Page 74 of Reclaiming Quinn
“Klein said you need to try this. He said it’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.”
“I don’t know. I’m not a fag, and this is really weird.”
The guy, a guard Deke presumed, chuckled. “I gotta admit, he’s got some pretty lips. And Klein swears by his talents.”
“You tried him?”
“Nah, he’s Klein’s, and he’d kill us if we touched him.”
The door opened, and before the guard could react, Deke was on him. Zach stepped out of the shadows and raked his talons across the other wolf’s throat. He fell to the floor, choking on his own blood. Deke, meanwhile, had the advantage in his own fight. The shock from the other wolf was evident, and Deke used those few precious seconds to sink his teeth into the guy’s throat and jerk his head to the side. The guy’s eyes widened, then went dark.
“We can’t stay here,” Zach said. “The scent of blood will draw them, and we’re probably going to have to fight several at once.”
Quinn, if anything happens, my heart has always been yours. I love you.
QUINN, IFanything happens, my heart has always been yours. I love you.
“They’re fighting,” Quinn said, a pit forming in his stomach. “I can feel Deke’s fear.”
It crawled over him like ants on his skin. His mate was out there, fighting and maybe dying, and Quinn couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Mother said they’d get together. She’d promised. Why couldn’t Quinn help him? Why—
A strange feeling slid across Quinn. A sense that something wasn’t right. He tensed, straining to hear a sound that couldn’t be there. A whisper in the darkness, calling to him. He turned his senses inward, wanting to find the familiar but foreign sound. He traveled the path, encouraged by the sound, to find it. It was as though Quinn were traveling the corridors of his mind.
He stopped when he saw a shadow in the distance. It lay in the dark; the only thing making it visible were two gold orbs. Quinn knew he should be afraid, but he wasn’t. Instead, he felt… at peace. He approached, no hesitation at all, and in the space of a thought, he knew who it was.
“You’re my wolf.”
The wolf dipped its chin, appearing scared. Quinn sat beside it and ran a hand over the dark hair.
“I forgot how beautiful you are.”
Sean’s wolf was red—the only one Quinn knew of—but Quinn’s wolf was a tawny brown, with patches of dark blond fur. He knew it was conceited, but when he first shifted, he’d marveled at how he looked.
The wolf whimpered and nudged Quinn’s hand, trying to get him to love on it. He snickered.
“It’s almost like loving myself,” he said, choked with emotions he didn’t really understand. “Maybe that’s it, huh? I’ve spent all these years hating myself for being weak, for not having the strength to stand up for Margaret and the others. I figured if they took you from me, what was left to take.”
The wolf slid closer, trying to climb into Quinn’s lap.
“When Ryker and Kristopher hurt me, I started to wonder if I was even worthy of being a wolf.”
Those dark eyes peered up at him.
“I was worthy. It wasn’t me who abused and killed people. I might not have been a strong wolf, but I wanted to be a good one.”
He rubbed harder, digging his fingers into the coarse fur.
“Why did they have to take you away from me? What did I do to be hurt so badly?” Tears streamed down Quinn’s cheeks. “Me and Margaret, we were children. What did we do that was so wrong?”
Nothing, Quinn. It was my fault. Every bad thing that happened was my doing.
Mother?
Yes, my darling. You’re at a crossroads now, and you have to decide which path you’re going to take. One way is safe and secure, but it’s without your wolf. The other way is harder and will be filled with harsh realities, but it’s also got your love and family walking beside you. Your wolf is here, Quinn. Like it’s always been, it’s up to you if you want to reclaim him. As you can see, he wants to be with you desperately.
The wolf had its muzzle tucked under Quinn’s chin now. It whimpered, doing whatever it could to be closer to Quinn.
Is it really so simple?
