that again.

“There’s no need,” he protested weakly.

“There is. I guarantee when you answered ‘yesterday’, what you really meant was the day before. I know what you’re like when stuff like this happens, you forget the basics. So from now on we are going to bring you food at meal times and we will watch you eat it, okay? Even if you don’t want to see us or speak to us, we will do it anyway. Otherwise we will be telling some tales to Secondo.”

Quinn scowled and glared at him as he took another bite of the sandwich. It tasted good and his stomach seemed to appreciate it.

“Whatever,” he said between mouthfuls.

Air sighed.

“I hate when you shut yourself off. I thought by now you would have let us help you.”

“And what can you do, Air? Can you take away the visions? Because if you can, please feel free.”

Air growled at him.

“Don’t get all grumpy with me. You know I can’t do that but I fucking would if I could. Just let us fuss. Just let us be there. Don’t push us away. This is the worst you’ve been since you first arrived here. I don’t like it that I’ve barely spoken two words to you in the last few weeks. I hate it.”

Quinn sighed.

“I’m sorry. I just... Something is coming and I don’t know what it is and this fucking curse I have is just relentless and it’s no fucking use whatsoever and I just know that...” He stopped himself but Air picked up on it.

“What? What do you know?”

He looked at Air and he wished that he didn’t know the things he knew. He wished that he could just go through life happily oblivious like everyone else could. Air rubbed a hand down his arm and Quinn dropped his eyes to his lap.

“There is going to be death. A lot of death. And I can do nothing to stop it. Whatever way I look at it, it will happen. There is no changing it. I don’t know who, I don’t know why, I don’t know when. All I know is that it will be and that is it. It’s tearing me apart and I don’t want to do it anymore. I just want to go to sleep and not wake up and then it will be over.”

“Stop it,” Air said as he pulled Quinn down and put his head in his lap. He stroked his hair and Quinn sighed. “If I ever get the chance to I will fuck Fate or whoever the fuck gave you these visions up so badly that they will regret ever even having thought about messing with you.”

Quinn huffed a laugh.

“That’s fighting talk, Air. I thought you were a lover, not a fighter.”

“I mean it. Mess with my Quinn and suffer the consequences.”

Quinn found himself genuinely smiling for the first time in weeks at the thought of Air going up against Fate to defend him. He let his eyes drift closed, just for a little while.

Chapter Text

Secondo narrowed his eyes at Quinn and he felt the rest of his pack focus their attention on him also. Fuck. He must have asked him a question and he’d missed it.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

Secondo rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. Their pack was gathered in his study discussing the latest situation with Terzo. Alpha had lost his shit and the Papa had gotten in the way, resulting in Alpha being locked up in the basement cells and Terzo being treated in the infirmary for claw marks to his face. The Clergy’s quintessence ghouls had been burning themselves out trying to calm him down.

“Quinn, why don’t you go and get some rest. We can regroup later and go through this. You look exhausted,” Secondo said.

Quinn shook his head.

“I’m fine, I’m seeing Zephyr this evening. I can recharge then.”

Earth cursed under his breath.

“Did you even sleep at all last night?”

Quinn glared at him.

“Yes.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. He’d maybe had half an hour in-between dreams and visions.

“Did you eat what Water left for you earlier?”

He frowned.

“I was going to but then I got called to go and help with Alpha so I never got the chance.”

Earth sighed a tired sigh.

“I’ll call the kitchen and get something sent up. And we will all watch you eat it.”

“Are you fucking joking?” Quinn growled.

Earth smirked at him and Secondo looked on silently, clearly amused.

“It looks like we’re going to have to babysit you. Again. And guess what?”

He scowled at the big earth ghoul.

“What?”

“You’re sleeping with me tonight.”

“Oh, I’m flattered by the offer, Earth but you aren’t really my type.”

Air snorted a laugh.

“You know what I mean, Quinn. I will make sure you get some rest.”

Quinn sighed and looked away.

“I’m over eight hundred seasons old, Earth. I’ve survived this long. I don’t need you smothering me.”

Earth growled and his eyes glowed with their green fire.

“Enough you two. Earth, calm down. Quinn, just accept what they are offering. And before you try and come up with some reason not to, that’s an order, si? If you do not accept help from the pack, then you and I will have a problem,” Secondo said before a twinkle appeared in his mismatched eyes. “Maybe I shall task Imperator with your care instead. We all know how much of a special place she has in her heart for you.”

The others all cackled and laughed at that and Quinn quietly seethed. Since his little revelation about the Infernal spell that he’d used on her she had mostly left him alone, but he knew that she would not have forgotten. He did have to interact with her on occasion but thankfully he hadn’t found himself alone with her since.

“Fine,” he gritted out.

They all knew how much he hated them fussing and he begrudgingly admitted that he did indeed need their help. He wouldn’t let them know that though. It was more fun to watch them suffer his grumpiness than admit to them that he actually did appreciate them looking out for him.

Earth made the call to order food for him. He didn’t even ask Quinn what he wanted. He knew him well enough by now and the things he ordered were basically nutritious comfort food. One of the kitchen ghoulettes dropped a tray off not too much later and Quinn dutifully ate whilst they finished their meeting. He glared at Earth the whole time and made a point of chewing everything slowly and loudly just to be cantankerous.

When he was done, Secondo looked to him expectantly.

“Is that better?” he said with a smirk. Quinn nodded. “Good. So, what did you get from Alpha? Because Terzo is dragging his heels with this. He has been volatile for too long and he has turned a blind eye to it. The fire ghoul is losing it. He is defective.”

Quinn noticed that Fire hung his head at Secondo’s words. Sometimes fire ghouls were prone to losing themselves to their fiery tempers. It didn’t happen often but when it did it was often without warning and had devastating consequences. Even though Fire and Alpha didn’t get on, it could just as easily have happened to him also and Quinn knew he was feeling sympathetic towards the temperamental fire ghoul. Quinn sighed.

“I don’t know Secondo. I’ve been having so many visions lately that they’ve all merged into one. Alpha is definitely losing it, I could barely bring him down and Zephyr struggled too. Omega is completely fucked. That big idiot has been covering for him. We should have noticed this before now.”

Secondo nodded.

“Si. My brother also. He must have seen the signs. The rest of his ghouls too. This is the last thing we need. He passed all of the Academy’s personality tests. I don’t think Terzo has it in him to make the right call on this.”

All of the ghouls in the room dropped their eyes. They knew what Secondo spoke of. If a ghoul became too out of control, a danger to themselves or others, then the agreement was that they would be sent to the Pit. It was a dimension of hell that was reserved for the torture of human souls. It was run by demons but ghouls deemed too dangerous and unstable for life on Earth or to mix with other ghouls were sent there. That would be Alpha’s fate if he couldn’t control his rages. The fact that Terzo had been hurt by him meant that the Clergy had to consider it at the very least.

“I think that Alpha has something to do with this bad feeling I’ve had,” Quinn said as he rubbed his temples. He sighed and closed his eyes, wincing as another vision hit him. Secondo saw it too and his eyes widened. “Fuck.”

The ether had shown him a clear image for the first time in days. Terzo performing a ritual, Alpha on his knees pleading with his Papa. Terzo’s tear streaked face that belied the absolute expression of rage that he wore as he banished the fire ghoul to the Pit.

“Did you see when that was?” Secondo said.

“No. Nothing,” Quinn answered, frustrated once again that all he was being shown was useless half truths.

His heart ached for Alpha, but from what he’d experienced today, the ghoul was becoming more dangerous than they could deal with. Quinn just wished that he wasn’t so fucking exhausted from all of this. Maybe there would be something else that he could do, but he could barely think straight as it was. Secondo had basically put him on sick leave from his duties because he had made so many errors since the ether had been tormenting him with this and he’d become a liability.

“All we can do is be vigilant and support Terzo as much as we can. We will do everything possible to keep Alpha with us, but Terzo was lucky today that his claws only glanced his face. We would be having a very different conversation right now had he caught his jugular instead.” The ghouls all nodded sadly. “You are dismissed. We will have daily update meetings until this is sorted one way or the other, si? And Quinn, please go and find Zephyr. I do not like what I’m getting from you right now.”

Quinn scowled as the others all looked at him. He met Air’s eyes and he gave a small shrug. He nodded and got to his feet, picking up the plates from the meal he’d just eaten. Air quickly intervened.

“Nope. Let me get those. You go and find Zephyr.”

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. Huh. It was a message from Zephyr asking him to go and meet he and Omega for a recharge. He waved the phone at Air.

“You’ll be happy to know that was Zephyr and I’m going to meet him right now. Satisfied?”

Air pulled him into a hug and he accepted it.

“Come and find me later? I’ve got something for you,” he murmured into Quinn’s ear. He frowned but nodded and Air nuzzled his neck before letting him go. “Go on then, go and get recharged.”

He turned and waved over his shoulder, heading out to find Zephyr. The older ghoul was waiting for him in the gardens and they fell instep with one another, wandering aimlessly through the grounds.

“How is Omega doing? Is he joining us?” Quinn asked Zephyr.

“Yes, he’ll be here soon enough. He’s completely burnt himself out. I’m so angry with myself for this, I should have realised what he was doing when he skipped our walks.”

The three of them made a point of meeting up to recharge regularly. Quintessence ghouls shared energy so they needed contact with their own kind every now and then to keep their energy levels topped up. When Quinn had been in their home dimension he’d had a couple of quintessence contacts who he met up with a few times a year, purely because he had to; the quintessence demanded it. The quickest way to recharge was skin to skin which is what he’d done previously.

Since he’d been here though he’d preferred spending quality time with others of his kind to get a more effective and long lasting burst of energy. Having an actual emotional connection was much more satisfying than a brief exchange of energies and a few anonymous moments of physical pleasure. Over the years he, Zephyr and Omega had built up a deep bond of their own despite coming from different packs.

Recently it had more often than not just been he and Zephyr though. Omega had been busy with his life as Terzo’s main ghoul and his duties for the Clergy and he’d cancelled on them at the last minute more and more. Looking back now, Quinn was angry with himself too for not picking up on it. He had known they’d figure out that he’d been struggling to keep Alpha calm and that they’d have reported it to the Clergy. He couldn’t be angry at the younger ghoul, he would have done exactly the same thing himself. Asking for help was admitting that there was a problem you couldn’t handle by yourself.

They’d reached the cherry blossom orchard without even realising and Quinn huffed a laugh.

“They call to us every time, don’t they?”

The old ghoul looked up at him and smiled.

“That they do. We always seem to end up here.”

It was always peaceful in amongst the cherry blossoms that Zephyr had planted for his lost love Rosie. Quinn and Zephyr had spent many hours here over the years, chatting, talking about difficult things or just simply enjoying each others' company. Quinn glanced at the rose bushes that Primo had planted to mark his family and he half smiled. The flowers seemed to bloom all year round, always looking their best. Primo truly did have a magic touch when it came to nature.

They turned back and walked towards the woods where they caught sight of Omega. Quinn pulled him into a hug and he looked sheepishly at them both.

“Don’t look at us like that Omega, you already know what we will say to you. But you’re here now,” Zephyr said to him.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

They walked in silence through the woods for a while, following the well trodden path. It was nice to just walk and appreciate the summer evening and the peace that came with being in the company of other quintessence ghouls.

“This is our fault,” Quinn said. “We knew what Alpha was like, but you hid it pretty well. You’re more powerful than you give yourself credit for. We should have guessed it had gotten this bad when you skipped these little walks. We just thought you were busy what with all the stuff with the band.”

“I didn’t want to admit defeat. I knew you guys would have told me to stop, but I wasn’t ready to give up on him,” Omega answered sadly.

“It’s been a long time since I had to use that much energy on a ghoul. It’s always the fire ghouls when it happens though. When they let go, they don’t hold anything back,” Quinn said.

Zephyr nodded in agreement with him.

“I’ve only ever seen it get to that stage once. It was many years ago, before I was summoned here. It was a kindness when they finally ended it.”

Quinn put his arm around Omega’s shoulders as they walked, he didn’t think that he’d ever felt Omega as low as this. He gave his all in his duties to Terzo but apparently he’d been giving more of himself to Alpha to try and keep his pack mate and best friend out of trouble.

They reached the edge of the woods and came out near the herb gardens. All three of them stopped walking as a figure emerged from the darkness wielding a flashlight. Quinn frowned for a second because he didn’t recognise this human female at all. His first instinct was that there was a threat, his instincts were making him feel uneasy, but then he realised who she must be; the new Clergy witch who had transferred from England as an apprentice to Anya. This was the first time he’d come across her. His eyes widened when he saw her clearly though and he felt them glowing.

