Under the Moon (Goddesses Rising) - By Natalie J. Damschroder Page 0,10
up past his passionless face at the rage in his eyes, and cold, foreign fear paralyzed her. Somehow, when he reached to grab her shirt, his fist cocked, she’d dredged up the strength to fight back. The fiasco had earned her a broken arm.
Nick arrived a few days later, informing her that her mother had called the Society, who contacted the Protectorate. Quinn wanted to be furious, but she wasn’t stupid. Besides the fact that vulnerability and nervousness had become her companions, she was a young, unattached woman. Why would she fight having a hot, rugged, mysterious guy at her side? Especially one who drove a muscle car and wore a beat-up leather jacket, trappings she knew were meaningless, but damn, they were hot.
At first, Nick stayed until the boyfriend was arraigned for the assault charges and released on bail. He’d been spotted lurking once, but Nick’s presence kept him away. Nick spent some time training Quinn in self-defense, and when the threat appeared averted, the Protectorate moved him on to another assignment.
Quinn had hated the cold pit of fear the incident had left in her, and she refused to do nothing when there were so many people she could help. They’d established a system to help abused women get out of their situations, and Nick’s assignment turned permanent. He set a random schedule to deter anyone who might be planning an attack, always overlapping with the new moon. When Quinn’s father had his fourth, fatal heart attack and her mother died from an infection a few months later, Quinn took over the bar and her goddess business grew naturally into other, less directly dangerous work. Her reputation included the presence of a badass protector, so the threat against her became dormant, and their working relationship became routine.
Their friendship had started with their first words. Quinn couldn’t remember them now, only that whatever Nick said had snagged a connection inside her with the strength of platinum. He wasn’t a silent, lurking presence like a normal bodyguard. They debated physical versus energy-sourced protection. The defensive perspective he provided gave her a new way of looking at the world, and it made her stronger. And even though he was never there to see it, she was better able to serve her clients during the week around the full moon.
They enjoyed the same TV shows and movies and even shared political and social opinions. Quinn would have called them soul mates, but the one time they’d seemed to be venturing over that line, Nick had made it clear he wouldn’t go there. Month by month their friendship had deepened, as had both her feelings and Nick’s determination.
Shaking off the melancholy, she spent some time clearing tables and shooting the shit with her regulars. She needed to put a buffer between her unsettling moments with Nick and talking to Sam. He was so sensitive to her moods he’d instantly know what she was feeling, and things were bad enough between them without pulling Nick into the mix. Eventually, she felt clear enough to go bring Sam up to date.
This time when she entered the office, instead of pretending he hadn’t noticed her, he eyed her carefully from head to toe.
“You’re okay?”
“Yeah, why?” She set the laptop on her desk.
“I heard the commotion. I was on the phone, and by the time I came out, everything looked fine.”
“Just a drunk. We got rid of him.” She shoved her hair back and leaned against the side of her desk. “We have a problem, Sam.”
He stared at the pencil he was twirling between his hands. “I don’t think we do.” He seemed to steel himself and looked up. Hurt flickered in his eyes before a wall went up. Quinn forgot what she’d been about to say. “We settled everything last night. I’ve been your employee, and a tool—”
Appalled, she cut in. “You’re not a tool, Sam, you’re my friend. My family. I can’t—”
“Will you shut up and listen?” He stood, the pain replaced by anger and determination. “I don’t want this to change anything.”
Quinn opened her mouth, sorrow and regret surging, but he stopped her with a sweep of his hand.
“You are my best friend. I understand that you can’t care about me the way I’d hoped. But you still need me. I don’t want you to send me away. I can—”
Someone knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for a response. Katie came through and zeroed in on Quinn, apparently not noticing their tension.