Page 60 of The Night Wolf
There was something wrong here, and Gareth was the only one who seemed to see it. “Lyram, stop.”
“But Alpha—”
“Grab Sean’s brother and let’s get out of here.”
“What? We have the chance to finish this!”
A small piece of Gareth was pleased by Lyram’s new attitude. He apparently hadn’t noticed it either, which made things even better.
“At what price? We don’t know who is loyal to Ryker. If we kill him, who’s to say the next person won’t be worse? We’ve beat him, and now we have to take our men home.” He turned to Ryker. “Don’t think this is over, because I promise you, it’s not.”
The grin Ryker gave sent a chill down Gareth’s spine. “Oh, I know it’s not. Sean’s going to belong to me, and the child will be mine.”
“Over my dead body.”
“It’s like you read my mind.” Ryker backed away, the grin never leaving his face. “Kristopher, let’s go.”
As the two slipped into the inky darkness, Gareth feared that the worst was still to come.
Chapter Seventeen
SEAN’S STOMACHheaved as he came awake. He feared he would open his eyes and still be Ryker’s prisoner. When a hand stroked over his cheek, he shuddered and twisted away.
“Hey, it’s okay. You’re home and you’re safe.”
Sean opened his eyes and found Gareth smiling down at him. “I’m home?” He jolted up. “I have to go back. He’s got Quinn!”
“Your brother is safe. He’s asleep in your old room. When we got home, Dani took one look at him and told us all to, and I quote, back the fuck off. She guided him into the kitchen, where she has been trying to get him to eat. So far, Quinn’s resisting. She isn’t giving up, though.”
“You brought him home?” Sean sagged back against the bed. “Thank you.”
“You never have to thank me, Sean. Quinn’s family, and this is his home for as long as he wants.”
Tears pricked Sean’s eyes. “They did things to him. Bad things.”
“I know. I saw his stomach.”
“Wait.” Sean sat up again, only this time he swung his feet over the edge of the bed. “What’s wrong with his stomach?”
Gareth turned away, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “I thought you knew. They…. They branded him, Sean. Ryker and Kristopher burned a wolf symbol into Quinn’s stomach.”
Sean’s eyes went wide a moment before he leaned over and hurled. He gagged and retched as he sobbed. His brother was the purest, sweetest person Sean had ever known. How could anyone do this to him? It took him a moment to realize Gareth was rubbing in soft circles on his back.
He sat up, scrubbed a hand over his mouth, and leaned against Gareth. “I’m sorry.”
“For what? I had to force myself not to do that when Quinn showed it to me.” He stood and pulled Sean with him. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
He wrapped Sean’s hand in his and led him to the bathroom. While Sean brushed, Gareth ran a bath in the huge claw-foot tub. He dropped a couple of beads in and swirled the water, which turned a light purple. The air was scented with lavender and vanilla, which Sean inhaled deeply.
Gareth turned and smiled at Sean. “Get in and relax.”
“What about you?”
“Who do you think is going to be washing you?”
A dipped toe skimming the water helped Sean determine the temperature was perfect. He got in and sank down until the water touched his chin. Gareth reached into the cabinet and pulled out a washcloth, then knelt beside the tub. He wetted the cloth, then reached over, took some lavender soap, and squeezed a generous dollop onto it.
“Have a thing for lavender?”