He’d seen her before in one of his visions.

He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. The dark haired, blue eyed witch from the fuzzy vision he’d had many years back. The feeling of dread intensified and it took him a minute to compose himself.

“Oh, hi. Sorry, you made me jump,” she said.

Nobody said anything so Quinn broke the tension.

“Quintessence club,” he said, gesturing between the three of them and smirking.

Omega laughed nervously and Quinn noticed what he should have seen first if he hadn’t been so distracted with recognising the witch. Her and Omega were so tightly bound by destiny that he struggled to tear his eyes away from them and follow the conversation that was now happening around them. Seren. Omega had just called her Seren.

“Nice to meet you all. There are so many more ghouls here than we had at our Abbey. Sorry, it will take me a while to learn everyone’s names,” she said in Ghoulish and it caught Quinn off guard. It wasn’t often that a human could speak their language and despite that bad feeling that was somehow linked to her, Quinn decided that he liked her. He could feel the surprise of the others at her display and she smiled at them, clearly noticing their reaction. “Languages are my second love. I studied Ghoulish from a young age in England. My mum was a Clergy witch at our Abbey.”

Quinn continued staring at her, he couldn’t help it. There was something not right about her. He sensed her soul was pure, he knew she was a good person but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was going to be central to the death and the destruction that Quinn knew was coming. As usual, the ether had given him glimpses and intuitions and zero tools to stop anything. He said a mental fuck you to the universe once again before he realised that Zephyr was trying to get his attention.

“Anyway, Quinn? I need you to come and show me that thing you mentioned earlier,” Zephyr said.

Quinn frowned at the older ghoul. He had no clue what he meant. He looked between Omega and Seren though and it suddenly dawned on him. Zephyr was trying to give them some privacy and Quinn would have realised if he hadn’t been so distracted.

“Oh right, sure. Let’s go. See you soon Omega. Make sure you call one of us if you need us okay? We’ll do all we can to help.”

Omega nodded but Quinn sensed his nervousness at being left alone with her. He and Seren had that spark and Quinn knew for certain that their relationship would be a definite, not a possibility. He was happy for Omega but he just wished he knew what was to come.

He and Zephyr left them to it and headed back to the Abbey. It was late now and he could feel himself wanting to sleep after their recharge. He always felt sleepy when they’d had their sessions. He just hoped that he would actually be able to rest tonight but he wasn’t going to bank on it.

Quinn said his goodbyes to Zephyr and went back to the lair. He thought he was going to make it to his room, everywhere was silent. But then the door to Earth’s room opened and he cursed under his breath. Earth stood there and quirked a brow at him.

“Welcome home sweet cheeks. It’s late, are you coming to bed?”

Quinn glared at him and Earth stepped aside.

“I thought you’d forgotten.”

“Oh, I never forget. Get in here.”

He was too tired to argue so he obeyed. He took off his boots and went to use the bathroom. Fucking Earth. Treating him like he was a kit.

By the time he was done and he’d stepped back into Earth’s room, the ghoul had pulled back the sheets from his bed. He pointed for Quinn to get in and he only growled a little bit before he did as he was told. He hated when Earth used their pack bond to wield his authority like this. That and the stone cold logic that Quinn needed to rest and Earth could calm him enough to help him.

“Are you not even going to buy me dinner first, Earth?” he snarked as he curled up on his side with his back to the middle of the bed.

The massive ghoul climbed on with him and turned out the light. He scooted closer and spooned into the back of him, draping a strong arm over his waist and pulling him closer. He felt Earth’s breath tickling the back of his neck and he shivered.

“You’re the easiest lay I ever had, Quinn. I didn’t think there was any point.”

He snorted and closed his eyes.

“Fuck off, Earth,” he muttered as he gave in to his exhaustion.

Chapter Text

3.13am. Again. Quinn startled awake.

“What the fuck was that?” Earth rumbled from behind him.

Quinn rolled onto his back and turned his head to the side, focusing on Earth’s green stare glowing down at him in the darkness.

“What? Bad dream maybe?”

He yawned and stretched out.

“No. It sounded like a spell.”

“What?” Quinn said, confused.

“You were mumbling something. It sounded like Infernal. It didn’t take though. Can’t you smell that?”

Quinn scented and frowned, sitting up in Earth’s bed. He was right, that tang of ozone, the smell of magic. Fuck.

“Magic,” Quinn murmured.

“What’s going on with you? Is this some seer thing? It doesn’t seem to have happened before.” Quinn opened his mouth to speak but Earth talked over him. “Don’t bullshit me either. Is this why you’ve been avoiding us?”

Quinn turned his face away but Earth grabbed it and moved it to face him again.

“I don’t know. I’ve told Secondo all I know. Something big is brewing but there isn’t anything I can work with. I haven’t been sleeping properly. I didn’t want it to affect the others.”

Earth rumbled a dissatisfied growl and let go of Quinn’s cheek.

“So you figured you’d just cut yourself off and suffer alone without telling anyone? Good move, Quinn. How long has this been happening for?”

“The not sleeping? A few weeks.”

Earth shook his head.

“No, the magic.”

“Oh. I have no idea. But I’ve been waking up at this time for about a week now.” Quinn could see Earth frowning in the darkness. The only light in the room was cast by the red numbers on the bedside alarm clock. Quinn glanced at it. “3.13am. Every time.”

“Does Secondo know about this?” Quinn shook his head. “Damnit, Quinn. First thing tomorrow we are taking this to him. He’s going to be pissed.”

“I didn’t think it was worth mentioning.”

Quinn could feel Earth trying not to lose his patience and he knew that he was right but he had hoped it was just a coincidence and tried to ignore it.

“Go back to sleep.”

“What? I can’t now, this is what happens every time. I wake up and that's it. Can't sleep again.”

Earth's hand strayed to the mark on his hip that had started to itch again, not that he’d realised until claws skimmed over it and it felt better than usual.

“We can discuss this with Secondo tomorrow.” Earth turned Quinn onto his side again, resuming their original position as he pulled him closer. He didn’t want to admit it felt nice to be like this, it felt safe and it was comforting to him. Earth was the strength of their pack and he let himself lean into it; he shouldn’t have shut them out, he knew it was wrong but it was how he'd handled these kinds of things for centuries and that habit was hard to break. Earth’s chin rested on Quinn’s shoulder and his low voice spoke straight into his ear. “Go. To. Sleep.”

Quinn felt the power in the words and he cursed Earth once again for his skill at manipulating the bond they shared with Secondo. If he needed to he could tap into Secondo’s powers of sorcery. It was one of the reasons he’d been chosen by Secondo because they complemented each other so well. He was their pack leader unofficially but there was a reason for it. He didn’t often wield Secondo’s authority like this though and Quinn begrudged him it as he felt his eyelids growing heavy with the weight of the magic in the words.

He heard himself growl and Earth chuckled behind him.

The next time Quinn woke it was morning. He squirmed as a large hand squeezed his hip right where the demon brand was.

“Sleep well, Princess?” Earth rumbled out, amusement evident in his voice. Earth knew about the brand and how it affected him.

“Fuck off, Earth,” he growled.

The earth ghoul laughed and let him go.

“Definitely not a morning person, are you?”

Quinn glared at him and got up.

“Are you happy now? You’ve made me sleep. Am I free to leave?” he said sarcastically.

Earth gave him a half smile.

“You wound me, Quinn. Leaving so soon?” Earth said, feigning hurt.

Quinn rolled his eyes and grabbed his boots.

“Afraid so. Better get this walk of shame over with.”

Earth laughed and sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

“Air’s on breakfast duty. I suggest you go and find him. You can stay here again tonight. You need to catch up on lost sleep. We’ll go and see Secondo when you’ve eaten.”

He put that command into his voice and Quinn gave him the finger on his way out, slamming the door behind him. He walked along the corridor but didn’t make it far before Air’s door opened and he grabbed a hold of Quinn’s arm, pulling him into his room.

The door closed behind him and Air pushed him up against the wall, spearing his fingers through his hair. Quinn smiled and Air kissed him, growling into it and pressing him up against the wall. Quinn responded, his hands skimmed down Air’s back and gripped the globes of his ass, pulling him closer. He broke the kiss and put his forehead to Quinn’s.

“Are you hungry?”

“Did you make me breakfast?” Quinn smirked and Air nipped his bottom lip.

“Not yet. But I will. I told you I got something for you though, remember?”

His eyes glowed purple and he stepped away from Quinn, peeling his shirt off and throwing it down onto the floor. He took another step back and Quinn watched as he undid the top button of his jeans, slowly.

“I do recall you mentioning something...”

He felt his own eyes glowing as Air’s smooth skin was revealed inch by inch and he licked his lips.

“Well, you’ve been so preoccupied lately that I thought I would wait to show it to you. But you know me, I’m impatient...”

He hooked his thumbs under the waistband and pulled the jeans lower, letting them drop to the ground before stepping out of them. A growl escaped Quinn’s throat when he noticed the tattoo that hadn’t been there the last time he’d seen Air naked. Just inside his hipbone, in the same spot as Quinn’s demon brand, was the symbol for quintessence.

Quinn met Air’s eyes and he stalked towards him, putting a possessive hand around the base of his throat. Air grinned at him.

“Earth’s work I presume?”

Air nodded slowly.

“You like?”

Quinn leaned in and bit Air’s earlobe.

“What do you think?” he whispered.

Air whimpered and he shivered. His pupils dilated and Quinn growled, dragging a claw over the design.

“I thought you would.”

“Bathroom. Turn the shower on,” Quinn barked out as he let go of Air’s throat.

The other ghoul didn’t hesitate, he turned around and went and did as Quinn had told him. Quinn stripped as he followed and they stepped into the stall. Air stood with his back to the tile and Quinn raked his gaze down over his torso, all the way down until he took in the tattoo again. He felt that same pang of satisfaction that he’d gotten from seeing his bite mark on Air’s neck.

Quinn ran his fingers over it again as he leant in and sucked the skin of Air’s neck where he often left his mark. The last one had almost faded to nothing now, just a faint pink semi circle that was barely visible was all that remained of it. His fangs nicked the skin and Air groaned. Quinn grabbed his hips and spun him around so that he was facing the tile. He took Air’s earlobe between his teeth again and bit down firmly, not quite hard enough to break the skin. His hand strayed down again and came to rest over the mark.

“Who do you belong to?” he growled into Air’s ear and gripped his hip, his claws digging into the skin. “Whose mark is that?”

Air gasped as Quinn nudged his knees further apart and pushed his way in. He reined himself in but he knew that Air had been ready for him, he could smell the slick already.

“Oh, fuuuck,” Air breathed out as Quinn bottomed out, slowly because he wanted to make this last.

“Whose?”

“Yours Quinn. Your mark,” he panted. Quinn licked his way up the side of Air’s neck, tilting his head to the side. He swivelled his hips in a slow circle and Air twitched around him. “Always yours.”

“That’s right. Mine,” Quinn said as he ground his hips again.

He carried on with the agonisingly slow pace, he knew the exact spot that made Air melt and he dragged it out. Air’s head hung back on his shoulder and Quinn’s hand closed around his throat.

“Please. Please...” Air whispered.

Quinn dropped his other hand and ran his fingers over Air’s taint. His knees buckled and Quinn smiled against the skin of his neck.

“What do you need?”

Air swallowed against Quinn’s hold on his throat. He struggled but Quinn didn’t let go.

“I need... Please... Harder.”

Quinn nipped the tendon of his neck hard enough to bruise and Air whimpered. He tightened his hold on Air’s throat and carried on with the maddeningly slow circles.

“I don’t think so Air, not yet. I think that I want to take this slowly.”

Air whined and pushed himself back, trying to force what he wanted. Quinn smiled and tightened his grip again while he moved his fingers from Air’s taint and wrapped them around his cock instead.

“Please,” Air whined.

Quinn snarled and stilled behind him, forcing his breathing to slow. He could already feel his balls crawling up ready to let go. Just the thought of his mark on Air’s skin permanently, him so vulnerable with Quinn’s hand wrapped around his throat and the feel of the air ghoul so tight and needy around his cock had him ready to explode and he needed to get a grip.

Air was struggling for breath now and Quinn felt him clamp down and flutter around him as the buzzing in his head from the lack of oxygen must have become too much. He kept an eye on him to make sure he wasn’t going to pass out; he knew exactly when he should let go, could feel the threat of unconsciousness rapidly closing in on him. Quinn could pinpoint the exact moment with unerring accuracy and he pushed it to the limit. He rolled his hips again, dragging himself over Air’s sweet spot and closing his eyes as the other ghoul gave it up. His lips parted and Quinn felt his throat working under his fingers, trying and failing to breathe.

