Page 78 of Reclaiming Quinn
Zach’s cheeks stained a bright red. “We were forced to take lives. I…. We dispensed justice on more than one criminal whose body was never recovered.” He peered at Sean. “I know this makes us unclean and unfit to serve, but—”
“But nothing,” Gareth said. “We all do what we need to in order to live. No one knows that better than the wolves of Lydon.”
“You can’t seriously be considering—” Sean started, but stopped when Gareth held up a hand.
“We’ll talk about it,” Gareth replied, but the tone let Deke know there would be no conversation.
“Alpha, what about the humans?”
Gareth smiled. “They were trying to move them somewhere else when we arrived. One of our men got the people to safety while the rest… dispensed justice.”
“The little girl?”
“Safe, I promise.” He turned to Quinn, who raised his head but remained at Deke’s side. “We also found Rupert’s family. They’re on the way to Lydon now.”
Rupert blew out a breath, obviously relieved. “Thank you, Alpha Supreme. I can’t wait to see them again.”
Quinn stood to face Gareth with a sharp nod but kept an iron grip on Deke’s hand.
“I have people outside waiting to cleanse this place. They’ll be sure the bodies can’t be found, and they’ll check to ensure no one is left behind.” Gareth stepped over to Deke and knelt beside him. He wrapped an arm around Deke’s shoulder. “Have you learned anything here?”
Deke looked up at Quinn, who stood beside him, his arm wrapped around his midsection as he stared at Klein’s body.
“Yes. My mate is the most important thing in my life, and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.”
That drew a chuckle from Gareth. “Then you’ve learned the most important lesson of all. I’m sorry I tried to stop you from helping Quinn, and I regret my words. I do trust you, wholeheartedly. You’ve been good for Quinn, and he’s obviously been good for you.”
He was, and Deke wanted to get home so he could show Quinn how much he meant to Deke.
AS SOONas they were in the van, Deke rested against Quinn and fell asleep. Exhaustion was obvious—from the lines around his eyes to the way Gareth practically carried him to the vehicle. Quinn pulled Deke close, allowing him to rest his head on Quinn’s chest. He was amazed that Deke had even been able to shift, with as much weight as he’d lost.
“You okay?” Sean asked.
Quinn smiled at Sean even as he carded his fingers through Deke’s hair. “Fine. I’m just… I can’t believe I got him back.”
Quinn leaned in and inhaled Deke’s scent, letting it soothe him.
“I made you a promise,” Gareth said softly. “I will never break my word to you.”
No one could keep every promise. It wasn’t possible. Still, Quinn appreciated Gareth’s words. Turning, he caught Rupert staring at their guest, his eyes wide. Quinn could see why. Zach was impressive. Easily six and a half feet, with a shaved head and piercing black eyes, he was an amazing man. The fact he’d helped keep Deke safe? That was something Quinn could never repay.
Rupert turned to Gareth. “You swear to me my family is safe?”
“Yes. They’re both fine. By the time we get back to Lydon, they’ll be in a house, and Dani will be ensuring they’re both well taken care of.” He smiled at Rupert. “Your son is quite a little firecracker.”
“Judah is the most important thing in my life.” He peered toward Zach. “One of them at any rate.”
Gareth nodded, as if he understood. “They’re going to be fine. I give you my word.”
With the promise made, Rupert visibly relaxed. Zach yawned then, his entire body shuddering.
“Are you tired, Zach?” Rupert whispered. “You can rest on my shoulder.”
Zach looked out the window, watching the land as it went by. “We do not sleep. While we were being held, I pretended so that Deke would not think anything wrong, but I was awake and alert to my surroundings.”
“You never sleep?”
Zach shrugged one of his big shoulders. “We might nap for a few minutes here and there, but none of the Vampyri need sleep. To do so would distract us from our mission.”
