Essence of Quinn Parts 3 & 4 (MxM)

Righteous Indignation

"I will be in touch soon, Azael," Boreas called after them.

Air didn't even turn around to acknowledge him. He gave him the finger and followed Quinn and Earth out of the Prime Ghoul's office.

"Did you just flip off the Prime Ghoul?" Earth said with equal parts horror and awe.

Air shrugged.

"He's being a fucking dick."

Any other day? Quinn would have snorted and made some derogatory comment about Boreas. Not today, though. Today, he just kept on walking down the hallway. Air left him to it. Given Quinn's mood, if Air tried to help-or act as his eyes-he'd probably get his head ripped off. He was managing just fine. He knew the way, and Air sensed him using his magic to navigate his way back to the summoning chapel.

He also sensed the churning fury that roiled beneath his mate's barely composed demeanour. Earth's hand on Air's shoulder broke him out of his thoughts and he gave a weary sigh, realising that the minute they got home, Quinn's temper would explode. He felt it, like an itch in his bones.

Air had been proud of the way Quinn had handled himself in there. He'd kept his cool and said what he needed to say with respect, despite the barrage of subtle aggression Boreas had directed his way.

Air gritted his teeth when he thought of his big brother. He knew Boreas and Quinn didn't see eye to eye on most things, but he'd thought that Quinn saving Lyra and Asteria's lives would have made things between them less strained. That maybe Boreas would ease up on him and be a little less...hostile.

Apparently, he'd been wrong.

If anything, Boreas seemed worse now. Since they'd lost Astraeus, he hadn't been the same. Yes, he doted on his mate and his surviving kit, as any sire should, and in some ways, having a daughter had softened him. But there was a bitterness that hadn't been there before. Outsiders probably wouldn't have noticed the change in him. Boreas had always been stubborn and a stickler for protocol, but Air had watched him becoming more and more antagonistic-especially where Quinn and Amaya were concerned.

Air blinked and realised they were at the chapel already. He sensed two of Boreas' guards following them from a discreet distance and he turned around to glare at them. The fire ghoul shrugged apologetically when he met his eyes. Air gave him a half smile. They were only doing their jobs, he supposed.

"Send us back. Now," Quinn snapped at the ghuleh in charge of the summonings.

She glanced nervously at Air, and he nodded.

"Please," Air said, used to the ghouls on this side deferring to him over the other Clergy ghouls by now. "I think we are all more than ready to go home."

She got to work and gestured for Quinn and Air to enter the circle. They would send Earth alone afterward. The two of them stepped over the channel of blood and into the summoning circle. Air reached for Quinn's hand, but he grunted and moved it away. Air didn't take offence. He knew him well enough by now not to push him. He was likely using everything he had to keep his composure. His resolve stretched taut, pulled beyond its limits.

The magic of the circle shimmered, enveloping them and fizzing over their skin as it took them home. Air's breath caught, and then there were a few heartbeats of nothing as they were split apart and sent across the Divide.

Air squinted against the cold light of the Abbey as it settled around him. He shivered, but then immediately Quinn drew his focus. He took a few steps out of the circle, but a surge of emotion charged the atmosphere. Quinn's magic stuttered out, and he stumbled, clearly losing his bearings and his balance from the disorienting journey home.