Quinn let go of him and Air gasped, leaning back against him and heaving the steamy air into his lungs. Quinn let the pleasure roll over him. The feel of the air ghoul spasming on his cock pushed him over the edge and he snarled out a string of Ghoulish curses into Air’s ear as he filled him with his seed. He gave Air’s cock a final few strokes and he lost it again, ropes of cum hitting the tile of the shower stall.

Air’s hand snaked around the back of Quinn’s neck and he pulled him closer.

“Fuck, Quinn. Fuck!”

Quinn kissed the back of his neck, pulled out and spun him around to face him. Blue eyes met purple as they stood under the spray. Air blinked the water from his eyes and grinned.

“So you approve of the tattoo then?” Air said as his claws found Quinn’s demon brand, circling it and making him shudder.

Quinn rubbed their noses together.

“Very much so.”

Air stepped away from him, switched off the water and sighed.

“Get dressed, you need to eat. Earth will be vexed if you don’t get your breakfast.”

“Fucking Earth, ruining my day yet again,” Quinn growled out.

Air chuckled and pushed him out of the stall, grabbing him a towel and throwing it at him.

“Hangry, huh? Poor thing. We’ll soon sort that out.”

Quinn realised that he hadn’t had any visions since Air dragged him into his room and he smiled. Air noticed the change in him immediately. He gave him a questioning look.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. We’ve known each other too long for thank you’s, Quinn.”

“I mean for distracting me. I felt normal just then for the first time in weeks.”

“Wow. Okay.” Air looked thoughtful and a devious smile lit up his eyes. “I’ll just have to keep on distracting you then...”

Chapter Text

Quinn and Earth sat back and watched as Air finished off the mountain of food he’d prepared them for breakfast. Quinn had been the first one to give up, then Earth.

“Where do you put it all, little one?” Earth said, amused.

Air shrugged.

“High metabolism. I burn a lot of calories.”

“I know. I heard you earlier.”

Quinn choked on the mouthful of coffee he’d just taken.

“Fuck off, Earth. Just because you aren’t getting any right now," Air said with scorn.

The big ghoul scowled and got up from the table, taking his plates to the dishwasher.

“Zoe’s back next week. Maybe I’ll invite her over.”

Air made a gagging noise and Quinn laughed.

“I’ll make sure Secondo puts me on the night shifts all week.” He shuddered. “Or maybe I’ll move in with you, Quinn. You had the right idea picking the room furthest from Earth’s.”

Earth turned around and folded his arms, quirking an eyebrow at the air ghoul.

“You think it’s fun for me hearing you two through these paper thin walls? If I have to hear you beg one more time Air, I swear I’m going to come in there and finish you off myself.”

Quinn downed the rest of his coffee and stood. If he wasn’t so tired he would have joined in with their banter but he didn’t have the energy despite the forced rest he’d had last night.

“Are we getting this over with then?” he said to Earth. Air looked at him questioningly. “Secondo.”

Air nodded and carried on eating.

“Sure. Let’s go,” Earth said as he walked towards the door.

Quinn raised a hand in goodbye to Air and they headed towards Secondo’s study.

“I need to go and check on Alpha when we’re done. I think Zephyr was struggling yesterday too. This has hit us at the worst possible time. Zephyr has been so tired lately anyway and now this.”

Earth knew what he meant. Zephyr had already passed the average age that ghouls usually reached before they died of natural causes. Quinn worried for his mentor more and more and he had to stop himself from thinking the worst when it came to the bad feeling that still hung over him like a dark cloud.

“That fire ghoul has not done himself any favours. He’s always been a problem. I have no idea what possessed Terzo to summon him. How did he even get past the Council’s assessments?”

Quinn frowned.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Fire. He isn’t that bad.”

Earth snorted.

“Seriously? Are we talking about the same ghoul? I don’t think there is anyone here who he hasn’t picked a fight with at some point, or who hasn’t wanted to punch him.”

Quinn thought about it and smirked.

“Okay, maybe you’re right. Still, when he eventually came down from his rage he felt genuine horror over what happened. He’s usually very protective towards Terzo and his pack.”

“You’re too soft, Quinn. You’re speaking with your quintessence. If that was Fire it wouldn’t have been allowed to get this far. I’d have ended him myself.”

Earth’s words really surprised Quinn. Fire and Earth were close friends beyond being pack brothers.

“I think if it actually came down to it you would have a different viewpoint, Earth. Unless you’re going through it, you can’t really judge.”

Earth stayed silent, clearly not wanting to delve any further into it. They eventually made it to Secondo’s, knocked and entered. Fire was on duty with Secondo but Earth was taking over the day shift. Secondo smiled up at them and looked Quinn up and down with shrewd eyes.

“You managed to get some rest then, si?” he commented.

Quinn slid his eyes to Earth and he could feel the smugness coming from the other ghoul.

“I did.”

“Something happened though,” Earth said and Secondo moved his attention to him.

“Oh? Are you two trying to tell me something, Earth?” Secondo said playfully.

Quinn smiled, it wasn’t often that they saw this side to Secondo but he could be absolutely wicked when the mood struck him.

“I wouldn’t hold your breath for any kind of bonding announcement,” Earth said sarcastically.

Secondo’s eyes widened and snapped to Quinn who had rumbled out a growl. Earth was so lucky today that he was too tired to get into anything with him. He should know better than to goad him right now, even if it was only in jest. Quinn would bide his time and get him back for that comment. Zoe was Earth’s Achilles heel now and he was so easy to rile up when it came to her. Quinn often took full advantage of it.

The two of them had bonded but Zoe still lived and worked outside of the Abbey. It infuriated Earth that she wasn’t with him and under his protection 24/7 and their pack often used that to press his buttons when he was being particularly difficult with them. There had been times when Zoe had joined them in ganging up on him when he was acting unreasonably and Quinn always thought of those memories fondly. A particular favourite was when Zoe had caught Earth giving Quinn a hard time for no particular reason and had ripped him a new one in front of the others. The result of this had been Earth storming off to his room and Zoe curling up on the sofa with the rest of them to watch a movie in their living room. This had provided them with months and months of ammunition to use against him.

“So are you going to enlighten me as to what happened, ghouls?”

Quinn sighed.

“I may have forgotten to mention that I’ve been waking up at the exact same time for the last few nights.”

“For the last week,” Earth corrected.

“Go on...” Secondo prompted.

“3.13am. Without fail.”

“There is magic involved. Last night he was mumbling something in his sleep, it woke me up. It was Infernal.” Secondo scowled but didn’t say anything yet. “I smelled the magic and then he gasped himself awake.”

Secondo thought on it for a minute.

“So it is safe to presume that the same thing has happened when he’s been on his own.” Earth nodded. “So the two of you will stay with me tonight and we will see what’s what and try to figure this out.”

Quinn gave an exaggerated sigh and Secondo smirked at him.

“You hear that, Quinn? Sleepover at Secondo’s. You can braid my hair for me. I’ve always liked the way you do it,” Earth said.

Great.

Quinn left with Fire.

“How’s Alpha?” Fire asked gruffly.

“Not good. When I left yesterday he was sleeping. Secondo wants him drugged but Zephyr said no. I’m going to go and check in on him now.”

Fire shook his head sadly.

“This happened to an uncle of mine. He killed his mate in a rage and the Council sent him to the Pit. It happened all of a sudden over the course of a couple of days, no warning before that. He didn’t have access to any quintessence.”

Quinn sent him soothing energy and he smiled his thanks.

“It’s difficult. For everyone. Omega is suffering especially. The recharge will have helped him yesterday, but it isn’t enough.”

“I hope it doesn’t end the way it looks like it will, I don’t like Alpha but I wouldn’t wish that on him. I’ve never heard of a fire ghoul coming back from this though. There’s a reason the Pit is known for being fiery, we keep it well stocked,” he said with a humourless laugh.

Quinn clapped him on the shoulder. Fire was very level headed for a fire ghoul. He loved life and fun and his fire came out that way rather than a fiery temper. He was more akin to an earth ghoul which was probably why he and Earth got on so well. Even though he and Alpha didn’t get on though, they were still kin.

“I will do everything I can to stop it coming to that.”

He said the words but all the while the image of Alpha on his knees, begging Terzo not to send him to the Pit crossed his mind and his heart broke.

Fire went back to the lair and Quinn headed downstairs to the cells in the basement where Alpha was being held. The ether was back and he growled in frustration, he didn’t need this right now, his head was fuzzy enough from being so tired.

Vukan was guarding the entrance and he offered Quinn a weary smile. This was taking its toll on them all it seemed.

“Quinn. Are you well?”

“Yes, thank you. Is Zephyr in there?”

Vukan nodded.

“Alpha seems calm enough now, I haven’t heard anything but talking for a while.”

Quinn nodded and smiled.

“I just thought I’d see how he was doing.”

Vukan opened up the way and Quinn made his way to the cell where Alpha was being kept. Everything looked calm on the surface but he frowned.

Zephyr sat on the bed with Alpha’s head rested on his shoulder. He could see the stream of magic that Zephyr was sending to the younger ghoul, and on the surface it looked like it was working.

He stepped inside the cell and Alpha’s eyes opened. They glowed with orange flames and Quinn narrowed his eyes.

“Hey Alpha, how’s things?”

Zephyr looked over and smiled but that soon turned into a frown when he saw Quinn’s expression. He carefully stood and walked towards him.

Alpha hadn’t answered, he still had his fiery stare trained on Quinn. The quintessence magic seemed to be sliding off him. Usually it was absorbed and worked to calm them but something wasn’t right.

“You need a break Zephyr. Could you tell Secondo to come down? I’ve got him. Go and get yourself something to eat.”

He could feel Zephyr’s exhaustion and usually he would have resisted but thankfully he nodded.

“Thank you, Quinn. Can I get you something from the canteen?”

Quinn glanced at him and smiled.

“Just a coffee would be good. Thanks.” The old ghoul left and Quinn closed the door behind him, not taking his eyes off Alpha. “Can I sit with you Alpha?”

The other ghoul nodded slowly, his eyes tracking every slow and deliberate move that Quinn was making. He sat on the bed beside Alpha and slowly moved his hand towards his face.

“What are you doing?” Alpha whispered.

His voice sounded strained and Quinn paused his movement.

“I was going to put my hand on your forehead to see if I can make you feel better. Is that okay?”

Alpha scowled and then nodded. Quinn reached out again but Alpha quickly stood up and started pacing. Fuck.

“No. I... Just don’t touch me, Quinn.”

“Okay. Look, I’ll keep my distance.”

Quinn stood up slowly and put his hands where Alpha could see them. The fire ghoul didn’t feel like himself at all and Quinn could feel his volatile emotions. He was trying to contain the fire that threatened to consume him but he had almost reached his breaking point. Quinn slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket and fired off a quick text to Secondo. Alpha eyed him suspiciously.

“What was that?”

He nodded towards the phone.

“I forgot to tell Zephyr no sugar in my coffee. He put it in last time.”

Alpha narrowed his eyes and growled a low growl.

It all happened so fast, Quinn tried to send Alpha a wave of quintessence to knock him out but he managed to fight it. He screamed a frustrated scream and punched the wall. The brick of the cell cracked with the impact and Quinn smelled blood as the skin of the fire ghoul’s knuckles split.

Quinn could tell it had taken the last shred of Alpha’s control to direct that punch away from him and to the wall and he wasted no time. He jumped the ghoul and tackled him to the ground. Alpha fought, he was strong and he was quick but Quinn soon had him pinned to the ground. He tried again to send him calming energy but it did no good.

The cell door burst open and Secondo rushed in, uncapped the syringe he was holding and injected Alpha with the sedative Quinn had asked him to bring. The ghoul went limp beneath him and he gave it a few moments for it to fully work before he got up.

“Are you okay?” Secondo asked.

“Yes. Thank you.” Quinn picked Alpha up and put him on the bed. He wasn’t unconscious but he was out of it for now. “I can stay with him a while. The quintessence should work now that he won’t try and fight it. Zephyr needs to rest.”

Secondo scowled.

“So do you, Quinn.”

“I can rest later. Omega is burnt out, Zephyr is burning himself out. I’m the last ghoul standing for now. I’ll be fine.”

Secondo nodded but Quinn could tell he wasn’t happy.

“Then I will stay with you. You are still not yourself and until we know what’s going on with him, you shouldn’t be left alone.”

Quinn nodded and Secondo wandered into the corridor to find a first aid kit to treat Alpha’s injured hand.

