Page 16 of Kai's Hunger

I flipped a switch on the wall to my left and stared around the room. A king-sized canopy-style bed with a fluffy white comforter in the center. A six-drawer dresser and mirror on the opposite wall had my suitcase sitting on top. I quirked a brow at Kai. “I can’t believe you brought that in without asking me.”

His cheeks reddened and he tucked his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

I snorted. “Uh-huh,” I crossed the room and pointed to a closed door. “Bathroom?”

He gave me a brisk nod. “Would you like to freshen up?”

“I’d love a hot shower.” I groaned. “I feel gross.”

“Come downstairs whenever you’re ready. The kitchen is to the right.” He headed for the door, then stopped and peered over his shoulder at me. “I’m glad you chose to stay, Lily.”

I bit my lower lip to keep from blurting out how terrified I was that I’d made a colossal mistake in trusting him. He lingered a few more seconds, then left, closing the door behind him. “What the hell am I doing?”

****

Kai

I stared at the closed door, wishing I had the right to open it and help Lily bathe. I’d take my time about it, too. Wash every pretty inch of her curvy body, then I’d make love to her. All night long. To hell with dinner. I’d rather feast on Lily. But she was human and needed time to accept me as her mate. She would get there; I would see to it. For now, I’d work on slowly removing the barrier separating her from my world.

“You have a mate?”

The question jarred me out of my musings. Cage watched me with the annoying curiosity of a younger brother. I stepped closer to him and ordered, “She’s human and doesn’t know about our kind. Take care that you don’t slip up until I have time to explain.”

Cage’s eyes widened. “And Wyatt has approved this?”

“He has.”

The sound of running water had us both staring at the closed door. I caught Cage sniffing the air and I punched the dumbass on the shoulder, hard.

Cage stumbled a few feet, then glared. “What the hell was that for?”

“Don’t act innocent. You were sniffing her.”

“She smells—”

My fist shot out, connecting with a satisfying crack to Cage’s jaw. “Mine. Keep your damn nose to yourself.”

Cage cursed and rubbed his chin. “Shit, chill. What’s gotten into you?”

I took a deep breath and let it out. If I was going to make it work with Lily, then I needed to learn a little fucking patience. Especially with my youngest sibling. Pain in the ass or not. “You’ll understand one day, but for now, you’ll remember that Lily is not to be touched or sniffed by anyone other than me. Got it?”

He held up both hands in surrender. “Okay, whatever,” he muttered before stomping off.

I waited until Cage was out of sight before lifting my head and inhaling. Fuck, she smelled delicious. It didn’t matter that Lily’s door was closed, her scent still lured me. My body hardened. I’d need to take her soon or risk losing control and hurting her. Damn, mating a human was not going to be a walk in the park.

I forced one foot in front of the other, taking the stairs. I reached the kitchen and found Miggs stirring something on the stove while Creeg got out soup bowls.

Creeg saw me and smiled. “Lily settling in okay?”

“Yes. She’ll be down after she showers.”

Creeg grinned. “Wish you were there, huh?”

“You have no idea,” I admitted, heading for the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water. After drinking half in a few swigs, hoping it’d cool me down, I leaned against the counter and waited for Lily.

“So, our guest is a human,” Miggs stated, moving to the table and placing a giant white serving dish filled with roast beef and potatoes in the center. When my brother lifted his head, our gazes collided.

I pushed away from the counter and glared at him. “You have a problem with that?”

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