Page 79

Ori nodded. "Regarding that situation, yes. All we can do is wait. However, while we wait, we can focus on you, Typhon."

That made sense, I supposed. Even with my memories in tatters, I knew enough to know that I was a unique specimen to most of the world. As far as I knew, the other chimera and I were the only two in existence. I had vague memories of hunting with him, but nothing about where we'd come from. The last thing I wanted was to become the subject of more experiments, but I owed it to these people. I felt a tiny stirring from the beast at the idea, but it disappeared all too quickly.

"That's fine. Can any testing wait until I'm recovered, though?"

Ori blinked, frowning in confusion until my meaning sank in. "I think you have the wrong idea," they said slowly. "We're not going to experiment on you."

Beside me, Quinn let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"I'd understand if you wanted to, though, and I don't mind," I lied. "You defended me when you didn't have to, and you kept Quinn safe. I owe you everything."

"You two are part of our community. Part of that is that we all look out for each other. We would have done the same for any of us. You don't owe us anything."

"Then what is there to focus on about me?" I pressed, thoroughly confused.

"I was assuming you'd want to find out about your past," Ori said, tilting their head to study me. "Wyatt said your name is Seth Ibarra, right? I assume you were a shifter to begin with. Given the appearance of your other form, I'd guess some sort of big cat. Now that we know your name, it should be easier to find out where you came from."

That brought me up short. There'd simply been too much going on for me to focus on any one thing, even learning my name. After they'd first suggested I might have family, I'd thought about it, but there hadn't been time to really focus on it. The full implications of that hadn't truly struck me until this moment. Did I have a family out there? Could there be an entirely different life waiting for me to step back into it? Where did that leave me then? Could I leave Quinn and his cozy little house outside of town? Would he want me to? I'd barged into his quiet life and brought pain and chaos to his sanctuary. What if he was just being nice until I recovered, then asked me to leave?

"Why don't you take some time to think about it?" Lain suggested when I didn't respond. "We can talk in the morning. Ori, let's give them some peace. They've earned it," he added when Ori hesitated.

"You're right. It can wait until morning," they said. "Quinn, the offer of the guest room still stands."

"I'm fine right here, but thank you," Quinn replied. Ori studied him for a moment, then just shrugged, offering a quick 'good night' before leaving the room.

"I'll check in on the animals on my way home," Lain said once Ori was gone. "They've been doing fine, but I'm sure they'll be happy to see you both."

"I appreciate you." Quinn gave him a tired but genuine smile. "Once all this is settled, I'm hitting the books and giving you a raise."

"I'm not doing it for the money. I mean, I won't say no, but that's not the reason, and you know it."

"I think I do, finally. Thank you."

Lain's smile lit up the room, and I finally realized why Quinn loved him so much. Lain was the type of friend everyone deserved to have in their corner, and part of me quietly hoped that I could count myself as one of those people someday.

"Rom is outside chasing Lelo's dogs, but I'll let him in before I leave. Call me if you need anything, okay? Promise me."

"I promise I'll call you if we need anything," Quinn repeated dutifully. Lain came around the side of the bed to give him a quick hug, then surprised me by putting his hand over mine, where Quinn was already holding it, and giving me a gentle squeeze.

"Take care of yourself and try to rest. I'll see you in the morning." He darted out before I could comment on that unexpected move, leaving me gaping after him.

"He has that effect on people," Quinn assured me with a quiet laugh once we were alone. "Lain loves to play up the silly, goofy side of himself, but that's not all of who he is."

"I'm realizing that now." I carefully shifted so I could more easily face Quinn. "He's not the only one, though. There's a lot more to you than meets the eye, too."

As I'd expected, Quinn's face reddened, and he immediately shook his head. "I'm just a guy who got caught up in something crazy. I'm not like you and Ori and the DeVors. I'm nothing special."

Reaching across my body with my free hand to touch his face pulled at every wound on my left side, but it was worth it to get to touch him, to gently turn his head until his eyes met mine.

"Nothing special?" I repeated, thumb lightly stroking his cheekbone. "Quinn, you stood up for me when no one else would. Everyone in this town that knew about me wanted to put me down, with good reason."

"You can't help what happened to you. And you didn't hurt anyone. Well, not too bad," he added when I raised an eyebrow. "Detective Parker is recovering pretty well, and Landon DeVor is already back on his feet. You didn't even hurt him; you just chased him and he broke his leg."

"If I'd caught him, I would have killed him. He broke his leg because I chased him off the edge of a ravine." The beast had been in full control, leaving my memory of that night somewhat spotty, but I remembered enough to know that the kid had been smart and lucky. "We were trained to kill, and as messed up as we were at that point, we fell back on what we knew best."

"But you didn't, and that's what matters. And you didn't kill the detective either. You stung him, yes, but you could have finished him then and there. Instead, you ran."

"Is that what he said?"