Chapter Text

Secondo and Quinn left Alpha’s cell when they were satisfied that he was subdued enough. The sedative was still in effect and Quinn had sent him a large dose of quintessence to top it up. Omega had brought him some lunch but they didn’t think he’d be in any fit state to eat it. It pained Quinn to see him that way. He didn’t know Alpha that well, but Omega and he were like brothers and Quinn cared for the other quintessence ghoul a lot. This whole thing had made Omega miserable.

“Something isn’t right with him. If he was lost to his fire wouldn’t he be raging the whole time? He seems to snap out of it every now and then,” Quinn said to Secondo as they walked back to his study.

“Si, it does seem strange. Every ghoul differs though. Maybe it’s because he’s had Omega propping him up, maybe it has changed the process.”

That was plausible, Quinn thought.

“Maybe. It doesn’t look good for him though, does it?”

Secondo shook his head sadly and sighed.

“These are the kinds of decisions that I’m glad I no longer have to make.” Quinn sent Secondo some quintessence and he smiled in thanks. “What are you doing with your day today, Quinn?”

He hadn’t planned on much really but he did need to occupy himself somehow.

“I might go and restock my supplies at the apothecary. Do some reading. That kind of thing.”

“You know where I am if you need me, si? Do not worry. We will get to the bottom of what is happening with you.”

Quinn managed to stop his sarcastic reply, he didn’t want to disrespect Secondo but there wasn’t really anything that he could do until whatever was going to happen had happened. He sent him a mental thank you instead.

They parted ways and Quinn went back to the lair. It was almost lunchtime so whichever ghoul was on babysitting duty would be making him something. Air was on guard duty now in the basement cells and Earth was with Secondo, so that left Fire or Water. Before he even opened the door to the lair he smelled cooking and he knew that it must be Fire’s turn to force him to eat. Whatever was cooking smelled fantastic though, so he would be sure to keep his complaining to a minimum.

Fire smiled when he appeared in the kitchen and pointed to the table with his spatula for Quinn to sit. Water was there too, sitting on the counter top and watching his mate work.

“What happened?” Water asked him.

News travelled fast amongst their pack so it didn’t surprise him that they already knew something had gone down.

“Alpha lost it again. Sort of. We had to drug him. The quintessence wasn’t working.”

Fire frowned and made a humph noise, continuing his cooking and Water rubbed his shoulder. He was making Spanish omelette, one of Quinn’s favourites.

Fire plated up their food and sat opposite, with Water next to him.

“I feel for the others. They are going to be devastated by this. It doesn’t seem like there’s any other option than to let him go,” Fire said.

Quinn sighed.

“It’s looking that way. It’s all just so unfair.”

Fire nodded as he ate a mouthful of food. Quinn ate his slowly and pushed the omelette around his plate. His guts were still churning and although the meal tasted good, it was difficult for him to eat it. Fire noticed and frowned.

“My cooking not good enough for you now?”

Quinn gave him a half smile.

“It’s great, you know I love your food. I just can’t shake this sick feeling of dread though.”

Water gave him a sympathetic look.

“At least you’ve eaten something though. Our work here is done. You know we are here for you. Whatever happens we will get you through it.”

Quinn put his cutlery down and realised he’d barely eaten half of what Fire had given him, but he couldn’t manage any more.

“I’m sorry. Usually I would've asked for seconds, but I just can’t eat anything else.”

Fire nodded and took his plate away and Water walked around the table and pulled him into a hug.

“Its okay Quinn, we understand. What are you doing now? Do you want some company? I’ve got a painting I wanted to finish up but you’re welcome to sit with me?”

Quinn was about to refuse but then he realised he should make an effort to be with his pack. He’d been avoiding them again like he had done in the early days and he knew that he shouldn’t've.

“Sure, I’ll go and grab my book. I was just going to catch up on some reading in my room.”

Water was easy to be around and he didn’t demand conversation constantly, so he could paint while Quinn read. Fire was heading to bed as he’d been on duty all night.

“Okay, just come in when you’re ready then.”

He went and grabbed two of the books that he’d been reading and then let himself into Fire and Water’s room. It was always relaxing in here, decorated with a few of Water’s paintings; seascapes from Earth and a couple of landscapes from their hell dimension. The whole place felt light and fresh and his mood lifted instantly.

Water was getting his supplies ready and Fire was almost asleep already on the large bed. Quinn curled up on the sofa and opened the book on astral projection, scratching his hip absentmindedly. He read for a little while but he could feel his eyelids growing heavy.

Quinn came awake to a wet nose nudging his face. He hissed when he opened his eyes and he wished that he hadn’t. His head was splitting and he groaned. The nose nuzzled him again and his hand reached out and found the dense fur of what he realised was Andras’ black hellhound. The hound lay down next to his prone form and he curled himself into it. The warmth from the familiar was welcome and a sob escaped him when he realised where he was; the cave where the fire and pathos demons had left him to die after forcing visions from him.

Quinn had no idea how long he’d lain there for but judging by his parched throat and the overall feeling of weakness it had been a few days. If Convel was here then Andras wouldn’t be far. The hound must have tracked him down. Quinn felt that double edged sword of emotion at the prospect of being saved; his survival instinct’s relief that he had been found, and the bitterness that he wasn’t dead already.

A flutter of wings echoed throughout the cave and he sighed. Andras was here. He didn’t dare open his eyes again in fear of the stab of pain that would add to the already skull splitting headache that he had, but he sensed Andras’ concern and his relief at having found his pet.

He gathered Quinn into his arms and stood, stroking the sweat soaked hair from his forehead and placing a kiss there. Quinn let the calm from the fallen angel wash over him.

“We thought you were lost to us. I would never have forgiven myself if we were too late finding you,” he whispered, his voice breaking.

He laid his palm across Quinn’s forehead causing him to whimper. The healing energy was so welcome and he sagged into Andras’ hold.

Quinn didn’t remember getting back to the fortress but he woke up in the furs on Andras’ bed with a warm body behind him and a hand draped over his hip, stroking his brand softly. His head still ached but it was bearable now and when he opened his eyes it wasn’t too bad. Andras nuzzled the back of his neck and pulled him closer. Just being in his presence was soothing and Quinn sighed contentedly, feeling safe for the first time since the battle where he had fallen.

“My trackers are on the trail of the filth who took you. They assure me that within days I will have them here. They will regret ever touching that which is mine.”

Quinn shivered at the malevolence in Andras’ voice and in that moment he was very glad that he wasn’t on his bad side. He had seen the kinds of things that Andras did to those who betrayed him. He made sure to make a spectacle of it and it was never, ever fun to watch.

The trackers would find them, he had no doubt. Andras had a team of skilled demons and a pack of hellhounds at his disposal. They were the best of the best and could find anything or anyone that they were put onto the trail of. He almost felt sorry for their prey, until a residual vision stabbed at his brain and he winced. He felt Andras’ anger but at least the vision was useful. It detailed where the demons they searched for could be found.

Andras petted his stomach and nibbled on the exposed skin of his shoulder. He felt the magic as the fallen angel-turned-demon sent off a message to the trackers telling them where they should look. From the vision they’d made it pretty far; into another realm in fact. It made no difference though. Some of the trackers could use portals the same way Andras could. The demons should have known this. They were confident they’d be far enough away by the time Andras discovered what they’d done, and they’d been wrong.

Quinn turned his head to face Andras.

“I didn’t think anyone would find me. I thought that was it for me.”

“Hoped you mean,” Andras said with a smirk. “You cannot get away from me that easily, prophet. You still have a century left to serve me. After that you can do as you please. It would be a shame to waste the life I have gifted to you.” Quinn closed his eyes as he was yet again torn between wanting to end this miserable existence and reunite with his ghulehs, but also hoping to try and make amends for his past sins. There must be a reason why he was the way he was. The visions had a purpose, surely? Otherwise, what was the point? Andras heard his musings and he stroked Quinn’s cheek tenderly. “Have I not made you happy? You took your revenge and I’ve done everything in my power to please you. Was it not enough for you?”

Quinn was grateful to Andras and he knew it, but he couldn’t say that he was happy. Happiness was a foreign concept to him now. Andras forced him to look at him, raising a brow, expecting an answer.

“You have been good to me, Andras. Truly.”

Andras' golden eyes glowed and Quinn could feel him poking around inside his brain. He was used to the feeling now, he had no secrets from Andras but he couldn’t help the way that he felt.

“But it was not good enough,” he snarled.

Quinn sighed and rubbed his hand down his face.

“I cannot pretend to be happy. I can’t make myself feel happiness.”

“I should not have left so much of that free will with you when I bonded you. Who knew that you would be so stubborn,” he growled out, and then chuckled. “Although I did know how stubborn you were, didn’t I? I thought the bond would temper that but apparently not.”

Andras clearly did not understand how happiness worked, Quinn wasn’t choosing not to be happy. Or was he?

“How can I be happy? I have nothing left.”

Andras didn’t like that, it seemed.

“You have me! I’ve given you everything, and this is what I get as thanks. Defiance.” He shoved Quinn and stood up. “Are you well enough to get up yet?”

Quinn frowned and tried to sit up carefully. His head protested but he managed it.

“Yes,” he gritted out.

“Good. Then you can make your own way back to your rooms.”

He stalked out and slammed the door behind him. Shit. Why did he have to go and piss off Andras like that?

Quinn managed to stand and he took deep breaths as the blood rushed to his head, making him feel like he was going to pass out. He slowly made his way along the corridors of the fortress, clinging onto the wall on his way back to his rooms. He had to stop several times to steady himself but he eventually made it, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Something dripped onto the floor and as he looked down he saw a drop of blood. His nose was bleeding. He swiped the back of his wrist across it and cursed.

Quinn’s consciousness failed him just then, his knees gave out and he fell to the floor completely oblivious that he’d hit his head on the way down.

He started awake and it took him a few moments to realise that he was on the sofa in Fire and Water’s room. The water ghoul looked over, concerned.

“Everything okay?”

Quinn stretched and nodded.

“Yup. Must’ve fallen asleep.”

He felt uneasy, not sure why he was dreaming of that particular memory. He had woken up on the stone floor of his room many hours later and had to tend to himself. He’d barely managed to make it to his bed before he passed out again.

Andras hadn’t sought him out for a couple of weeks after that. Quinn had eventually given in to the guilt he’d felt and gone to apologise. He frowned when he thought back on it now. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but at the time he’d felt as though he had let Andras down and had been keen to make amends by any means necessary.

It seemed that any time he thought of Andras lately, his demon’s mark began to itch or tingle and right now it was burning. He rubbed it but it only made the feeling worse.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look right. You’re kind of fidgety.”

“Positive. I need some fresh air I think. Thanks for having me but I think I’ll go for a wander.”

Water regarded him for a minute but eventually shrugged.

“Just call if you need one of us. Let us know what’s happening, yes? We can’t help you if we don’t know what’s going on.”

Quinn smiled and nodded.

“Thanks, Water. I will.”

Water snorted a laugh.

“We both know that’s a lie, but the offer is there anyway.”

Quinn left and went to put his books back in his room. He lit the candle on his altar and knelt down before it, intending to pray for a while before he went to find Zephyr to go and walk in the woods.

His knees had barely touched the ground before the vision hit him full force and his eyes rolled back in his head as he lost himself to it.

Chapter Text

Zephyr was sitting on a bench enjoying the afternoon sun in the gardens when Quinn managed to catch up with him. The old ghoul smiled when he realised Quinn was there. He went to stand but Quinn motioned for him to stay where he was.

“Zephyr, sit. How are you?”

He sat down next to him and put an arm around his thin shoulders.

“As well as I have been lately, thank you.” Quinn smiled but it made him sad that Zephyr’s health was starting to go downhill quickly now. The vision he’d just had as he knelt down to pray had been fuzzy but the gist of it was that Zephyr did not have a lot of time left. Quinn had known that already, they all had, but the vision narrowed it down to days rather than months now and his heart was breaking. Astute as he still was though, the older ghoul picked up on it. “Don’t feel sad for me, Quinn. I’ve had a good life and I’m looking forward to what comes next, to serve our Dark Lord and to be with Rosie again.”

Quinn felt a stab of pain when he thought of life at the Abbey without Zephyr. He’d been a constant for him since his summoning and he’d helped him in ways that he wouldn’t have even been able to contemplate before they’d met. Quinn didn’t even mourn his own sire, who was surely dead by centuries now, yet he was already mourning Zephyr who was still with him.

“I know Zephyr, but yet again time is not our friend.”

Zephyr laughed and nudged him in the ribs with his elbow playfully.

