“I don’t know. I have never kept anything from her. I hate it.” Quinn says, and sees Breanna with Mark.
Justin takes her hands in his, and she turns her attention back to him. “I know you don’t like to keep things from her, but what if she doesn’t believe you? I don’t want you to get hurt, she might look at you differently after you tell her.”
Quinn would be more than heartbroken if Breanna acted differently with her. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Shouldn’t Mark have told her?” What if he is planning on biting her best friend without her knowing? Quinn would rip his heart out if he hurt her.
“I have already talked to Mark; he won't do anything unless she wants it.” Justin squeezes her hands, and she grins.
“Have I told you how amazing you are?” She moves closer to her amazing boyfriend.
He wraps his arms around her waist. “I don’t think you have, but do tell.”
Quinn laughs and lays her head on his chest. “I love you to Neptune and back.” She snuggles closer to Justin.
“That you do,” Justin says as his perfect lips move closer to hers. “I love you to the moon and back, you make me a better person.” Each word he says makes his lips brush against hers, Quinn shudders.
She brings her hazel-blue eyes up to meet his gray-yellow eyes, and finds his eyes turning more yellow. “I think you should kiss me now.” Or everyone will have to notice his eyes changing. Justin laughs and kisses her.
Quinn holds Justin tighter, and he groans. She wants to get lost in his arms, and she never wants to be found. As long as she has Justin nothing bad will happen to her again. Justin is the one to pull away, but he doesn’t go far. He places his forehead on hers and stares into her eyes. Quinn's heart swells with the love that she sees in his gray-yellow eyes.
“Quinn is mine now, so hand her over lover boy.” Breanna's voice says behind Quinn, and Justin's eyes shift away for a second.
“Do I have to? I am quite fond of her,” Justin says and Quinn laughs. He winks at her then moves his face away from hers.
“It's my turn to have Quinn.” Quinn can hear the pout in her best friend’s voice.
“Fine I have to get to practice anyways.” Justin gives Breanna his best smile, and then he looks back at Quinn. “To the moon and back,” he whispers.
Quinn grins, and giggles. “To Neptune and back.” Justin kisses her nose and he waves as he walks away.
“We so need to talk, let’s go,” Breanna says, and they head out to their cars.
“Want to take both cars so we can go home after?” Quinn asks, and Breanna nods.
***
Kaden parks his motorcycle in front of Lizzy's school and it doesn’t take him long to spot her. She is with a group of girls, when she sees him Lizzy waves to them and walks towards her.
“Hey Kaden, where is Quinn?” she asks and he takes his spear helmet off of the back and hands it to her.
“She is going to hang out with Breanna, so it just us.” He winks. “Put the helmet on.”
Kaden turns around, and then feels her hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asks, and he smiles.
Lizzy has been through so much with her father's murder, and her mother abandoned her. “I'm okay.” Kaden doesn’t want to lie to her. He can feel her get on the bike. He glances over her shoulder to see if she has the helmet on correctly.
“Hold onto me,” he says then starts his bike up.
“Gladly.” Lizzy whispers, and he chuckles.
***
Quinn parks her car next to Breanna's. This is their place, their park. Whenever she would get into a fight with her stepmother, she would come here and Breanna would find her. They walk over to the bench under the willow tree and are hidden under its weeping branches.
“Start talking Quinny,” Breanna says and Quinn grins. She looks at her best friend; she has been more of a sister to her.
“I am starting to feel whole again, and Justin is the one making me better.” Quinn lets her smile spread. “Bree, I have never felt like this, I am so happy.”
“Good you deserve to be happy.” Breanna takes Quinn's hand. “What about Kaden?”
Quinn looks down at the ground; their feet have worn the grass away. “I love him, but not like I love Justin.” She finally admitted how she truly feels for Kaden, she loves him. But does she see him as more than a friend or even a brother?
Quinn looks back at Breanna and there are tears rolling down Quinn's cheeks. “I feel like I am cheating on Justin or betraying him in some way for loving Kaden.”
