His mouth tightens, and his eyes flash dark with emotion. “When I get bigger, I’ll kill him for hurting you.”
“Marco, you and I are not like that. We are good. We treat people with love. It was an accident; there is no wrong to right.”
His eyes flash with challenge, but before I can pull him up on being a dominant shit, he shuts his eyes. I run my fingers through his hair until I feel the tension in his body drain out. He coughs a few times before his breathing deepens and stays like that.
I lay with him for a long time, memorizing his features and his sweet scent.
It’s times like these that are going to be my motivation not to give up.
Chapter Five
QUINN
Istomp my feet hard, letting Marco know I’m coming to find him. Marching through the kitchen, I scrape the chair over the tiles before diverting to the sink to splash water on my face to hide my tears.
Deena pokes her head out from under the table, her eyebrows raised in question.
“Bad allergies,” I insist, leaving her and going in the opposite direction of where Marco is.
My feet drag; it’s for him, so he knows where I am, but it’s also indicative of my reluctance to find him. I’m being selfish with the little time I have left.
I need to go, but it feels like the hardest thing I’ve done. And this time it is worse than our planned goodbye for some reason, perhaps because we have said our goodbyes already.
Walking right past where he is, I keep going until I’m back in his bedroom. And then I’m the one hiding, under his blankets,my nose buried in his pillow, inhaling his scent like a vacuum. It doesn’t take him long to find me.
He rips back his blanket, shrieking in victory. He starts jumping in the space between me and the wall. The light in his eyes and the healthy flush on his cheeks are something I needed to see.
Knocking him off his feet and pulling him close, I spin him around. His back is to my chest, so he can read my hands as I tell him once again how proud I am of him. Reminding me over and over how deep our love is, and how strong our small family is. I’m using the short time I have left to emphasise again what I want him to focus on while I’m gone.
Deena knocks on the door of his bedroom, interrupting us. “Marco, can you help me with all the bags?”
He’s wiggling out of my hold before I can object. But Deena’s not finished barking out instructions, better than an Alpha. Her finger jabs in my direction. “And, you, the sooner you go, the sooner you get back. We will be fine. Marco is going to help me paint your room while you’re gone. We can’t start on that until you’ve texted and let us know you’re home safe.”
The sneaky woman reverts to dirty tactics to get me to leave because she knows I’d never deny Marco anything. He’s clearly excited when he peeks back into the room.
As I walk past her, she shoves tissues in my hand, giving me a final promise. “Quinn, I swear no one will get near either of us.”
“I think this is the worst part, you know.” I don’t need to explain what I mean, because one of my greatest fears is someone finding out about them.
But leaving them is keeping them safe too. The gentle warming in my soul confirms it.
“Quinn, don’t make me throw you out of your own home! I will, you know. It might be the way to do it, actually.” Deena’s shoulder checks me as she passes when I stall at the door, again.
Marco rushes out of my room with my bags in one hand and a couple of paint swatches in the other. He shoves them at me while he taps the bandage over my hand.
“Marco! Surprises are meant to be surprises!” Deena laughs.
His coy smile warms my heart.
“I expect full radio silence. So does he,” Deena says resolutely as I pass again.
I nod without saying a word.
I don’t want a year of not seeing them, or messaging, but I can’t guarantee I won’t be monitored while in Russia.
There’s a lucky break in the weather as the three of us pack my car, and I read it as a sign. There’s not much I need to put in my car, but with Marco involved, everything turns into a game. And rightly so. Life is meant to be full of fun times and raucous laughter.
Deena’s first in line for a goodbye. I bury my face against the crook of her neck and store as much of her scent and energy in my memory as possible. She swats my shoulder playfully, no doubt because Marco is watching. When we pull apart, I stop her escape. Wrapping my hand around her face, I drop my forehead to hers and get serious. “I can’t thank you enough.”
