Page 32 of Kai's Hunger

Lily’s gaze widened. “You named your pet after your sister?”

Fostine closed the distance between us, her eyes blazing with unleashed fury. “Pet?”

I heard Creeg and Cage attempt to stifle a laugh and I glared at the pair before saying, “Yes, Lily was there last night when Fostine returned home.”

Fostine was about to speak, but I glared, promising retribution if she revealed the truth. It appeared to work. “Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Lily.”

“Thanks. You, too.” Lily elbowed me in the ribs. “You never told me you had a sister.”

“She was out of town and it slipped my mind.”

“And she shares the same name as that huge animal from last night.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m sure there’s an interesting story there. One you’ll share later.”

“Yes. For now, I think we should eat. Creeg went to a lot of work and we shouldn’t let it go to waste.”

Her stomach grumbled, charming me further. “Okay, fine. But if I get fat it’s your fault.”

I let my gaze travel down her body, then offered a hum of approval. “You have nothing to worry about, Lily.”

She blushed and I wanted to forget about food and satisfy a different appetite instead. When Wyatt, Trakker, and Miggs entered the kitchen, everyone started talking at once. After our meal was served, Lily peered down the length of the table at Fostine. “So, you were out of town?”

“Yep.” Fostine snorted, as she shoved another spoonful of eggs into her mouth. “A lovely trip full of fun and adventure.”

“I see. I left Walnut Ridge to travel. An adventure was at the top of my bucket list.”

Fostine’s gaze collided with mine. “Oh, you’ll get lots of adventure here. Trust me.”

“Well, it’s very kind of your brothers to give me a place to stay, but I can’t sponge off them forever.”

Fostine stopped chewing and stared at Lily. “You aren’t planning to stay?”

“Oh, no. Maybe Kai didn’t tell you, but I was in an accident.” Lily went on to explain about the giant beast she’d swerved to avoid, earning a chuckle from my annoying sister.

“That must have been quite frightening for you,” Fostine replied, grabbing another biscuit from the basket. “I wonder what happened to the animal.”

If I’d been sitting closer to Fostine I would’ve kicked her in the shin. “I don’t think Lily needs to dwell on it. The whole evening was difficult enough.”

Lily reached for me, placing her hand on my forearm. “It’s okay.” She frowned down at her plate. “Now that I think about it, the animal looked a lot like your pet. Just a different color.”

“You were injured. Perhaps it just seemed that way at the time. I’m sure it was a wolf or coyote.”

She shook her head. “No, it was bigger than either of those.” She rubbed at her forehead and added, “I wonder if there are more of those exoticYucilons. You said your pet was the only one, but what if those awful people found others like her?”

“You told Lily about theYucilons?” Wyatt asked, his gaze filled with ice-cold fury.

Oh, hell. “I explained that Fostine is a rare breed known as aYucilon, yes. And that she was taken from us by people trafficking in exotic animals.”

“Right,” Wyatt bit out. “We’re just happy she’s back with us.”

“But what if there are others?” Lily frowned in concern and she pushed her plate away. “They could be doing all sorts of awful things to them. I saw a documentary once where people pay huge amounts of money to buy exotic animals to eat. Like a delicacy or something. It’s despicable.”

Everyone went silent, staring at Lily. Her compassion for my kind had the entire family viewing her in a different light. She was no longer the human outsider, but a woman willing to stand up for us against the evils of the world. My heart expanded and I wrapped an arm around her back, drawing her attention. When her pretty gaze connected with mine, her eyes filled with unshed tears, I said, “My brothers and I are looking into it,” I vowed. “We don’t want anyYucilonscaged and tortured either. I assure you.”

She nodded. “If I can help in some way, please let me know. The thought of what your pet Fostine went through gives me nightmares.”

“It should,” Fostine stated. “And the ones who took her deserve death.”

I glared down the table at my sister. “I think there’s been enough talk about torture and death.”

---