Breanna wraps her arms around Quinn, and pulls Quinn to her. “You aren’t betraying him, you just love them both. Do you love Kaden more than Justin?” There is no one that can come close to Justin, Quinn shakes her head. “See? You aren’t betraying him.”
Quinn moves away from Breanna and Breanna smiles at her. “Thank you for always being the friend I need.”
Breanna shakes her head. “We will always need each other, no matter what is going on in our lives. I don’t just think of you as my best friend, I think of you as my sister.”
Quinn laughs, sometimes she thinks Breanna can read her mind. “You are my sister, I love you Breanna. Now I want to know about Mark,” Quinn says, and Breanna starts tell her how amazingly sweet he is. She thinks she is falling for him.
“Bree, there is something I need to tell you about him and me.” Quinn says then watches Breanna's eyes narrow on Quinn. “Oh gosh no! Stop thinking that, I would never do that.”
Breanna shakes her head and then smiles at Quinn. “I know, it just sounded bad.”
This is where she might lose her best friend, her sister. “It did.” She takes a deep breath and prays that she doesn’t lose her. “Mark, Kaden, Justin and I are werewolves.”
Slowly Quinn brings her hazel-blue eyes up to Breanna's bright blues. “Werewolves, like Jacob from Twilight?” Quinn hears the humor in Breanna's voice.
Quinn stands up. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy. “Yes, like Jacob.” Quinn turns to her best friend when she hears her laughing. “Bree, I’m not joking.”
Breanna's laughter stops, and she stares at Quinn. “Then you are crazy, and you need help.” Quinn can feel her heart breaking, and she closes her eyes.
She prays she can hold her tears back, she slowly opens her eyes and Breanna gasps. “Your eyes,” she whispers.
Crap, she has seen Justin's and Kaden's eyes change when they were upset. “I shouldn’t have told you. I’m sorry.” Quinn turns to leave, but a hand grabs her arm.
“Wait.” Breanna says, and Quinn stops. “I'm sorry for what I said, but its not every day your best friend tells you she is a werewolf.” Quinn knows what she is going to ask next, she turns to look at her best friend. “Does this mean Mark is a--” Breanna's eyes widen as she realizes what Mark is.
“Yes, Justin and Kaden are too.” Quinn wonders if she should have let Mark tell Breanna.
“Quinn I need to go, I will see you later.” Quinn watches her best friend walk away from her.
Chapter Eighteen
Middle of the Night
Quinn walks into her house, and it smells amazing. She heads to the kitchen and stops. Kaden, Lizzy, and Justin are all making dinner. Quinn is still upset about Breanna, but seeing this makes her smile.
“What's for dinner?” Quinn asks as she leans against the door frame.
Justin turns around, and she sees tomato sauce on his shirt. Before his eyes meets her he says, “lasagna.” Justin brings his eyes to hers, and he walks to her. “Quinn what is it?”
That is all it takes, she loses it. “I told Breanna,” Quinn says as he wraps his arms around her, and pulls her close to him. His familiar smell wraps around her like a blanket. She allows her tears to fall when her face is against his chest.
“Shh, it will be okay. Breanna loves you and she will get over this,” Justin says as he rubs her back.
“What did you tell Breanna?” Kaden asks, and Quinn lifts her head to look at him.
She doesn’t need to say anything; he narrows his dark blue eyes on her. “You got to be kidding me! Why the hell would you tell her?”
Quinn flinches, Kaden has never spoken to her like this. “Kaden calm down,” Justin says, and Quinn moves slightly away from him, she needs to talk to Kaden.
“You want me to calm down! Justin you know the rules.” He looks back at Quinn and shakes his head. “Who did you tell her about?” Quinn doesn’t say anything she just stares at him, Kaden glares at Quinn, and her heart is breaking with that look. She feels Justin's pull her back to him. “And Mark?”
Quinn looks down. “Crap, I need to call him.”
Kaden reaches in his back pocket, and pulls out his phone.
“What's going on?” Lizzy asks, and everyone ignores her.
“She did what?” Kaden listens, and looks up at Quinn. “Yeah, okay, bye.”
