Outlaw (Wolves of Royal Paynes #4) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,18

dark whisper. "Pierce."

Hearing that name, Knox couldn't hold back his growl either.

Dr. Tiff hadn't asked Quinlan very many questions about how he'd been taken or his daily life while held captive during her exam. She'd been more concerned with his physical wellbeing in that moment. He hadn't been malnourished or dehydrated, no major injuries or wounds other than sleep exhaustion. Quinlan's physical state was better than the doc had been expecting, but that did not mean he was unharmed. Something had happened to him. He didn't need marks on his body for me to know he'd been hurt.

The part I couldn't understand was why Quinlan looked at me like I'd been the person who hurt him. I'd sworn to protect him, had guarded him for most of his life. Was that it? Were my broken promises to keep him safe what made him so angry?

"If you want to talk about it now, we're here to listen. I know it's early, but it looks like everyone's up." Jazz cleared off the small, circular table. When Jazz had joined us, we'd often eaten in the kitchen, but now the table wasn't near large enough. Transitioning into the other room might spook Quinlan, though, and Jazz seemed to realize that as he motioned for the coffee, sugar, and cream to be brought to the table. Knox and Sitka grabbed what was needed. Sitka sat at the table with Storri, Siobhan, Quinlan, and Jazz, while Knox retreated to stand shoulder to shoulder with me against the wall.

"There isn't a lot to tell." Quinlan accepted the mug of black coffee from Jazz with a small frown that formed a tiny wrinkle at the bridge of his nose. "I haven't had coffee in…"

If he hadn't had any while captive, then the last time Quinlan had coffee was with me the morning before we left for our mission. It tended to make him jittery, so he only ever drank it when he knew I'd be around to help him if his anxiety reared up. His gaze flitted my way, confirming my hunch.

He stuck his chin out. "A long time," he finished stubbornly.

"Well, some days it flows like water, so you'll get used to the sight."

With his wraiths wrapped around his neck again, Quinlan doctored his coffee, adding several spoonfuls of sugar and a generous portion of cream. Him drinking coffee wasn't ideal so soon after a near panic attack, but he looked so pleased I couldn't bring myself to say anything about it.

It was still a mystery why Pierce had made sure Quinlan had food and water for all those years but not coffee, unless he also knew about Quin's panic attacks. Obviously, Pierce was more invested in Quin than he'd let on. I'd only ever thought the two had a pack bond from Alpha to pack member.

Quinlan took his first sip, and there wasn't a force on the earth that could've made me look away from the momentary joy that one sip brought him. Any pleasure I might've derived from that expression faded with the words that came out of his mouth.

"I don't remember much. It was night. I'd been sleeping. Then I was tied up in the back seat of Pierce's car. He told me…" Quinlan's voice shook, and he looked up, but not at me. At Knox. "I hoped he was lying. It was the only thing he didn't make me see."

What the hell did that mean?

"About what?" Jazz asked, but the pain in Quinlan's voice was a clear indicator of what he was talking about.

"Our old pack is gone, Quinlan. They died in an explosion that we believed also killed you. Pierce faked his death on our mission, and I believe he then teleported to our old home. He set the bomb off, but not before drugging you, tying you up, and loading you in his car." That was Knox, giving out the information straight as an arrow. On most days, I respected that in him, but this was Quinlan. The same boy who'd made me put on a funeral for a bird that had run into my kitchen window and died.

However, the shaggy-haired man in front of me didn't flinch at the confirmation. "So he could tell a truth," he scoffed. "Surprise, surprise." His wraiths rattled like snakes about to strike.

"Do you really think it was Pierce who set off the hellfire bomb?" Isaiah asked, nodding briefly at Quinlan. They were meeting for the first time, but somewhere between the wraiths chasing