Page 41 of Crossing Quinn

“Me.” Adan held up a tentacle when I opened my mouth. “Because you shot me. Twice.”

“You deserved it.”Up close, the Executioners were even more frightening. The tremendous power radiating from them made me want to run far, far away. I kept waiting for them to pounce, but all they did was inspect me like I was an interesting but odd specimen.

A deep voice resonated in my head. “You are the female who saved the child?”

Before I could answer, Adan butted in. “Xenia is also a witness to the murder.”

What? I stomped on one of Adan’s tentacles. “Goddess, are you deliberately trying to get me killed?”

He jerked it away, knocking me off balance. Before I could do a face-plant, the bigger Executioner’s tentacle thingy caught me and gently set me on my feet.

“Uh, thanks.”

With a growl of annoyance, the Overlord mentally stepped in and showed the Executioners my memories of rescuing Clio.

Her little voice echoed in my head. “Scared. Momma was crying. Why they hurt her?”

“We found evidence the Tai-Kok are responsible for her death,”the bigger Executioner stated.

“They will be punished,”another Executioner announced.

I had to know. “How?”

“We will destroy their worlds,”they said in unison.

“You can do that?”

“We can. You belong to the Overlord?”

“She is blood of my blood,”Zarek responded.

“We offer safe passage to you and yours.”An incandescent orange light popped into existence. The light spun faster and faster and faster until it became an enormous vortex. “The council has been informed of your actions, Adan. The death order has been lifted for now. It has been decided you will care for the child until the father can be found.”

“I will treat Clio as my own,”Adan assured them.

“Keep her safe or suffer the consequences.”

As one, the Executioners stepped into the vortex. Slurppp! They were gone.

I sagged in relief. They hadn’t eaten me.

Adan said, “I will return you to your mate.”

“No! I’m not riding the vortex again.”I dodged his tentacle. “I’ll see if I can hitch a ride with the enforcers.”

“If you want to find your father, you will go with him, Xenia,”Zarek advised.

Quinn added, “I have chocolate.”

“Fine.”I let Adan wrap me in tentacles. I loved being slimed.

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