Page 74 of The Enemy to the Living
“In your flat?”
“Yeah. He has a key, I guess. I mean, I know Kieran does.”
“Why? They shouldn’t—”
“Not as if I’m paying rent, is it?” Quinn shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not bothered about him being there. I’m bothered about what I did.”
“Yeah. Okay. What happened?”
“We… He asked who’d hurt me, first. Ifyou’d—” Quinn sucks in a sharp breath. “I told him no. And then he asked me if I blame him for my parents’ deaths.”
Tears spring to his eyes and I hold him a little more tightly.
“We just got into it after that. I mean,Idid. I-I told him that it was his fault. He left me there. Kieran left us both there, but Drew didn’t eventellme he was going to leave. And now he’s happy and has his mates, and I think part of me is happy for him, but I—”
He whimpers and I draw him close, pressing our foreheads together.
“Quinn…”
“I killed someone. That vampire. I did kill him. Maybe I should have pushed for the challenge with Augustine.”
“Augustine wanted to kill you.”
“I killed his partner. And everyone I know… I don’tknow, Asher. I think I need to leave here. I don’t think they understand me at all.”
I sigh. Quinn’s pack has fucked up a little, but more as a result of their own grief and fear and need for survival than anything else.
“You have to finish with the fae first,” I murmur, and Quinn’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t indicate whether he agrees or not. “And then we can take it from there, okay?”
“We?”
“Yeah. I’ll help. You know that.”
“I don’t. I didn’t.”
“Drew won’t be upset forever. I’m sure he knows what you meant.”
“I hope not.”
“Why?”
“Ididmean it. I know it’s not all his fault. I know what Hale and Tamesis did. But if he hadn’t left—Things might have been different if he had stayed.”
I sweep a hand up and down his back and kiss his forehead. “You can’t dwell on that, pup. We can’t change what happened.”
“No?” He huffs. “You don’t have magic for that?”
“Someone out there probably does, but not me.”
“What if he hates me forever? What if Sam hates me for making him upset?”
“Then I’ll keep you here,” I murmur because I can’t imagine letting him go now, not for a second. “We’ll have our own pack of two if you want.”
Quinn is silent for a long time—long enough that I lean back to look at him. His eyes are wide, lips slightly parted. “You—You’re serious.”
“Of course I am.”
“But you’re part of the Hunt.”
