Reclaiming Quinn - Parker Williams Page 0,43
we get rid of, a new and, hopefully, better one takes their place. It’s still going to take years to get through, but the world we’re creating needs to be a better place for our children, and I have to believe that’s worth it.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything you want.”
Quinn swallowed hard. “There’s so much anger in me now, and I don’t understand it. I was never mad before.”
“Are you sure?” Gareth wrapped an arm around Quinn’s shoulders. “You never got pissed for something that Ryker did? Like when he did something to Margaret or someone else you liked.”
“No, getting mad wasn’t allowed and—oh.” Quinn had suppressed his rage at how they were all treated. He’d lain in his bed at night and wished he had the strength to save them all, but every morning he woke up as weak as he’d ever been. “I guess I did.”
“And now that anger’s coming out. That’s a good thing. It’s like lancing a boil. It hurts, but when it’s said and done, the healing can start in earnest.”
Quinn wanted to heal. He wanted to be Deke’s mate in every sense of the word. And he was ready, except….
“What’s it like to make love?”
Gareth choked. “What?”
“Deke mentioned how making love was different from sex. I didn’t understand it, and I want to know.”
“Oh. Um. Maybe Sean would be better to talk about this.”
Quinn bit back a laugh at how uncomfortable Gareth, the big, bad Supreme Alpha, was when it came to talking about making love.
“I’ve talked with Sean, but I wanted to hear it from you too.”
Gareth glanced toward the door, then let his gaze slide slowly in Quinn’s direction. He sighed, deep and long.
“Before I met Sean, I had a few encounters. They were okay. I mean, we both enjoyed it, I think. But there weren’t any emotions involved, and everyone treated me differently, like being an Alpha meant their needs weren’t important. I found it… frustrating, because part of being an Alpha is caring for the needs of your pack or, in my case, my partner. When I met Sean, when the two of us… made love, it was wholly different. The passion was still there, but there were so many layers of feelings involved. For every one I peeled back, another was there, deeper and richer than the ones before. I wanted to be sure Sean was taken care of, and when I looked into his eyes, I never wanted to be apart from him. Never had I felt like that with anyone else. That, to me, is the difference between making love and sex. It’s not rutting, it’s coming together to create something beautiful.”
Oh Goddess. When Gareth spoke like that, Quinn could see it all. The last six months, Deke was surrounding Quinn in a bubble of safety, security, and love.
“He loves me.”
“With his whole heart, just like you love him.”
And it was true. Quinn loved Deke; he knew it soul deep. “I need my mate.”
Gareth gave him a squeeze. “We’re going to bring him home to you, I swear it. And Klein is a dead man for hurting him. That’s my promise to you.”
When he was a kid, Quinn never wanted anyone hurt. He used to love to pretend he was a doctor, making things better. Now? Knowing what Klein had done to Deke?
“I’m good with that.”
Chapter Twelve
THE DOOR to the kitchen opened and another of Klein’s enforcers dragged a man inside. He dropped him to the floor, then snorted and stormed out. Deke reached out to where the man lay, nursing his arm.
“Are you okay?”
He narrowed his gaze and, a moment later, lashed out. Deke reared back, out of range.
“Hey, I’m not trying to hurt you.” He gestured to his nearly naked body. “See? Stuck here like you.”
Deke held out the hand again. For a moment, the man glared at him, then spoke.
“Where the fuck am I?” he growled as he took Deke’s hand, doing his best to get into the other chair.
“I wish I knew, believe me. My name is…. My name is Quinn, and I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m not your enemy.” He held up his arm. “See?”
Deke hated having to lie, but he couldn’t trust anyone right now.
“Who the hell are these people? What do they want?”
That was another thing he couldn’t say. Humans didn’t know about shifters, and Deke wasn’t about to be the one to tell this guy anything.
“I don’t know. They took me from my hotel and brought