Trapping Quincy 2: Rise of the Hunters

Quincy

The moment we step outside, Caspian bursts out laughing, and I join him after a few moments of looking around in disbelief.

“You should’ve seen your face,” Caspian grins, setting me down on the wooden floor.

He’s walking across the deck of the private yacht we’ve been vacationing on for the last few weeks. The sun catches his blonde curls, lighting them up like a comforting fire. I’m still trying to process what’s going on when he continues.

“We must have hit a wave or something when we left port,” he grins, watching me from my perch behind the closet door.

“You didn’t react much better,” I retort, acting annoyed, but a broad smile stretches across my face. I don’t fight when he pulls me into his arms, smiling at me.

“For a second, I thought we were under attack,” I admit, shaking my head. Caspian gently cups my chin, forcing our eyes to connect.

“It was my first thought, too,” he says, mirroring my expression. “It comes with years of being on defense, but everything is fine, my love.” He pecks my nose, his tenderness melting my heart. “But your expression was priceless,” he bursts out laughing again, and I smack his shoulder hard. Of course, he has to ruin the moment.

I finish my hair, ignoring Caspian’s snickering even when a smile tugs on my lips, too. Thinking about it, our reaction to the yacht leaving the port was funny. A pair of nearly indestructible lycans startled like a bunch of chickens.

Caspian opens the door for me, and I graciously walk past him. He chuckles, closing the door and hurrying behind me. Just when I reach the stairs of the luxurious yacht, he pinches my ass, and a squeal leaves my throat.

“Seriously?” I roll my eyes, but seeing his delighted expression, I can’t help but smile.

“I love the sounds you make,” he shrugs innocently, taking my hand.

“Of course you do.”

Looking at him, I can’t be annoyed by his shenanigans, not in this lifetime at least.

Hand in hand, we walk down the spectacular dark staircase. The hall leads to the cinema and lower deck master cabins where Genesis and Constantine, Lazarus and Serena, and Darius and Penny have their rooms.

On the left side is a spacious dining room with a wooden table for twelve people and a magnificent view of the deck with a jacuzzi and full-service bar.

We pass the coffee lounge with three spacious white leather couches. It is decorated with dark wood and a white marble coffee table. It’s the perfect room for gatherings. The only better spot is the bar on the top deck. We’ve had some wild and fun nights up there together on the trip.

“Good morning, sleepy heads,” Penny beams from across the room. She’s sitting at the breakfast table beside Darius.

“Hello, hello!” I greet, smiling happily.

They are all here. It has been so amazing to get the entire pack together for vacation. We all have such busy lives, it’s been so hard to spend as much time together as we used to. I guess that’s what happens to most people once they leave college life behind. I’m just thankful we get to spend time together. Plus it doesn’t hurt that we’re in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Caspian greets the men with bro hugs, while I exchange kisses and hugs with the girls.

“I am so happy we’re all here,” I exclaim, sitting beside Genesis. Penny nods eagerly, agreeing with my statement, and Serena raises her glass.

“I’m happy, too,” she says, grinning when Serena hands her a glass with mimosa.

“It’s ten in the morning,” I whisper in mock surprise, as if someone is going to reprimand me for drinking so early in the day.

“And?” Genesis wiggles her brows. “My son, Dominik, is at the boarding school. No one will need me today.”

“Are you sure?” Constantine’s voice cuts through our giggles, and Genesis shoots him a broad smile.

“Positive,” she chirps, clinking her glass with Serena’s, Penny’s, and mine. I can’t help but grin, enjoying their company. The four of us always manage to have a great time, but this vacation has taken our antics to a whole other level.

For a moment, Rita, our trusted cook, disrupts the conversation at the table. She’s carrying a plate piled high with all the deliciousness she was able to find. My stomach rumbles, and my mouth waters when my eyes land on the sausages and omelets. She even went to the market this morning to get bread with local jam and honey.

My mouth immediately begins to water and I can’t decide what to try first. I want it all.

“Do you have any plans for the upcoming days?” Penny asks, smacking Darius’s hand when he tries to steal a sausage from her plate. “I would like to go sightseeing. Oh, and I heard the cliff jumping here is amazing too!”

“My thoughts exactly,” I quickly agree, stuffing my mouth with a piece of bread generously slathered in fig jam and honey.

