Read Online Quinn's Undying Rose (Scanguards Vampires #6) by Tina Folsom - Free Book Online
Authors: Tina Folsom
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downstairs in Maya’s office if you need me,” Gabriel added before closing the door behind him.
Slowly, Quinn drew his gaze back to Rose, trying to digest her words. A daughter. He was a father.
“Where is she?”
A sad look crossed her face. “She’s long dead. She lived a full life, a happy—”
Quinn pounced, slamming her against the wall behind her, before he even knew what he was doing.
“You deprived me of ever knowing my daughter? You kept her from me? How could you be so heartless? How could you lie to me like that?”
She didn’t blink when she met his furious glare.
“This is exactly why.” She motioned to his claws that pressed her against the wall. “You came back as a vampire. I was afraid for her. I was afraid you’d hurt her if you knew she existed.”
“I would never hurt my own flesh and blood!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “Never! Do you understand that?”
“Don’t you remember what you were like then? How you reacted when I . . . when . . . ?”
“You mean when you rejected me because of what I had become?” he hissed, hatred filling his heart, where love and grief had lived for two centuries.
Oh, he remembered every painful moment of it. How could he ever forget?
“I snuck into your house that night because your father wouldn’t receive me.” He remembered it just as though it were tonight. She’d looked angelic. She’d glowed, smiled at him when he’d entered her chamber.
“You wanted to tell me something then, but I didn’t let you talk. I wanted to tell you first what had happened to me. God . . . ” He paused and shoved a hand through his hair. “I almost died on that battlefield. And had Wallace not been there that evening, if he hadn’t turned me into a vampire that night, I would have been gone forever. But he offered me a way to come back to you. I did this for you. So we could be together again.”
Quinn stared into her blue eyes, but he didn’t really see her. He saw only what had happened that night. “You were afraid of me when I told you. You shrunk back from me, disgusted. As if you thought I would hurt you. I would have never hurt you. I promised you I wouldn’t hurt you. You wouldn’t listen. You didn’t even see ME. You saw a monster, but I wasn’t a monster. I was still the same man. I loved you!”
The last words made him choke. His heart broke a second time.
“And you trampled on my love. And as if that wasn’t enough, you lied to me. You kept my own flesh and blood from me!”
Quinn’s words sent a chill down her spine. Rose had never seen him so furious, so wild. And he had every reason to be. She would have reacted the same way.
The glare Quinn lashed at her cut deep into her heart.
Finally she pushed him away with both hands. Maybe she’d pushed him too far, but she couldn’t stop now. She still needed his help.
“What was her name?” he asked, his voice suddenly calmer.
“Charlotte.”
“That was my mother’s name.”
“I know.” When she’d given birth, she’d still believed that everything would turn out fine. That Quinn would return. Out of love and respect for him she’d named their daughter after his mother, a woman he’d adored and loved.
“Where was she when I came back?”
She didn’t really want to talk about those painful days, but she knew if she didn’t answer his questions, he would never agree to help her. She had to pacify him.
Rose pinned her gaze at the window, looking out into the darkness. “When it was obvious to my parents that I was with child, I showed them our marriage certificate. My father was livid. They sent me to a country estate. They told everybody in London that I was sick. I gave birth there, but they took Charlotte away from me. They placed her with a farmer’s family. It hurt to let her go, but I knew I would come back for her.” She lifted her lids. “Once you came back, we would have collected her. But . . . ” Her voice
Slowly, Quinn drew his gaze back to Rose, trying to digest her words. A daughter. He was a father.
“Where is she?”
A sad look crossed her face. “She’s long dead. She lived a full life, a happy—”
Quinn pounced, slamming her against the wall behind her, before he even knew what he was doing.
“You deprived me of ever knowing my daughter? You kept her from me? How could you be so heartless? How could you lie to me like that?”
She didn’t blink when she met his furious glare.
“This is exactly why.” She motioned to his claws that pressed her against the wall. “You came back as a vampire. I was afraid for her. I was afraid you’d hurt her if you knew she existed.”
“I would never hurt my own flesh and blood!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “Never! Do you understand that?”
“Don’t you remember what you were like then? How you reacted when I . . . when . . . ?”
“You mean when you rejected me because of what I had become?” he hissed, hatred filling his heart, where love and grief had lived for two centuries.
Oh, he remembered every painful moment of it. How could he ever forget?
“I snuck into your house that night because your father wouldn’t receive me.” He remembered it just as though it were tonight. She’d looked angelic. She’d glowed, smiled at him when he’d entered her chamber.
“You wanted to tell me something then, but I didn’t let you talk. I wanted to tell you first what had happened to me. God . . . ” He paused and shoved a hand through his hair. “I almost died on that battlefield. And had Wallace not been there that evening, if he hadn’t turned me into a vampire that night, I would have been gone forever. But he offered me a way to come back to you. I did this for you. So we could be together again.”
Quinn stared into her blue eyes, but he didn’t really see her. He saw only what had happened that night. “You were afraid of me when I told you. You shrunk back from me, disgusted. As if you thought I would hurt you. I would have never hurt you. I promised you I wouldn’t hurt you. You wouldn’t listen. You didn’t even see ME. You saw a monster, but I wasn’t a monster. I was still the same man. I loved you!”
The last words made him choke. His heart broke a second time.
“And you trampled on my love. And as if that wasn’t enough, you lied to me. You kept my own flesh and blood from me!”
Quinn’s words sent a chill down her spine. Rose had never seen him so furious, so wild. And he had every reason to be. She would have reacted the same way.
The glare Quinn lashed at her cut deep into her heart.
Finally she pushed him away with both hands. Maybe she’d pushed him too far, but she couldn’t stop now. She still needed his help.
“What was her name?” he asked, his voice suddenly calmer.
“Charlotte.”
“That was my mother’s name.”
“I know.” When she’d given birth, she’d still believed that everything would turn out fine. That Quinn would return. Out of love and respect for him she’d named their daughter after his mother, a woman he’d adored and loved.
“Where was she when I came back?”
She didn’t really want to talk about those painful days, but she knew if she didn’t answer his questions, he would never agree to help her. She had to pacify him.
Rose pinned her gaze at the window, looking out into the darkness. “When it was obvious to my parents that I was with child, I showed them our marriage certificate. My father was livid. They sent me to a country estate. They told everybody in London that I was sick. I gave birth there, but they took Charlotte away from me. They placed her with a farmer’s family. It hurt to let her go, but I knew I would come back for her.” She lifted her lids. “Once you came back, we would have collected her. But . . . ” Her voice
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