“Lizzy why don’t you let us have a few minutes.” Justin asks, and her little sister nods, but looks questionably at all of them.
Quinn's phone is the first to get a new text message, then the guys. She grabs it out of her back pocket, and looks down.
Meeting tonight, everyone must be there. Rules have been broken, and traitors must pay.
Slowly Quinn looks up to Kaden, she sees straight fear. She turns to look at Justin and he has the same look. “What does this mean?” Quinn can hear her own the panic in her voice
“We have rules, and one of them is not to tell people about what we are,” Kaden says behind her.
“It could be about your mother too,” Justin says, and Quinn watches Kaden shakes his head.
“No, our dad and your mother were at Mark's house for dinner, Breanna came yelling about him keeping things from her. She said you told her we were werewolves,” Kaden says, and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Crap that isn’t good,” Justin says, and Quinn doesn’t know what is happening. “What did our dad do?”
Kaden looks at Justin, but does say anything. “What happened to her?” Quinn asks and moves so she can see both of them. Kaden looks away from her, and Justin looks down. “Kaden, tell me now!”
“She has been taken to the pack.” Kaden says. Quinn can feel her legs give out. Justin catches her.
This is her fault. She was the one that told Breanna. If she would have kept her mouth shut Breanna would be home right now, not with the pack.
“What can I do?” Quinn asks, and Kaden looks back to her.
“I will put my protection on her,” Justin says, Quinn looks at her boyfriend.
“Why can't I put my protection on her?” Quinn asks, and both of the guys shake their heads.
Justin walks to her, and then grabs her hands. “Quinn, you might have to fight my dad if you challenge him. Please, my love, let me do this for you. I know how hard it was for you to kill Jenna.” Justin squeezes her hands.
“Okay,” she whispers, and hangs her head. She is ashamed of herself; she put the one person that has been her rock in danger.
Quinn jumps when she hears a knock at the door. “I'll get it.” Kaden walks out of the kitchen.
“I won't let anything happen to her, I promise you Quinn.” Justin takes her face in his hands. “I know how much she means to you.”
Quinn nods and closes her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me that Breanna would be in danger if I told her.” She opens her eyes to look at Justin.
He removes his hands from her face. “I really didn’t think you would tell her,” he admits.
“I told her everything.” Quinn turns around when she hears Kaden talking to someone.
“I need to see her,” Jax says, and she turns around to watch Jax and Kaden walk in. Kaden looks mad, but Jax is smiling. When he sees she is watching him he winks at her.
“Jax what are you doing here?” Quinn can't bring herself to smile at him.
“Chris has taken some of the mutts, and says he is going to kill some tonight. We need you to step up as the queen we know and want you to be.” Jax puts his right fist on his heart then he bows to her.
Quinn's eyes widen, there is no way she can be queen. She isn’t close to being ready, plus she has her sister to worry about. “I can't be Queen, not now.”
Jax drops to his knees, and looks up at her. “Quinn you are meant to rule, you and only you can set us free.”
She shakes her head. “I can't kill someone again.” Quinn fears she would die inside if she does.
“You are a werewolf, it's what you do,” Jax says, and that is when they all hear the gasp coming from Quinn's little sister. The only thing Quinn can see of her sister is her blonde hair as Lizzy runs away.
“I need to talk to her,” Quinn says, she looks at Justin.
“Go but we need to leave in a five minutes,” Justin says.
“I can't leave her alone.”
“I know that is why Kaden is going to guard her when we are at the meeting,” Justin says, and Quinn nods then goes after her sister.
Quinn tries to open her sister’s door, but it's locked. “Lizzy open the door or I will break it down.”
She wonders if she really can break a door down.
Quinn has never been happier to hear a door unlock, she takes a deep breath and opens the door.
Lizzy is looking out the window.
“I was going to tell you, I just didn’t know how,” Quinn says.
Slowly her younger sister turns around, and then her tears are running down her face. “What does this all mean? I don’t understand.”