“Not mine, but time seems to love you. You don’t look a day over four hundred seasons.” He chuckled.

Quinn found himself smiling again and he sighed.

“I dreamed of Andras again just now.”

“Oh? Again?”

Quinn had told Zephyr about the dreams he’d been having lately. He hadn’t gone into graphic detail because some of them were not for the faint of heart but he’d got the general idea. Andras had featured in many of them.

“There has to be a reason but I’m damned if I know what it is. Why all of a sudden?”

Zephyr thought on it for a moment.

“Well the ether has been very active lately so maybe it has opened up the pathways again. It could be as simple as that.”

Quinn wasn’t sure about that.

“Hmmm. Maybe.”

Zephyr leaned into him and then slowly stood.

“Shall we walk for a while? I feel myself seizing up.”

Quinn sent a strong wave of healing quintessence to Zephyr and he stretched and groaned.

“Oh, my old bones thank you for that old friend.”

They walked through the woods, the heat from the summer sun was nice but the shade of the trees was better. They chatted for a few hours about something and nothing. Eventually they reached a clearing by the stream and Quinn realised it was the place where he and Air had reached their breaking point just before Terzo had become Papa.

“It’s funny how time passes, isn’t it?” Quinn said.

“How is Air doing? I haven’t seen him for a while.”

Quinn smirked, Zephyr must have picked up on some of his stray thoughts. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about that morning and the tattoo, and he shivered.

"He is very well."

Zephyr chuckled and Quinn felt bad that he’d unintentionally given him that little bit of insight into his day. He didn’t mention it though and Quinn was glad that Zephyr didn’t have the same scale of ability that Secondo did when it came to reading thoughts. He could just pick up snippets of thoughts here and there with the emotions that went with them. It came with old age for quintessence ghouls.

They sat quietly for a little while and Quinn felt that Zephyr was benefitting from the time spent with him. Quinn tried not to demand too much energy from him and he gave as much of his own as he could. Zephyr always felt tired now, but at least Quinn could help him.

He received a text from Secondo inviting him to dinner and he shook his head.

“What is it?” Zephyr asked.

“Just Secondo. He’s getting in on the babysitting. Making sure I eat by inviting me round for dinner tonight.”

“Let them fuss,” Zephyr said with a smile. “We all know that you neglect yourself at times like this. That’s what pack is for, we all look out for one another.”

Quinn sighed as he stood.

“I know. I just seem to be more of a burden than any of the others are. I don’t like it.”

Zephyr got to his feet and they started the slow walk back to the Abbey.

“You are never a burden. Think how much you have given to Secondo and the others. If you think of it as checks and balances then you have more than earned your keep.” Zephyr made sense but it was still difficult to accept. “Try not to be too grumpy with them.”

“Thank you, Zephyr.”

Quinn walked Zephyr back to his lair and then went to freshen up in his own. He headed straight back out and to Secondo’s apartment. By the smell of the food, it wasn’t anything fancy but Quinn perked up when he realised Earth was making French toast for them.

“Quinn! Right on time,” Secondo said as he let himself in. “Sit.”

He was handed a beer and he sat at the dining table.

“Thank you. You really didn’t need to invite me over though. I could have picked something up at the canteen.”

“Nonsense! I would rather you eat with me. Earth tells me the others have taken good care of you. How are the visions?”

“The same. Nothing useful, frustratingly.”

They ate and Quinn enjoyed the meal and the company. Even Earth seemed to be in a good mood. Quinn was staying the night anyway so they could assess his little 3.13am problem and they talked until well into the early hours.

Quinn was about to take a swig from his bottle of beer but he paused midway. His eyes widened as the vision hit him with crystal clarity this time.

3.13am.

Alpha.

Omega. 

The bottle slid from his hand and rolled onto the floor. The carpet greedily soaked up its frothing contents. He stood in what felt like slow motion as the vision passed. Secondo reacted quickly though, he’d seen it through Quinn’s mind’s eye. He grabbed his phone and quickly barked orders to the others to meet them in the basement cells.

They sprinted out of the door and through the Abbey. The hallways were thankfully deserted so there was nobody to slow them down. Time was of the essence because the ether had not given Quinn any warning and the events that he’d just seen were happening as they ran.

It was 3.12am.

Omega’s life depended on how quickly they could get there.

As soon as Quinn threw open the doors to the corridor where Alpha was being kept he smelled the blood. Air wasn’t at his post but Quinn sensed him just inside the cell door. He could feel the other ghoul using his powers of persuasion and he was giving it his all.

They rounded the corner and halted abruptly. Quinn cursed. Omega lay on the floor, his throat slashed open and Alpha was standing over him, breathing hard. Fire had joined them by this point, he and Earth rushed into the cell and dragged Alpha away. He went wild, kicking and screaming and fighting them like a ghoul possessed. Secondo and Quinn knelt down beside Omega who was unconscious and from what Quinn could tell, moments away from death.

Alpha’s claws had almost completely ripped out the quintessence ghoul’s throat. Quinn laid his hands over the blood and gore around Omega’s neck and he pushed as much healing energy as he could manage. He’d gifted a huge chunk of it to Zephyr earlier but he gave everything he had left to give. It would buy him some time but it wasn’t enough.

“Omega?! I’m so sorry!! What have I done? Fuuuck!” Alpha sobbed and screamed and tried to fight his way over to the downed ghoul.

Quinn stood and tried to send as much calming energy to him as he could but he was almost spent and he could see the magic sliding off him anyway. He sensed Omega was awake and he looked down to see wide, confused eyes. Secondo was applying pressure to the wound which was still bleeding, and he barked orders at the others. Fire and Earth managed to drag Alpha away, still screaming and fighting and Air and Water grabbed Omega to move him.

“Infirmary, as quickly as we can. We are losing him!”

Quinn could feel his soul slipping away as he followed them up to the infirmary, numb with the shock of what had just happened.

This was the turning point. This was the trigger that would set into motion the events that the ether had been tormenting him with for the past few weeks.

Quinn felt sick to his stomach and he didn’t think that any of them were prepared enough for what was to come. He didn’t allow himself to hope for the best because he knew that whatever happened there would be suffering and pain; the course had been set now and there was no way to right it.

Chapter Text

Terzo was frantic. Omega was dying and nobody seemed to be able to do anything. Ghouls could take a lot of damage but they were not immortal. Secondo and the witches were trying every healing spell they could think of to try and keep the big quintessence ghoul with them but it wasn’t doing any good.

Quinn and Zephyr were sending all the healing energy they had to spare but Quinn could see Omega’s soul fading. The pain of losing one of his closest friends and a fellow ghoul was all consuming as he watched Secondo work from the edge of the room, helplessly.

A thought suddenly occurred to him and he glanced at Terzo. The Papa was standing by Omega’s head with his lips pressed to his forehead offering up whatever prayers he could think of to the Dark Lord. He was absolutely distraught and it hurt Quinn just to look at them. The raw pain that oozed from Terzo was like daggers to his soul. He sent the thought to Secondo who paused and glanced back over his shoulder at him with a frown.

“Terzo? Brother?” Secondo said. “There is one more thing we can do.”

Terzo’s tear filled eyes raised to Secondo’s.

“What is it? Actually, I don’t care, just do it.”

Secondo sighed.

“There will be a high price.”

“And I will gladly pay it,” he said without hesitation.

“It’s the Infernal spell we used on Elizabeth. Remember the consequences? Do not go through with this decision lightly. You saw what it cost me, si?”

Quinn was used to the stabs of pain from Secondo when he thought of or talked about Elizabeth. It had its own kind of flavour so he always knew when she was on Secondo’s mind. It was bitter and it stung.

Terzo gave him a sad smile and stood, going over to embrace his older brother and looking down at Omega’s still, ashen form. Quinn knew what his answer would be, and he knew that the cost of the magic to trap Omega’s soul inside his broken body would play a major part in the bigger picture of the events that were unfolding. The cost would indeed be high and the ether told him enough for him to know that this time, it would be paid for in blood. The universe was cruel when it came down to it, it showed no mercy.

“Do it. Whatever it takes to keep my ghoul with me.”

Quinn sent what little the ether had shown him to Secondo and he saw his shoulders sag.

“Fratello, the cost of this spell will be death. Quinn has seen it, but we do not know what form it will take. This magic is the darkest of the dark, it will be brutal.”

Terzo glanced at Quinn and frowned but that piece of information did not sway him. He’d made his mind up and he would go through with it.

“Do it. The sooner the better.”

Quinn stepped forward and offered his palm to Secondo who gave him a grateful look.

“Give me a reminder of the spell, Quinn.” He sent what needed to be done to Secondo who sighed and nodded. Secondo went and took a scalpel from one of the drawers before returning to stand by his brother. “Terzo, your hand.”

He held out his own, gesturing to Terzo who put his hand into Secondo’s. He turned it palm up and made a quick slice across it before turning it over again and flicking the blood over Omega. Quinn was next and Secondo repeated the action, all the while reciting the spell carefully.

The smell of ozone and sulphur filled the small room as the spell began to work. The familiar black smoke of Infernal magics wafted around Omega and closed in on his heart. Quinn’s skin tingled from the power of it and he resisted the urge to shiver. There was something sensual and seductive about Infernal magic and it was hard to resist the pull of it. Quinn realised that he'd missed it; when he served Andras the use of Infernal magics was a daily occurrence, but here it was mostly forbidden.

Terzo had resumed his place at Omega’s head and a tear dripped onto his face, running down the side of his temple. The ghoul’s eyes flew open and he gargled out a gasp. Terzo jumped back surprised, but Quinn and Secondo had been expecting it. The spell had taken and Quinn just hoped that Terzo would be strong enough to withstand whatever the universe would throw at him for this. Omega's eyes closed once again and he went still but Quinn knew that he would live through this.

Anya and her apprentice, Seren moved in to help Secondo with getting to work fixing Omega’s ruined throat. They had time now, his soul wasn’t going anywhere so his body would have a chance to heal even though his wounds had been mortal.

Quinn sent his last drop of healing energy to Omega, and apparently Zephyr did too. The old ghoul collapsed and would have hit the tiled floor had Quinn not been standing next to him and reacted instantly. He gathered Zephyr up into his arms and used his quintessence sight to check that exhaustion was the cause and nothing more sinister. Sure enough, Zephyr had burnt himself out. Quinn growled at him even though he wouldn’t hear it, but it made him feel better to show his displeasure with him anyway.

A flash of anger hit him just as Terzo stormed past him and out of the room. The door slammed behind him and Quinn sighed. He was volatile anyway and without his quintessence his usually hot temper burned even hotter. Secondo hadn’t even noticed, he was too busy focusing his attention on healing Omega.

“Secondo?” Quinn said. He turned his head to the side and glanced at Quinn. “Do you need me?”

Secondo turned around all of the way when he noticed Quinn cradling Zephyr’s unconscious form in his arms.

“No, Quinn. Go and tend to Zephyr. I think we will be here a while and you are no use to us as you are now. Thank you, both of you. I will let you know when we need you again, si? Go and rest.”

Quinn nodded and took one last look at Omega before he turned and left the room.

He felt his strength waning as he walked along the corridor and out of the infirmary. Air was waiting with the others for news, all of Omega’s pack mates were there and they looked up when he appeared. Air jumped up and came over, giving Zephyr a concerned look.

“He gave too much of himself and he passed out. I’m taking him back to his lair.”

“How is Omega?” Special asked.

“He will live but it will take a long time for him to fully recover. Secondo will come and get you when they are done and you can go to him.”

Special nodded and went back to sit with Mist, putting his arm around her and holding her close. The sorrow from all of Omega’s pack stung and Quinn staggered.

“And what about you, Quinn?” Air said as he came to take Zephyr. “Let me carry him for you. You’ve given too much of yourself too, haven’t you?”

Quinn let Air take Zephyr and he nodded.

“What else could I do?” he whispered.

Air gave him a small smile and started walking. Quinn dutifully followed and when they made it to Primo’s ghoul lair he opened the door to let them through. Lir, Primo’s water ghoul ran over to them, his panic lashed at Quinn and he tried not to let his tears spill.

“Zephyr?” he said as he stroked his pack mate’s hair tenderly.

“He burnt himself out. We’ve brought him home and I’ll stay with him to recharge.”

Lir directed them to the living room and onto the large sectional sofa.

“Thank you Quinn. When I saw him just then I thought the worst. Vukan and Veles are away with Primo for the night, but Stratus is here. I’ll go and wake him.”

Quinn sat and Air passed Zephyr down to him. He laid the older ghoul down on his side and put his head in his lap. Air sat down with him and put an arm around Quinn’s shoulders.

