Free Arctic Fire 2 by Erica Stevens

her stakes to her calves. Luther, Lou, and Zach stood by her door. She could hear Chris in her kitchen, pulling a package of peanut butter cups from the fridge before popping the top on a can of her Dew. He’d eat all of her chocolate stash if she left him in there for too long. Melissa sat beside her on the couch, watching as Quinn armed herself.
    “For a vamp, you sure are comfortable being strapped with things that can kill you,” Melissa commented.
    Quinn tugged on her boot and zipped up the side. “Hunter too,” she reminded her. “I’ve been comfortable with this stuff since I could walk.”
    “Oh, the toddler years. Most people babyproof, we were vampproofed.”
    Quinn laughed as she tugged on her other boot. “And you’re still alive because of it,” Luther said from the door.
    Turning on the couch, Melissa draped her arm across the back. “And I thank you for that,” she assured him.
    “We’re going to have to stay together from now on,” Julian said, bringing them all back to the reason why they were here. “Since the vamp who attacked Quinn can control minds, we can’t take the chance of him getting a hold of someone and bending them to his will. From now on, we’ll stay in groups of twos and threes. At all times.”
    “What if he’s already gotten hold of someone?” Chris asked from the doorway of the kitchen. Quinn’s eyes focused on the bag of peanut butter cups in his hand. She’d purposely put that one in the oven to keep it hidden from him. Sensing her stare, Chris looked over at her and grinned.
    I will not hit him, she told herself. Still, she couldn’t help but smile over the fact he felt comfortable enough around her to brave her annoyance with him. She’d have to find better hiding spots for her treats if they all agreed to what Julian was about to propose.
    “He seemed as surprised to see me as I was him,” Quinn said as she rose to her feet.
    “He could have faked that,” Zach said.
    “He could have, but I don’t think so.”
    “If he did, one of us could be under his control right now,” Melissa said.
    Luther lifted his glasses to peer around the room before rubbing at his nose and settling them back into place. “But since we have no way of knowing if that’s true, we’re going to have to trust each other.”
    “Isn’t there some kind of vamp test?” Chris asked.
    “No,” Julian replied.
    “Would Devon be able to tell?”
    Julian shook his head. “The only thing Devon could do is take control of all of your minds himself, in order to make sure none of you went against him.”
    “Thanks, but no on that one,” Chris said and shoved a peanut butter cup into his mouth. Quinn stalked over and snatched the bag away from him. “Aw, come on!”
    Opening the stove, she threw the bag inside it. She supposed it hadn’t been such a great hiding spot to begin with; she never used the stove, so of course he would think to look there. “I think you’ve had enough.”
    “Someone never taught you how to share,” he replied with a smile that had her reaching back in and pulling out two more chocolates for him. His sapphire eyes twinkled when he took them from her hand. “You vamps, all bark and no bite.”
    A burst of laughter escaped her as she slipped past him and into her living room. “I’ll bite him for you, if you’d like,” Julian offered. “I don’t think anyone here would say he hasn’t deserved it at least once.”
    “Feeling the love,” Chris replied as he popped another peanut butter cup in his mouth.
    “Thanks, but no,” Quinn said to Julian.
    He held his hand out to her, and a quiver of pleasure raced up her spine when she took hold of it and stepped against his side. Her body instinctively pressed closer to his. His thumb stroked the back of her hand.
    “Since I know no one here wants to be under anyone’s control, and I think we can agree we don’t want Devon and Cassie involved in this, we’re going to have to watch out for each