Reclaiming Quinn - Parker Williams Page 0,64
Omegas. We felt it and rushed back. We found the Alphas burning their bodies.” He peered at Deke. “You need to understand. Our abilities were linked with the Omegas. When they died, most of our powers were stripped from us. As weakened as we were, we were no match for the Alphas when they moved against us.”
None of this made any kind of sense. “I don’t understand.”
“No,” Zach said with a dry chuckle. “I would imagine you don’t. There were rumblings about a plot against the Omegas. Mother created the Vampyri to stand against any enemy who would threaten her perfect creation. We were meant to protect them with our lives. One Alpha came to us and said they’d discovered the nature of the plot and sent us to stop it. By the time we got to where he said the attack would happen, it was too late. They moved like a well-oiled machine and systematically slaughtered the Omegas. As soon as it happened, our strength waned, and our enemies—the Alphas—waded in and slaughtered my people. We did our best to fight back, but we were a shell of ourselves.”
“When you say Vampyri, do you mean vampires?”
Zach shrugged. “That’s one word for it.”
“But they’re myths.”
“You mean like shifters?” He sat down in the other chair and took the sling from around his neck. “Goddess, I’m glad to be rid of that thing.”
“So you’re not hurt?”
“Oh, I was. Like you, though, I heal pretty fast. Not like we used to, of course. We were supposed to be the perfect killing machines, with a single goal in mind.”
Deke cocked his head. “Okay, pretend I’m an idiot—”
Zach quirked an eyebrow. “Pretend?”
“Asshole. I thought vampires were bloodsucking monsters.”
“And I thought werewolves were mangy mutts who had to deal with fleas.” He leaned in. “I may have left a few things out, but I’ve been honest with you. I am a police officer, and I’d heard rumblings of an alleged Omega who’d been in town, so I came to investigate. When these assholes jumped me, I fought back. I killed one and probably would have gotten the other, but then figured I wouldn’t learn anything about the human trafficking, so I let them take me. Maybe I could figure out the truth about the Omega sightings and the human slavery ring. I never expected to find you, though. You’re the first lycan I’ve had an actual conversation with in decades.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you kept talking about your Alpha, and the few of us who were left learned to hate them. I wanted to get this done and slip away without having to meet him.” He sighed. “I have to admit, though…. You’ve shown me that not all wolves are bad.”
“Things are… changing. Mother made Gareth the Supreme Alpha. She sent him and Sean out to get the wolves back under control.”
Zach snorted. “Good luck with that. This one? Klein? I busted one of his meat processing plants. Got six kids out alive. Don’t ask about the people I couldn’t save.” Even in the darkness, the pain was etched on Zach’s face. “He has to go.”
“And he will. Gareth will do whatever is necessary, I’m sure.” It was quiet for a moment. “So…. Vampire, huh?”
“Vampyri. We’re not like the movies make us out to be. We are stronger at night, but we’re not going to melt in the sun. In fact, I quite enjoy laying out at the beach. I don’t tan, but it still feels nice to be warm. Oh, and don’t even get me started on sparkling, because that’s a big no.” He smiled. “When Mother created us, we were to be faster than most wolves, single-minded in our duty to protect the Omegas, and deadly enough to take down anyone who would be a threat.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “To this day, we don’t know why we didn’t see it coming.”
This was coming from a place Deke had never heard of, but Zach’s explanation made sense, at least in a weird way. Mother knew the Omegas were in danger, and she set out to protect them. The more Deke learned about the death of the Omegas, the more he understood the depths of her grief. In fact, now that he was paying attention, it was plain to see that Zach still harbored it himself.
“Because you never expected treachery from Mother’s other creations. I get it.” Deke cocked his head. “What I don’t understand is why I’ve never heard of this