“C’mon, let’s enjoy the sun first,” Serena suggests. “There’s plenty of time to go on the mainland. And the sea.” She smiles playfully. “The sea is amazing. It would be a shame not to enjoy it thoroughly.”

“Did you know there are jet skis on the yacht?” Penny asks excitedly, clearly intent on an adventurous vacation. “I noticed them when I walked over to the lower deck. I can’t wait to try them.”

“Crazy,” Serena sighs. “I just want to lay down and enjoy the warmth. No excitement, just sunbathing. I need to work on my tan.”

“What happened to you?” I inquire, surprised by this revelation. Normally, her and Penny are the two dragging everyone around to the wildest spots because they saw some harebrained video on social media.

“Life and responsibilities,” she answers, shrugging. “I need a break.”

I can see Penny’s shoulders slump as she loses her thrill-seeking companion. I have a feeling she won’t be lacking for long though, Darius has always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie.

“Yeah, me too,” Genesis agrees. “And I’ll drink to that!” She raises her glass, smiling. “To the most relaxing vacation ever.”

The table bursts out laughing, but everyone grabs a glass.

“Vacations aren’t for relaxing, that’s so boring,” Caspian declares, but Genesis waves his remark off.

“It is what it is,” she chirps, clicking her mimosa with mine, and continues to toast with the others.

I lean over to Caspian and whisper in his ear, “Do I not provide enough excitement for you?”

Caspian offers me a smirk as he shakes his head.

“You provide more excitement than I could ever wish for,” he says as he leans into the nape of my neck. He plants a kiss before returning to his breakfast, but he sneaks his hand under the table to rest on my thigh.

My cheeks ache from smiling so much, but I can’t help but enjoy every second of this breakfast. It’s the first time in a very long time the pack is together on a vacation, able to relax like this. We all have our families, duties, and responsibilities that don’t allow us to spend as much time together as we would like to. Finally, everything worked out for us, and we can enjoy each other’s company.

Looking across the water, I zone out of the conversation at the table, thinking about my life. Before I met Caspian, my life was terrible. After my precious Nana died, I had no one. I have Jorden in my corner, but he had to protect himself from his family too. It was torture to live with wolves who didn’t care about me.

My own mother acted like I didn’t exist. I was a mere nuisance to her, nothing but a reminder of a stupid mistake she made when she was young.

But then he came. Caspian, my golden god. He saved me from the hands of old Alpha Maddox, who claimed I was his second-chance mate. I don’t want to think about what my life would look like now if he had gotten his filthy hands on me. The old pervert and murderer, I shudder just thinking about him.

Caspian took me away and saved me from the claws of people who never really wanted me. He’s loved me and treasured me as his queen since. And I love him more than I could ever describe in words.

My heart fills with happiness every time I look at him. One look into his gorgeous, mischievous eyes and my grumpy mood is gone. He can make me smile at every situation with his silly jokes and flirty remarks. No matter how dumb they are, and boy, are they dumb sometimes.

He’s the one I was born for, the one I want to spend eternity with.

I sneak my hand under the table and entwine my fingers with his on my lap. He reacts instantly and squeezes my hand.

His thumb brushes along my knuckles as he finishes his conversation with Constantine.

“Please, excuse us,” he says, wiggling his brows and winking at me. “We must change into our swimsuits.”

“Of course.” Penny gives us a pointed look. “I hope this change won’t take two hours.”

“Five minutes tops,” Lazarus coughs. Serena playfully slaps him, his shoulders shaking as they all smile knowingly.

I feel my cheeks heating up, and I want to disappear into thin air. Ten years have passed, and I still haven’t gotten used to their banter.

“Slow down,” Caspian laughs as I hurry up the stairs, pulling him behind me. The giggles and chuckles from below follow us until we reach the door to the master bedroom.

I open the door, but before I can enter, Caspian spins me around, and I land in his arms. He effortlessly lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his hips instinctively.

A smile forms on my lips when he kisses my jaw, and everything else melts away. No one else exists but him, my handsome mate. My erasthai.

The world around us freezes. The air is charged with electricity, and we’re unable to keep ourselves from each other.

Penny was obviously right. This will be a longer change than I originally planned.