Quinn wants to hold her sister and tell her what she heard was a lie, but she can't do that. “Lizzy, Dad was a werewolf, and so are we.” Quinn watches Lizzy's eyes widen. “I know I sound crazy, but it's true.”
There is a knock at the door. “Quinn, we need to go.” Justin says on the other side of the door.
Quinn keeps her eyes on her sister. “Get a jacket, it's cold outside, and don’t forget a hat.” She turns around to leave.
“Where are we going?” Lizzy asks.
Quinn turns around to look at her sister, she is so young, but she remembers seeing kids Lizzy's age in the pack. “We have a pack meeting. Kaden will be there to protect you. Now hurry we need to leave.” Quinn walks out of Lizzy's room, and sighs.
“Quinn, she will be okay, it will take her time to understand what is going on. You know she can stay here,” Jax says, and smiles at her. “I will stay and protect her.”
She looks at Justin and he shrugs. “I don’t know.” Quinn bites her bottom lip.
“I vote for hot guy number three.” Lizzy says, and Justin laughs.
Quinn nods she doesn’t want her sister around what might happen. Justin might have to fight his father for Breanna. “Jax, I need to talk to you for a minute.”
Justin, Jax and Quinn walk downstairs. “Don't let anything happen to her,” Quinn says and looks at Jax.
“I will fight until I am dead, protecting your sister,” Jax says and bows again.
“Thank you,” Quinn says, her eyes look up to see Justin and Kaden.
“I will take your car, and you ride with Justin.” Kaden says, and jingles her keys. Quinn nods and walks out of her house, she wonders if she will come back to it.
In Justin's truck Quinn looks up to Lizzy's window. She sees her younger sister staring at her; Quinn taps her chest and points at her. Lizzy does the same then turns away.
“She will be safe here, the hunter is there,” Justin says as he starts the car.
Quinn looks at him, he is trying not to show her how worried he is, but she can see it. “How bad can this meeting get?” Justin glances at her.
“Honestly, if you weren’t a pure blood you could be sentenced to death,” Justin says and looks back at the road. Quinn is scared. “I won't let anything happen to you.” He takes her hand in his. “You are my world; I love you more than I ever thought was possible.” Justin lifts her hand and kisses it gently.
“Oh Justin, I am so scared.” She says and she can feel a lump
growing in her throat. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”
Justin squeezes her hand. “I should have told you about the rule, and that is my fault. I will fix this.”
Quinn shakes her head. This is all on her and her alone.
He parks his truck, and Kaden pulls her car next to them. “No this is all on me,” Quinn says and takes her hand away from his as she gets out of the truck.
Five large men are standing at the edge of the woods; they start to move closer to them. “Crap,” Kaden says.
Quinn looks at her boys. “Quinn they are going to take you, do not fight them. They are the enforcers,” Justin says, as he takes her face in his hands. Before she can say anything his lips are on hers. “I won't let anything happen to you. Do you understand that?”
Quinn nods, she knows he and Kaden won't let anything happen to her.
“Quinn Murphy, you must face the pack leader, our King, for telling a human about our kind,” one of the five men says, and Justin kisses her forehead.
She nods and turns around; two of the large men take each arm. The largest stands in front of her, and she looks behind her and finds the other man. Quinn can feel her heart racing with every step she takes. She knows that Justin won't let anything happen to her.
***
Justin and Kaden watches Quinn being led away by their father's enforcers, they both want to kill them. Justin knows he can if he wanted to, he is a pure and they aren’t.
“What is our plan?” Kaden asks, staring in the same direction Quinn walked in.
There is only one thing he can do, and that will involve killing their father. “I will enforce my protection on her,” Justin says, and then looks at Kaden. They would be close if Kaden didn’t love his girlfriend.
“So you are going to kill the old man?” An evil smile rises on his face. “I want to help.”
Justin smiles at his brother, they start to walk to where they know the pack is. Justin needs to get somethings off his chest. “I want you to stay with Quinn.” If anything happened to him, she would be shattered. “If anything happens to me, I want you to take care of her, but promise me you won't let her light fade again.”
The Beast and the Homecoming Queen Page 17