“I’ll stay here with you as well. Do you want anything? Do you need to eat?”

Quinn shook his head.

“I just need to rest.”

He lay his head on Air’s shoulder and sighed.

Lir and Stratus, Primo’s air ghoul, came and sat with them, turning the light off and manoeuvring Zephyr so that they were all touching. They needed to comfort their pack mate and Zephyr sighed in his sleep, subconsciously realising they were nearby.

Air placed a kiss to Quinn’s forehead and held him tighter.

“Just sleep. I’ve got you. We’ll watch over you both while you do your quintessence thing.”

Quinn met Air’s eyes and blinked back the tears.

“We almost lost Omega," he whispered and Air took Quinn’s hand into his.

“But we didn’t. Because of you. Now rest.”

Lir and Stratus had fallen asleep already, their steady breathing was comforting to him and he ached for them. They would be devastated losing Zephyr. They’d been bonded to Primo and each other for almost a century.

“I don’t think I can sleep right now.”

Their voices were barely a whisper as they didn’t want to wake the others. Quinn rested his head on Air’s shoulder again and the other ghoul nuzzled his hair.

“Oh. Twenty Questions then?”

Quinn grinned and huffed a laugh.

“Air, I swear you're worse than Special.”

“You wouldn’t have me any other way though, would you?” he murmured against Quinn’s hair.

“No.”

“I’ll go first then.”

Chapter Text

Quinn was restless. The others slept around him but slumber had evaded him in the hours since they’d settled in Primo’s ghoul lair. He’d concentrated on Zephyr and exchanging as much energy with him as he could. They would both need their strength in the coming few days. He’d watched the dawn break through the window whilst Air and the old quintessence ghoul snuggled into him. Air’s hand was draped loosely across his stomach and his fingers unconsciously caressed him. As nice as that was, Quinn couldn’t relax though; the ether wouldn’t let him.

His skin prickled and he flinched as a surge of magic tore through the atmosphere. The others stirred and woke up groggily.

“What the hell was that?” Air said as he sat upright.

“Fuck. Alpha. We need to find Secondo,” Quinn said as he extracted himself from the other ghouls.

Zephyr was awake and Lir and Stratus began fussing over him.

Quinn got up and Air pulled out his phone and tried to find out where Secondo was. It turned out he was still in the infirmary but he’d felt the magic too and said he was heading down into the main Abbey. Quinn and Air made their way to meet him.

A feeling of dread washed over Quinn as they jogged through the quiet hallways. Judging by the strength of the magic, a rift or a portal had been opened which meant only one thing:

Terzo had sent Alpha to the pit.

“Did he do it?” Air asked.

“I think so. Fuck. Terzo was so angry when he left the infirmary. We were all busy dealing with Omega and Zephyr. He wouldn’t have been thinking straight.”

They rounded the corner and almost ran headlong into Secondo. Quinn couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such anger coming from him. He didn’t try to calm him down because he knew that Secondo could usually control his temper so he saved what little energy he’d gained back from the rest with Zephyr for now.

“Do you know where Terzo is?” Secondo asked.

Quinn thought back to the vision he’d had of Alpha on his knees before Terzo.

“The cells.”

They changed direction and ran the rest of the way. The smell of magic wafted down the hallway that led to the cell where Alpha had been moved after Omega had been taken to the infirmary. Secondo stormed off ahead and was the first through the already open cell door. Seren had beaten them there and was frantically trying to rouse Terzo who was collapsed on the floor. She heard their arrival and looked up.

“I got here as quickly as I could but it was too late, the portal had closed. It was a banishing ritual from what I can tell. He did the ritual on his own and he’s passed out.”

Quinn smelled Terzo’s blood and he saw it dripping slowly from his nose. The demand on one’s powers to do a banishing ritual solo was immense. He was lucky he hadn’t ruptured a blood vessel in his brain.

Terzo’s mismatched eyes drifted slowly open and he blinked in confusion. He sat up, rubbing his temples and suddenly seemed to realise where he was.

“What did you do, fratello?” Secondo scolded.

Quinn felt Terzo’s anger surfacing again.

“He almost killed Omega! He is a danger to everyone so I solved the problem. It breaks my heart, brother but it had to be done. I know I should have waited for the witches to perform it but I just saw red and I wanted it done.”

Quinn pushed the image of what he’d seen to Secondo again and he scowled.

“That ghoul was not lost to his fire when you banished him. He begged you for mercy and pleaded for your forgiveness! Those are not the actions of a fire ghoul who is lost to their rage!” Secondo spat.

He’d switched to Italian which he mostly only did when he was too angry to think straight.

“You saw what he did to Omega! I hate him for it! I cannot risk having him around the others, he could kill us all at any moment!”

Terzo’s skull paint was smeared and blotchy from the tears he’d shed and he dragged a hand down his face in frustration, smudging it even more.

Secondo glanced at Seren and Quinn felt her anger and her sadness at what Terzo had done.

“Oh, Terzo, you’ve made a grave mistake,” Secondo said defeatedly as he shook his head.

“I stand by my actions. It was the right thing to do.”

Seren spoke up then.

“That was not Alpha losing it, Papa. The Clergy members that Omega has been keeping an eye on had something to do with this. They did something to him that caused this. He wasn't losing it.”

“What?” Terzo said in a whisper, blinking in disbelief.

“They are plotting something and Omega and I think that they’ve used Alpha to somehow cause some chaos with you and your other ghouls. I was looking into it, that’s why I wanted to speak to you this morning, Secondo.”

“No...” Terzo shook his head as he realised what she was saying to him. “What have I done?”

Terzo fell to his knees and Quinn shut off his quintessence self because the pain he’d already been feeling was magnified a hundredfold when he realised the mistake he’d made. Quinn felt it himself and Air too. Alpha was in the Pit surrounded by insane, bloodthirsty ghouls and demons; it was one of the worst fates that a sane ghoul could imagine.

Alpha would be just as vulnerable as the human souls who were sent there were. There would be no mercy with their depravity. A soul was a soul to them, regardless of him being a fellow hell-born ghoul. The Infernal magic that held that realm together would not let him die either, so he would be stuck there in his misery until his mind broke and he became one of them. Quinn just hoped that happened sooner rather than later. The less suffering that Alpha endured, the better.

Terzo was sobbing now, he was inconsolable. Seren tried to offer him comfort but it did no good. Secondo sighed.

“Quinn?” Quinn pulled his eyes away from Papa. “Please knock him out. We need to get him out of here and then we can discuss this properly.”

Quinn did as he was told and directed a strong wave of quintessence at Terzo who slumped back to the ground again.

“There must be something we can do,” Seren said. “I know the Pit is the Pit, but there are always ways around these things if you put your mind to it.”

Quinn scooped Terzo up into his arms and looked to Secondo for instructions.

“We will take him to my study and we can look into this. I have not heard of anything that would be able to reverse this though. The Pit is there for a reason.”

Secondo turned and left and Quinn beckoned for Seren and Air to go ahead of him. He carried a sleeping Terzo back to Secondo’s study and placed him gently onto one of the large leather sofas. He snagged a blanket and covered him with it.

“Do you need me to stay with him, Secondo?” Quinn asked.

Secondo shook his head.

“No, thank you Quinn. Please rest some more. Omega will need you and Zephyr later. He is stable for now with the healing spells, but they are not as effective as your quintessence for him.” Quinn stared at Secondo for a second, and glanced at Seren, not sure what he should say in front of her. His clairvoyance wasn’t common knowledge beyond the higher members of the Clergy. Secondo realised what he was thinking. “We will tell her, si? She will be taking over from Anya sooner or later so she will need to know.”

Quinn nodded and Seren looked confused.

“I’m worried about Zephyr. The ether showed me that...” He looked between them both and swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, blinking back the tears that were making his eyes misty. He took a deep breath, hoping that it would steady his voice. “Zephyr will not see the end of next week. I know it has something to do with these events, and I know that it can’t be stopped. But he pushes himself too hard. He should be resting.”

Secondo gave him a sympathetic look before turning to Seren, who still looked confused.

“Quinn is not just an average quintessence ghoul. He is a seer,” Secondo explained.

She raised her brows and met Quinn’s gaze.

“Oh. Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever met a seer before.”

“Yeah. Thankfully there aren’t too many of us. There aren’t any others in the Clergy,” Quinn said.

Seren gave him a half smile, picking up that he wasn’t exactly happy to be what he was.

“This is one of those need to know pieces of information that we discussed, Seren. I’m sure you realise that we keep this a closely guarded secret within the Clergy, for obvious reasons.”

“Of course. I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you, Seren.” Secondo sighed. “Should I go to Primo with this information?”

Quinn shook his head.

“They are expecting it anytime soon anyway. Let them be happy for the next few days. Zephyr would not want to be treated any differently.”

“Does he know?” Secondo asked.

“Yes. He figured it out when I spoke to him yesterday.”

“Then we shall leave it up to him to decide what he wants to do.”

Quinn closed his eyes and sighed. He knew that Zephyr would give everything he could to help Omega and he was angry at Secondo for allowing it because it would be too much for him. Secondo clearly realised what Quinn was thinking if his sharp tone was anything to go by.

“You are dismissed, go and relax for the rest of the day. Air? Get him some food. And Quinn? If you can’t sleep then go and see Earth.”

He growled and Seren gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Thank you, Quinn. Omega will appreciate everything you’ve done for him,” Seren said and Quinn found himself smiling at her.

There was something calm about her and her presence was refreshing. He could tell she was shaken from what happened with Omega but she seemed to be handling it well. She was strong. The ether told him that she would need to be to get through what was coming. Quinn rubbed his temples and excused himself, heading back to the lair with Air.

“Breakfast?”

Quinn nodded. They picked something up from the canteen and took it upstairs.

“My room?” Quinn said as they walked the corridor.

He felt Air’s surprise but the other ghoul nodded and followed him. Although Air did stay with him from time to time, it was still a rare occurrence.

They sat on the sofa and ate in silence. Air usually liked to fill the silences with chatter but he sensed when Quinn was not in the mood to tolerate it. When they were done he stood and looked down to Quinn, holding his hand out to him.

“You’re exhausted. Let me take care of you.” Quinn nodded and took his hand, letting the other ghoul pull him to his feet. Air led him over to the bed and stopped at the foot of it. He put a hand around the nape of Quinn’s neck and pulled him closer so that their noses were touching. “I’m here for you. What do you want?”

Quinn snaked his arms around Air’s waist and breathed him in.

“Just you.”

Air smiled at him and stroked his hair.

“Come on then, lay down with me.” They climbed into bed and lay face to face. Air stroked his cheek and kissed his forehead, pulling him closer. He kissed him sweetly and Quinn sighed. His hand roamed down to the waistband of Air’s jeans but Air broke the kiss and shook his head. “No. You’re supposed to be resting. We have all day for that. Don’t make me go and get Earth to put you out.”

Quinn smirked and snorted a laugh, nipping Air’s bottom lip.

“Whatever you say.”

Chapter Text

Quinn came down from the high of his orgasm and opened his eyes. Air stared down at him and a smile played on his lips, his fangs caught on his bottom lip and Quinn groaned and squirmed underneath him. Air's hands were on the mattress either side of Quinn’s head and he leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss. They’d managed to sleep for a few hours and then spent a little while lazily messing around. This had culminated in their current post-coital position. Quinn was on his back, utterly spent and Air was basking in the afterglow of riding him, the air ghoul having come on his cock and cum on his stomach. They were both breathing hard and Air still contracted around him every now and then.

This had been just what he’d needed to forget the events of the last couple of days.

Air flopped down and rolled off him, snuggling into his side and petting Quinn’s skin. He trailed a claw through the sticky wetness he’d left behind and rubbed it over his demon brand. Quinn didn’t think that little act was entirely unintentional; Air was staking his own claim and it made his cock twitch again.

“I don’t think I can move,” Quinn said, reluctant to even try.

Air leaned in and nibbled his jaw causing him to shiver.

“Lucky for you, we don’t need to move for...” Air looked over to the clock on Quinn’s bedside table, “another forty five minutes, which leaves us fifteen minutes to shower and get ready for work.”

Secondo wanted his ghouls to gather for a meeting and then Quinn was needed in the infirmary to send some more healing quintessence to Omega, who was apparently still unconscious. Quinn hummed.

“I think we could shower in five minutes, giving us an extra ten to relax.”

“You probably could, but you need to eat as well,” Air said, scolding him.

“I already ate,” he said dryly and Air laughed.

