Reclaiming Quinn - Parker Williams Page 0,14

When he peered up, Master was sitting there, a smile on his face, watching Quinn.

“Why are you eating so slowly?”

What was the proper way to answer? “I wanted to be sure you ate first, as is your due.”

Master chuckled, then put his fork down before he crossed his hands on the table. “I want to watch you eat.”

“But….” That wasn’t right. His master was nothing like anyone else he’d ever dealt with. Just when Quinn thought he had figured out something, Master would change the rules and leave Quinn trying to catch up.

“But what?” That strange quirk to his lips again. “Go on, tell me.”

Playful. Master was teasing. It shocked Quinn how he’d realized it, and he found he liked his master teasing him. There was a lightness to him, and it made Quinn’s heart sing.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you know. It helps your brain to function and gives you energy to get up and moving. It’s why I like to eat before I go to work,” Deke explained.

“And here I thought it was because Dani cooked it for you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Quinn clamped it shut, unable to believe he’d said something so foolish. Deke’s eyes widened slightly, and Quinn pulled his hands away to tuck them under the table, as if that would stop Deke if he wanted to hurt Quinn. He was confused when Deke chuckled.

“I’m sorry, Master, I—”

“You… you made a joke.”

“It slipped out, and I won’t do it again.”

“The hell you won’t.”

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