Page 15 of Reclaiming Quinn
Quinn drew back. “Master?”
“You made me laugh, and I like that.” He held out his hand, and Quinn hesitantly took it. He tensed, waiting to see what would happen. “There isn’t enough joy in the world, you know. Your joke was funny, and that was appreciated.” He cocked his head. “May I ask you a question?”
Why would Master need his permission? “Of course.”
“What was life like for you before Gareth took you out of Ryker’s pack?”
Quinn tried to pull back, but Master kept a firm grip on his hand.
“You don’t need to tell me. I don’t want to dredge up any bad memories. I just… I guess I want to know who Quinn was before Ryker did… what he did.”
“I… I’m not sure there was a Quinn before Ryker.” Quinn took a steadying breath and focused on Master’s hand. It was warm, rough, and held a strength that Quinn wished he could find. “Life in the pack was hard, brutal. Ryker brooked no opposition. If he even thought you were against him—whether you were or it was just in his head—he had no qualms about killing you outright. He used to say it was survival of the fittest, and it paid to keep your head down and go on about your business, no matter what.”
When he was a boy, there were cries carried on the wind. Many times, Quinn buried his face in the pillow, hoping to blot them out, but he couldn’t. He had to hear every agonizing sound and lie there and remember how small and weak he was.
“Why didn’t the people leave? I mean, they could have stolen away into the night and found somewhere safe.”
Quinn snorted. “There was nowhere safe from Ryker. He had Kristopher, and he… he hunted anyone who tried to escape.” He swallowed hard, the lump in his throat feeling like a brick. “More than a few, especially the young, tried to get away, and we never saw or heard from them again. Even though I didn’t tell anyone, I heard their screams and knew they were dead. That’s why I was so upset when Ryker took Sean. I didn’t want him to die.”
Another hand encompassed his. Master was doing his best to give Quinn the strength to continue.
“When Sean escaped, I was so afraid Ryker would find him. Many times he got close, but Sean always managed to get away. Then when they couldn’t get him, they came for me.”
That day was burned indelibly into Quinn’s mind. His terror, how he’d pled with his parents to help him, how Ryker grabbed him by the hair and all but dragged him out of the house.
“I knew what happened to the people Ryker took. I know how he treated them. I also knew I was going to be next. Then he did the most curious thing. He locked me away in a room and told me I was to remain untouched until he deemed otherwise. My meals were slid through a hole at the bottom of the door, and the dishes were collected the same way. You have no idea how lonely I was.”
That wasn’t the half of it. Depression was common on most days, because Quinn had no idea what would happen to him. He’d contemplated trying to kill himself, but something inside stopped him. He thought he was too weak to carry it out.
“I wanted to die.”
Master gasped. “Never say that. Ever.” He rolled back from the table still holding Quinn’s hand. “You know what? Come with me.”
He led Quinn to the sofa, hoisted himself onto it, and tugged Quinn down next to him. Master patted his lap.
“Lie down.”
In Master’s lap? Oh no. That would be…. Master took the choice out of his hand by putting an arm around Quinn’s shoulder and pulling him down. Before Quinn could protest, Master was rubbing Quinn’s scalp. It still felt weird having no hair, but he liked that they’d cut it off because it had become a weapon Ryker’d used against him.
“I’m going to tell you something, okay?”
Yes, talk to me, please. I’m… scared.
“When I got the call from Lyram asking me to come to Lydon, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. I went to my boss and told him I was quitting because…. I know this is going to sound corny, but it’s the truth. I told him that there was something pulling me to Lydon, telling me I had to get there. It was like an imperative. When I got to the pack grounds, Lyram picked me up and took me around, showing me the area. I fell hard for it and thought I’d finally found my place in the world.”
Oh, Quinn wished he could do that. Life at Lydon was easy, simple. Quinn was given work to do, and he wasmostlyhappy.
“I was wrong.”
What? “Are you…?” Quinn swallowed the heart that was suddenly in his throat. “Are you leaving Lydon, Master?”
“No, that’s where I want to be. I’ve traveled the world, and I’ve seen some amazing things, but not one of them compares to what I found in Lydon. There are so many beauties out there for people to behold, but there’s a gem—metaphorically speaking—in Lydon that is the greatest treasure anyone could ask for. I would be a fool to even consider going.”
“A gem?”
Master’s fingers rubbed Quinn’s scalp harder, and Quinn did his best to stifle a groan. Master’s hands were magical.
“The day I went into the kitchen and found you all eating chili? That was when I discovered something more precious than anything I’d ever seen before.”