“I missed you,” Air said, grabbing the sheets and pulling them up to cover their sweat soaked skin and further up over their heads.

Quinn felt his eyes glow and Air’s responded in kind. He realised that yet again he’d had no visions for the last few hours, or none that he could recall at least. He didn’t think on it too much though, didn’t want to tempt the ether and draw attention to himself.

“I missed you too. I’m sorry. Again. I went into survival mode for the last few weeks.”

Air huffed a laugh.

“You don’t even see the irony of that, do you?” Quinn shrugged at him and Air turned serious. “Are you doing okay? Because I don’t think I am,” he said casually.

Quinn knew what he was talking about. Every ghoul at the Abbey would be shaken when the news spread that Papa had sent Alpha to the Pit. Alpha wasn’t the most popular ghoul here by any means, but nobody would wish that fate on him. Especially if Seren was right and he didn’t deserve to be sent there.

Quinn put his forehead to Air’s and sent him some quintessence to soothe him.

“This is tough on us all. If only I’d gone after him when he stormed off.”

“No, don’t blame yourself. You were practically burnt out from trying to save Omega and you were helping Zephyr. There was nothing any of us could have done.”

“I knew this already. This was part of this whole thing, one of the parts that cannot be changed. It feels surreal. One minute all seemed calm, and the next Omega was dying and Alpha was in the Pit. All in the space of twenty four hours.”

Air’s claws dragged gently down Quinn’s spine and he shivered.

“I don’t think Terzo will ever recover from this. I don’t think any of us will. His poor pack mates. If it was one of us? Knowing they were suffering the whole time? I can’t even imagine it.” He sighed and Quinn felt the sadness rolling off of him. “It was bad enough losing Quintessence, when we knew he'd gone to a better place, but knowing that he was in the Pit? I couldn’t handle it.”

Quinn remembered a vision he’d had many years ago. It was the same vision where he remembered seeing Seren, although he didn’t know who she was at the time. In that vision, Alpha had featured and his heart had been breaking. As far as Quinn knew, those events had not yet happened. It gave him hope but he didn’t want to pass that on to Air or any of the others in case he had read it wrong. There was no way to change that course of events now anyway so he kept it to himself.

“As much as I hate to admit it, we should probably get up, shouldn’t we?”

Air’s claws on his back stilled and he sighed.

“I think I smell food. Fire must be cooking.” Air was never wrong when it came to food and the prospect of it. “Food first, then shower? Or shower first? Please say food.”

Quinn laughed and nipped Air’s lip playfully.

“Whatever you want.”

Air grinned.

They got up, threw their clothes back on and headed out to the kitchen. Earth’s nose twitched and he raised a brow at them when they appeared. He was leaning against the counter chatting to Fire who was stirring a pot of something that smelled aromatic.

“You two have no shame,” Earth rumbled out and Quinn saw Fire’s shoulders jump as he suppressed a laugh.

“What do you mean Earth?” Air said innocently.

“You know what I mean. I hope you’re going to clean yourselves up before the meeting?”

Quinn’s nose twitched also and a slow smile spread across his face.

“I hope you’re going to take your own advice, Earth, because you stink of human female.” Earth’s eyes flashed green and he took a step towards Quinn who peeled his lips back from his fangs in warning. A scent caught his attention and he grinned, switching from Ghoulish to English. “Oh, hi Zoe, how are you?”

The human woman who’d appeared in the doorway narrowed her eyes at Earth and then smiled sweetly at Quinn. She went to stand beside the big earth ghoul and put her arm around his waist. She slotted herself into his side and he pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

“I’m good, thank you Quinn. Better now I’ve seen this one,” she said as she stroked her fingers along his stomach. Earth looked at him smugly and he just knew that Air was making some kind of sick face behind his back.

Earth pulled out a chair and beckoned her to sit, passing her a coffee and some orange juice.

“We were just discussing the benefits of personal hygiene,” Air said nonchalantly.

“Oh?” Zoe said with a knowing smile. She’d known them all long enough by now to realise when Earth’s pack mates were trying to get a reaction out of him. Oftentimes she played along.

“Yes, I was just telling these two that they need to be more mindful of others. We don’t all need to know what they’ve been doing for the last few hours,” Earth said.

Zoe smacked Earth’s butt as he walked by and he growled at her playfully. She grinned and looked away.

“Anyway. We were just pointing out to Earth that he may be in need of some cleaning up himself. No offence,” Air said.

Zoe smirked.

“None taken. I’ll be sure to see to it personally that he does. Thanks for the advice.”

“No problem,” Air said and he grinned at her.

They all had a lot of respect for Zoe. Firstly, she put up with Earth as her mate so she deserved a medal for that alone. Secondly, she put up with the rest of them and that in itself was something that most humans wouldn’t be able to handle. She and Helena had become honorary pack members.

Helena was training in the Dark Arts and was hoping for a place as a Clergy witch when she’d completed her studies. She technically wasn’t a born witch like Seren or Anya, but they’d learned that her father was a Druid so she possessed a different kind of magic which complemented the witches that they already had here. Quinn was rather fond of the young human and Earth had taught her all he knew about tattooing over the years. Her 21st birthday was coming up soon and the pack had clubbed together to set her up with her own business not far from the Abbey. She was sure to have a steady stream of customers in the form of the ghouls and the Siblings.

The dinner was nice and it took all of their minds off Alpha, but soon it was time to clean up and get ready for the meeting with Secondo to regroup. Air went back to his own room to get ready and before long, Quinn, Earth, Air, Fire and Water were lined up in front of Secondo’s desk awaiting his instruction.

“The last two days have been fraught with misery and shock. Seren and I have been talking today and she informed me of Omega’s suspicions. I was already aware of some of his findings so we need to revisit them. We need to bring in the Clergy members for questioning.” He turned his intense gaze to Quinn. “Usually Quinn would head up the interrogation but unfortunately he is needed elsewhere.”

Quinn scowled. He knew he needed to help Omega but this was just as important. When it came to gathering information from prisoners, he and Secondo were unmatched when they worked as a team.

“I can do both, Secondo.”

“No. It is too much for you. You need your strength because the whole of the Abbey is relying on your quintessence alone now; Omega is out of action and Zephyr tires too easily nowadays. Omega is the priority for now. Earth and Fire can handle this for a while. They should break easily enough. A few bloated Bishops and a self-important Cardinal? They will not last long before they start to sing.”

Quinn reluctantly nodded and they made their plans.

Chapter Text

Omega’s eyes opened briefly and Terzo took his hand, mumbling reassuring words close to his ear. Terzo’s whole pack of ghouls was there, gathered in the small room of the infirmary. Quinn didn’t have the heart to tell Terzo that he wasn’t actually waking up just yet, that he was still too weak. It was just the initial burst of healing energy that had given him a boost momentarily. Unconsciousness would claim him again any second now and then it would be a waiting game again.

Omega’s throat was still a mess. Secondo and the witches had done a stellar job of piecing it back together again and the healing spells had worked wonders, but the damage had been severe and nobody was sure if Omega’s voice would ever be the same again. With the extent of his injuries, it was more than possible that his vocal chords had been permanently damaged.

Quinn gave him all of the healing energy he had to give and then excused himself. There wasn’t much more he could do, and he felt like he was intruding on the pack’s time with Omega. If he’d have been alone then Quinn would have made a point of staying, but the time with Terzo and the other ghouls would be of more benefit to him right now.

He made his way to see Zephyr and found the older ghoul eating supper with the rest of his pack. Vukan and Veles had returned from their trip with Primo. They smiled when they registered his presence and Lir offered him some of the food. Quinn enjoyed eating with the older ghouls. They ate more of the traditional foods from their hell dimension, still preferring them over the human foods that most of the younger ghouls ate. Even after all of this time being on Earth they held on to a lot of the traditions that the other younger ghouls had forgotten. The times he’d spent enjoying a meal with them never failed to take him back to his younger days with his family and it gave him peace.

“Thank you for helping Zephyr last night,” Veles said. “Lir said that he’d worried them both sick.”

Quinn smiled and accepted a plate with thanks from Vukan, who was the main cook in their little pack. He looked over to Zephyr who was looking embarrassed.

“He worried us all. Despite me telling him to take it easy.”

Zephyr laughed.

“Oh, Quinn. If only I could. You of all ghouls know that we had to give everything to help Omega. You should take heed of your own warnings.”

The others laughed and Quinn grinned at the older quintessence ghoul.

“When do I ever do that, Zephyr?”

Zephyr smiled and squeezed his hand.

“Thank you all for looking after me. Sometimes I forget I’m not as young as I used to be.” The mood changed and Quinn frowned. He felt the pain from the others who had noticed Zephyr’s decline over the last few months. Quinn had gifted him healing whenever he could, just as he did for Primo whose health was also failing. The stark reality of life without Zephyr was suddenly staring him in the face and the old ghoul picked up on Quinn’s sudden despair, gripping his hand tighter. “Don’t think about it Quinn. That goes for all of you. Life goes on.”

Stratus glanced at Quinn and he looked bereft, but nobody said anything else. Zephyr’s pack could sense that he didn’t have long left now, but it cut Quinn that they didn’t realise just how precious these last few mealtimes and days spent with him would be. He had a feeling that Stratus knew though. The old air ghoul was astute when it came to things like this, he always had been, so he would have sensed the change in both Quinn and Zephyr over the last few days. Quinn gave him a half smile and the other ghoul looked away.

“Will you be staying here tonight to recharge?” Lir asked.

It made sense so Quinn nodded.

“Sure, that sounds good. Thanks.”

Primo’s ghouls more often than not spent their nights in a ghoul pile now. The older ghouls got, the more the comfort of their pack became central to their lives. They’d made a specific pack den in one of the spare bedrooms. It was laid out with furs and cushions and blankets, much the same way that the lairs at home used to be when Quinn and Primo's ghouls were younger. Most of their rest time was spent there together. If Earth had his way then Secondo’s ghouls would probably have something similar in their own lair, but so far it hadn’t manifested.

Quinn took his empty plate to the dishwasher but Lir directed him away from it.

“We never use it, leave it on the side and we will sort it. You and Zephyr go and settle down and we’ll join you later.”

Quinn and Zephyr did as instructed and lay down in the nest of furs in the centre of the room. It reminded Quinn of snuggling up at night time with his older siblings and he smiled as he spooned behind Zephyr and draped a hand over his hip.

“What is it?” the old ghoul asked him.

“I was just thinking of my siblings. They will be at the end of their lives now I think, if they made it that far.”

“Did you never try to find them again? They might not have strayed too far from their birthplace.”

“No. I was too worried about them being hurt because of me. It was instilled in me from early on that I had to leave once I could look after myself, that my curse could harm them if I stayed too long. My sire made sure to give me survival lessons from the moment I could walk.”

“How old were you when you left?”

He thought back. The memories were fuzzy now, they were more vague impressions and echoes of emotions than actual memories.

“Maybe around seventeen seasons or so, I don’t remember exactly. My sire wanted me gone a lot sooner than that, but my grandsire wouldn’t allow it.”

He didn’t recall much about his sire now, couldn’t remember what he looked like; although he presumed that he’d been similar looking to himself. His grandsire was different though. They’d spent many hours together because he had wanted to pass on as much seer knowledge to Quinn as he could. The few proper memories he still had of his early life consisted mostly of vivid impressions of his grandsire.

“That must have been very tough on you. I barely felt ready to leave my family when I turned twenty five seasons.”

Quinn sighed.

“I don’t really remember much but I must have done okay as I’m still alive.”

Zephyr laughed.

“True enough. I’ve found myself thinking of home more and more recently. I mean, here is home, but... You know what I mean.”

“I do.”

“I would like to visit home one last time before I go, but I realise that is impossible now.” Something stabbed at Quinn’s subconscious and he squeezed his eyes shut. Zephyr sensed it. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Quinn answered instinctively.

“I know when you’re lying Quinn, you forget how well I know you. Just tell me, I won’t be upset.”

“Something tells me that you’ll get your wish. I didn’t see any details though.”

He felt a little wave of happiness come from Zephyr and he pulled him closer, resting his chin on the other ghoul’s shoulder. They drifted off to sleep like that, surrounded by tingles of quintessence magic.

Quinn woke to his phone vibrating in his pocket. Primo’s other ghouls were wrapped around each other, asleep. He extracted himself and pulled out the phone.

3.13am, again.

He stepped out into the corridor to accept the call.

“Are you okay? Where are you?”

It was Air and he sounded worried but there was something else in his voice too.

“I’m with Zephyr and his pack, just recharging.”

“Oh, good.” Quinn heard the relief in his voice. “I was worrying that you hadn’t come back. Just wondered where you were.”

