Reclaiming Quinn - Parker Williams Page 0,60
dozens of wolves ready the moment we know your location. Gotta say, seeing him this way is scary as hell. Makes me glad he’s on our side.
As long as Gareth was keeping Quinn safe, Deke was glad he was on their side as well.
“HE TOLD a human about us?” Gareth growled as he slammed a hand down on the tabletop, rattling the dishes. “Deke is treading on thin ice. First he disobeys my direct command for him to stay here, then—”
Sean cleared his throat, which caused Gareth to spin on his heel and level a glare at Sean.
“Yes, fine, I know,” he shouted, jabbing a finger in the air to punctuate his point. “He needed to try and help his mate. I understand all that. But this? It’s probably the worst thing Deke could do. Humans can’t know about us. As fractured as we are, they could round us up and toss us into prison—or worse.”
“Zach won’t betray us,” Quinn said, standing a bit straighter. “Deke trusts him, and I believe in Deke. And there’s something else. Deke thinks Zach is human, but when he showed me the images of Zach fighting with one of Klein’s men, Zach was beating him.”
Quinn was afraid Gareth’s head would snap off, the way he twisted it when he turned the full weight of his attention to him.
“What do you mean beating him? There is no way a human could best a wolf hand to hand.”
“Specist much?” Sean quipped. “There are some very powerful humans out there.”
Quinn nodded. “Yes, and I know how it sounds, but… I don’t know. I get the impression there’s something there, under the surface, that Deke can’t see.”
Gareth fluttered his hand. “Explain.”
Quinn drew in a sharp breath. “Zach seems like a great guy. Deke finds him funny, affable, and a strong ally. The thing is, even Deke isn’t certain that a human can beat a wolf.” He peered up at Sean. “What can?”
Sean’s eyes widened. “Nothing that I know of. I mean, Mother meant for the wolf to be the top of the food chain. When she changed Gareth, she made him the ultimate Alpha. Of course, he’s not indestructible, none of us are. But we possess enhanced strength, endurance, agility. Think of a shifter as being akin to an olympic-level athlete. Most humans wouldn’t stand a chance against the pinnacle of creation.”
“But that’s just it. I don’t think Zach is fully human. I don’t know what he is, but there’s something there. I can feel it.”
Gareth stepped forward. “Do you think Deke is in danger because of him?”
Quinn shook his head. “I really think he cares for Deke. Nothing he’s done has made Deke wary of Zach.”
“Okay.”
Gareth took the phone from his pocket and pressed a finger to the screen.
“You’re getting better at that,” Sean teased. “You’ve only broken three this month.”
“Yeah, you try having fingers the size of….” He held up a hand. “This is Blackthorn. I want you to talk to Wolfgang and ask him to check with his suppliers in Chicago. They usually know a lot of what’s going on. See if he can find out anything about a police officer named Zach who says he was based there.” He lifted his gaze. “Do you have a last name?”
“No, I’m sorry. I can describe him if that helps.”
“At this point anything will. One sec.” … “I’ve got you on speaker with Quinn.”
“Quinn?”
Oh, Dani’s voice. It soothed Quinn in ways even Sean hadn’t been able to do.
“Dani,” he whimpered.
“How are you holding up, sweetheart?”
The tears stung Quinn’s eyes once more. “I’m trying.”
Quinn quickly described Zach as best as he remembered. When he finished, he sighed. “That’s all I can think of.”
“Deke is lucky to have you, you know.” She chuckled. “Just like my stubborn kid is lucky to have Lyram.”
The room grew quiet; then Lyram cleared his throat. “You knew?”
“I’m old, Alpha, but that doesn’t mean I don’t pay attention. He’s your mate, right?”
“Yes,” Lyram whispered.
“He’ll come around. Just don’t give up on him, okay?”
“I would never!” Lyram said indignantly.
“That’s my boy. I mean my Alpha. Well, you know.”
They all chuckled, but Lyram seemed so sad. Quinn wanted to reach out to him, but then he realized that Lyram was doing his best to be the Alpha they needed, despite how his heart was breaking. He needed to change the tone of the conversation.
“Dani, when I come home, will you teach me to cook? I want to take care of Deke like you do.”
“You’ll take care