Page 35 of Crossing Quinn

“Quinn is alive and well and on this ship.”

Clio’s tentacles waved wildly. “Him mad ‘cause I spit on him.”

Zarek’s lips twitched. “Spit?”

“Puked,” I inserted.

“I see, and what happened after that?” Zarek settled back in his chair with lazy menace.

“I wanted to return to Qeeturah to look for my father, and Quinn insisted on taking us to Tanith. So, I challenged him to hand-to-hand combat. He lost.”

An unholy smile lit Zarek’s handsome features. “You inherited your father’s berserker powers.”

“You could say that.” And then some.

“And Quinn simply decided to take a nap after his defeat?”

Who knew the Overlord could be so snarky? “There might have been a tranquilizer dart involved.”

“You didn’t defeat me,” Quinn rumbled from behind me.

Drekk. He was awake, and how in the nine hells had he gotten loose? I looked over my shoulder at the very angry warlord who practically bristled with weapons. “Planning on going to war?”

“With the two of you on my ship, I plan on being armed at all times.” Quinn snagged my thermite grenade and stuffed it in a pocket.

“Hey! That’s mine. I stole it fair and square.”

“It’s mine now. Unless you think you can take it from me?”

One look at the merciless line of Quinn’s mouth, and I shrugged. “Keep it. I can always get more.”

“You’re gonna be a handful.” Quinn picked me up and dumped me on the copilot’s chair. “My lord, with your permission, I will return to Qeeturah and search for Lysis.”

“You have my consent.” There was a note of satisfaction in Zarek’s voice.

I stared at Quinn in surprise. “What made you change your mind?”

“You didn’t defeat me, but technically, you did keep the grenade from me.”

“True, and we only cheated a little.”

“You cheated a lot, but you did it out of concern for your father. Believe me, I do understand the need to protect family members.” Quinn turned his head and glared at my mother, who was raising the blowgun to her mouth. “I wouldn’t. I’m your only chance of finding Lysis.”

Mami lowered the gun.

Quinn held out his hand. “Give me the necklace. Now! Or do you want to spend more time in the holding cell?”

Tears running down Mami’s face, she removed the necklace and handed it to him. “Please find my Lysis. Please.”

“We will find him, Eleni, but the next time you shoot me in the back, I won’t be so forgiving.”

Mami eyes rolled back and down she went.

The berserker in me raised its ugly head. A tingling sensation grew in my eyes, and I bared my teeth in a snarl. “Frighten my mother again, and you’ll answer to me.”

“The glowy-eyed thing is new,” Quinn responded with an amused smile.

“The more they glow, the stronger I get.”

---