“I think I’ll head back now actually.”

“Are you coming to mine?” he sounded hopeful.

“I’ll quickly check in on Omega and then I’ll be there.”

“Okay. See you soon then.”

He hung up and stretched out the sleep, stubbornly ignoring the time that still glared at him from the top of the screen.

Omega and his pack were all still sleeping when Quinn quietly poked his head around the door of his room. He was gradually getting better but he felt like he would be weak for a while yet. Quinn would come back in the morning and offer some more healing, maybe lay with Omega for a little while.

Air had left the door open for him when he got back to their lair. He slipped inside the room and instantly knew something was wrong. Air felt different, he felt scared almost.

Quinn lay down behind him on the bed and nuzzled the back of his neck.

“What’s the matter?” he whispered.

Air turned onto his back and looked at Quinn, his eyes glowed purple in the darkness.

“I had a bad dream is all. It shook me up. It was so real.”

Quinn quashed down a spike of anger. Air didn’t usually have bad dreams unless he was thinking of the time when he was attacked and held captive by Ose’s ghouls. He managed not to growl too loudly.

“Tell me.”

Air sighed and closed his eyes.

“It was you. We were losing you. Nothing we were trying was working, you were slipping away from us. And you were so cold! Even Fire couldn’t warm you up.”

Air turned until he was facing Quinn and Quinn tilted his head up until their eyes were level.

“It was just a dream, Air. I’m here. I’m fine. Just go back to sleep.”

He said the words, but he couldn’t quite shake the ominous feeling that had worked its way into his gut at Air’s words.

Chapter Text

Omega was still out for the count when Quinn got there the next morning. Terzo, Zeta and Rho had gone to make preparations for the summoning of a new fire ghoul later that evening and Quinn could tell that the others were not entirely happy about it. Mist especially wasn’t taking it well, her and Alpha had been pretty close from what he could tell and his loss had hit her hard. She sat curled up in Special’s lap and he petted her back slowly and methodically.

Quinn lay with Omega for a few hours, giving what healing energy he could. The time he’d spent with Zephyr had recharged his quintessence battery somewhat but he still wasn’t at full strength. The last few weeks had taken its toll and he felt frustrated at the constant drain on his powers caused mainly by the ether. By the time he left though, the other quintessence ghoul was starting to look better. Omega didn’t feel as though he was right on the edge of death anymore which was a win. Hopefully he would wake up in the next couple of days, for everyone’s sake, because the current mood at the Abbey was low.

Quinn made his way back to the lair and Zoe and Helena were waiting for him with lunch. He smirked at them and Helena waved.

“So Earth has passed his babysitting duties on to you two then?”

Zoe gave him a look.

“It isn’t babysitting, Quinn. We are making sure you’re fed, just as we would for any of the others.” Quinn gave her a look of his own. “Don’t give me that, you look exhausted. I know how the others get when they go into mother hen mode, but they’re right. Here.”

She handed him a plate with sandwiches, cheese, meats, salad and crackers. It did look good, better than the effort he would have managed for himself. Zoe pointed to the seat opposite Helena and he dutifully sat. He raised his eyes and met Helena’s amused stare.

“You’re loving this, aren’t you?”

“Well, Earth is busy so he said you needed someone to push you around and bully you into eating. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it,” she said with a shrug.

Quinn took a bite of a sandwich and chewed deliberately.

“Thanks so much.”

Helena grinned and took a bite of her own.

“You’re welcome.”

It was unusual for humans to be in the ghoul lairs. Ghouls liked their privacy in a lot of things, not wanting to have to worry about humans being shocked by or judging them for their ways. Zoe and Helena didn’t count as regular humans anymore though and Zoe stayed over quite often now that Helena was grown up and could fend for herself.

“How are your studies?” Quinn asked Helena.

“Good. I’ve been doing some work for Anya and she’s taught me a lot. She seems a bit distracted lately though so she’s skipped a few of the sessions we were supposed to have over the last couple of months.”

That wasn’t like Anya, she was usually meticulous in everything she did so it surprised Quinn to hear that.

“Hmmm, she’s been trying to catch up on things to make way for Seren. It’s maybe just that.”

He hoped so anyway. Anya was due to retire as Head Witch for the Clergy in the coming months so that she could spend more time with her grandchildren but she usually didn’t let anything distract her from her work.

“Maybe,” she said thoughtfully.

“Where is Earth, anyway?” Quinn asked Zoe.

“He was called in to help Secondo with something. He was supposed to be off for the next couple of days so it must be important. He wasn’t himself last night though.”

That got Quinn’s interest.

“Oh? How so?”

“I don’t know, he was just...” She looked up at him, shyly almost. “I don’t know. He seemed bothered by something. I didn’t know what to do to help him, or I didn’t know if maybe I’d done something to upset him.”

Quinn realised why Earth had been called in on his days off. While Quinn had been healing Omega, Earth and Fire had been interrogating prisoners with Secondo. The earth ghoul did it because it was expected of him, but it went against his protective nature to cause harm to someone unless they deserved it wholeheartedly. Quinn knew that was the part of their job that Earth hated the most.

“Oh,” he said warily.

“What? Why did you say it like that?”

Zoe was worried and Quinn sighed. He couldn’t discuss Clergy business with her but he could at least try to put her mind at rest because she was blaming herself.

“There are some parts of our jobs that are...” he pursed his lips and tried to think of the right words, “unpleasant. Earth is doing a job that he hasn’t done for a while because it is something I usually handle. But I have been needed elsewhere so I suppose you should blame me.”

Zoe glanced at him and frowned. She knew that they couldn’t talk about certain things that were private Clergy business and she respected that.

“Well okay then. I will totally blame you,” she smiled sadly. “What can I do for him? To make it easier?”

“Just be there for him, he’ll let you know what he wants. Just indulge his wishes.”

Helena snorted.

“Hello? Can we not have this conversation please, Mother?” Helena said with a shudder and they both laughed.

“I need to go and rest up anyway, I’m on duty tonight so I’d better go. Thanks for the lunch.”

“Any time, Quinn. Nice seeing you,” Zoe said as he left.

Quinn managed to nap for a few hours and woke up feeling energised. He showered and put his uniform on. Terzo was summoning the fire ghoul tonight and he was needed in case of any problems. Sometimes when a new ghoul was summoned and bound they were nervous or they didn’t take well to the sudden change in temperature and environment so it was useful to have a quintessence ghoul there as support. 

He'd set off early so he took the long way round to get to the chapel because there was another hour or so until he had to be there. As soon as he rounded the corner that led towards the gym he sensed that Air was inside. He felt for any other souls but it seemed that he was alone. His eyes glowed in anticipation and he changed his course.

Quinn quietly stepped inside and stood near the doorway to the large hall that had been converted into a gym for the ghouls. Air had his back to the door and was going through some of the sword practice drills that they often did in their training sessions. All of Secondo’s ghouls could handle a sword well, but none of them did it with the same grace and capability that Air naturally had. Just watching the way the shirtless ghoul moved did something to Quinn and he felt his eyes glowing brighter as he drank in the sight of him. He slowly stalked around the edge of the gym. Air had his headphones in so Quinn didn’t need to be too quiet. He was lost to his practice and Quinn took full advantage.

He crept up behind Air and grabbed him around the waist. Air cried out and spun out of Quinn’s loose hold, stopping a couple of arm’s lengths away. He pulled out his headphones and stood with his arm outstretched, pointing the end of the practice sword at the centre of Quinn’s chest.

Realisation dawned when he saw who had interrupted him and he got that mischievous glint in his eye that Quinn loved.

“Do you have a death wish or something?” Air said, keeping the sword pointed at his heart. He was breathing hard and Quinn watched as a bead of sweat ran lazily down the other ghoul’s skin from his temple to his neck, eventually coming to rest in the dip of his collar bone. He licked his lips.

“You know I do,” Quinn rumbled out. “Shouldn’t let your guard down like that, Air. I could have been anyone.”

Air bared his fangs and Quinn smirked, capturing his glowing gaze and holding it. He walked into the blade and Air took a step backwards so that Quinn wouldn’t hurt himself. That was all the invitation that he needed though, the go ahead to see how far he could push the other ghoul. He took another couple of steps, forcing Air to either put the sword down or walk backwards. He chose the latter.

A few more steps and Air’s back hit the wall but Quinn carried on, the point of the sword pressing into his sternum. Air’s eyes searched Quinn’s face for a minute and Quinn saw the moment that he reached a decision. The sword clattered to the floor.

Quinn closed the distance and Air grabbed at his jacket, pulling him closer and smashing their lips together. Fangs clashed and tongues fought for dominance. Air’s hands gripped Quinn’s shoulders and Quinn’s fingers were in Air’s hair, grabbing the dark strands and tilting his head to find the best angle. Air’s scent in his nostrils and the feel of him pressed up against him set fire to his blood.

Quinn broke the kiss and Air tipped his head back, exposing his neck. Quinn watched the movement of it as he swallowed and he licked up the column of his throat, using his fangs every now and then to nip the bared skin. Air brought his hand to the nape of Quinn’s neck and pulled him closer as he licked and sucked and nibbled. He groaned as Quinn’s hand found its way inside his shorts and he bucked into the rough touch causing Quinn to smile against his skin.

“No time. Please. Just...” Air whined needily.

Quinn stepped back and Air pouted.

“Off,” Quinn said as he nodded his head towards the offending item of clothing. Air wasted no time but his eyes strayed to the unlocked door behind Quinn. Quinn noticed. “Since when do you care about interruptions, Air?”

Quinn undid his belt and freed himself. The movement drew Air’s attention back to him and a slow smile spread across his face.

“I don’t," he breathed.

Quinn closed the distance again, backing Air into the breeze block wall. He leant in and grazed Air’s earlobe with his fang. His hands roamed the bare, sweat slicked skin of the other ghoul’s torso. He could hear Air’s heart rate pick up, could smell his want and could feel the tension in his body as he waited to see what Quinn would do; waited to find out how he would take him.

Quinn didn’t give Air what he wanted just yet though. He moaned as Quinn reached between them and took them both in hand, closing long fingers around both of their achingly hard cocks. He ground himself against him and stroked them together. This was one of Air’s favourite things and it never failed to push him close to the edge. He panted and groaned and Quinn smiled against his skin.

Quinn backed off a little so he could watch Air’s face and he was not disappointed. The air ghoul was completely wrecked already, his hooded gaze glowed and he tipped his head back again, biting his lip. Enough was enough though. Quinn didn’t want to drag this out, it was just a quickie before work and Air wasn’t going to last too much longer anyway. He thought about turning Air around but he wanted to see his face as he lost it so he thought, fuck it.

He let go of them and shifted back slightly, hooking his hands under the backs of Air’s legs and lifting him enough for what he wanted. Air grinned when he realised what he was doing and he draped his arms over his shoulders and wrapped his legs around his waist as Quinn impaled him on his cock.

Air cried out at the sudden intrusion and Quinn buried his face into the crook of his neck. Air spasmed around him; he was so, so close already and the feel of him around Quinn’s body and around his cock was almost too much for him as well. He allowed himself to breathe for a second and Air’s fingers teased the hair at the nape of his neck. He became hyper aware of every place where their skin touched, of every emotion that Air was feeling. He basked in the love, the lust, the thrill and the happiness that he felt when Quinn had sought him out just now after he’d shut him down for the last few weeks. He savoured this little moment of calm before the storm but he knew it couldn’t last for long.

Air shifted slightly, squeezing around him and Quinn gritted his teeth, giving in to what he needed. He fucked him against the wall and raised his head so their faces were level. Air was lost and Quinn fucking loved to see him like this. He growled and bit his bottom lip causing Air to whimper. He tilted his head back again, exposing his throat for Quinn to mark. He was whispering what sounded like a prayer and Quinn covered his lips with his own as he felt Air let go.

Air came, hard and Quinn pulled his face back to watch. Air’s eyes closed and his lips parted and Quinn felt the tingle at the base of his spine as he got ready to follow him over the edge. He leant in and closed his teeth around Air’s throat, growling as he bit down, feeling the skin break under his fangs. He was mindful not to be too rough and he thrust a few more times before he too lost it. Quinn stilled as he rode out the waves of pleasure, feeling Air still fluttering around him. He lapped at the blood on Air’s neck and nuzzled his throat, all the while feeling claws on his scalp as he stroked through his still damp hair.

“Satanas help me, so fucking good,” Air panted with a satisfied smile on his face. Quinn pulled out and set his feet back on the ground, putting his clothes straight. “Oops,” Air said as he looked between them.