Page 59 of Kai's Hunger

Fostine collided with him, knocking the wind out of his lungs. He stumbled backward, struggling to raise his weapon, but she was relentless. Her large canines sank into his shoulder, tearing through flesh and muscle with ease. The guard screamed, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. This was Fostine at her most uncivilized, her most deadly.

The guard managed to lift his gun, pointing it shakily at her, but Fostine was faster. With a swift, powerful swipe of her claws, she knocked the weapon from his grasp, sending it skidding across the ground. The guard’s eyes were wide with terror as he realized his fate.

Her jaws closed around his throat, cutting off his screams and replacing them with a gurgling choke. Blood spurted from the wound, staining her fur a dark crimson. I watched in awe, and no small amount of horror, as the life drained from him, his struggles growing weaker with each passing second.

With a final, vicious bite, Fostine ended the guard’s life. She stepped back, panting heavily, her eyes wild with the thrill of the hunt. Her chest heaved as she looked down at the lifeless body, satisfaction and grim determination warring within her. Fostine had sent a message tonight, but the real mission was far from over. She glanced up, her eyes locking onto mine for a brief moment, a sense of triumph in her gaze.

As she melted back into the shadows, I followed suit, my own senses alert for any sign of danger. The hunt had only just begun. Fostine was determined to make sure Gregory Patterson paid for his crimes.

As we moved, I couldn’t help but feel a swell of admiration for my sister. She was all grown up, a total badass, and the realization hit me hard. Gone was the girl who needed protecting, replaced by a fierce warrior who could hold her own. Watching her in action, I was impressed by her strength and skill. Fostine had become someone to be reckoned with, and I couldn’t have been prouder.

We entered the building, Fostine went on a search while I was dead set on finding Lily. I caught up to Wyatt. “The back is clear,” I stated. “Fostine saw to that.”

Wyatt nodded. “Reach for Lily,” Wyatt urged.

I closed my eyes, slipping into my mind. The delicate brush of her fingers. I inhaled Lily’s peach scent, then lifted my head to the ceiling. “Up there. Three floors at least.”

Wyatt nodded, then headed for the stairs and stopped. “I’m shifting. I’ll be able to reach her faster that way and I can warn you if there’s danger.”

I itched to shift too, but I needed to stay upright for Lily. I had a feeling she’d need to be carried, and she wouldn’t recognize me in myYucilonform. “Go,” I ordered, then my gaze landed on Creeg. “What about you?”

“She might need medical treatment,” he reminded me.

I let a growl escape before taking the stairs two at a time. A gust of air was my only warning as Wyatt leaped past me.

Creeg whistled low. “I always forget how fast he is.”

I didn’t speak, my entire concentration on Lily. When we reached the third floor, I stopped, using my senses to locate her. I heard a low howl to the right. Wyatt. I’d recognize my alpha anywhere. Creeg and I took off toward our brother. A row of cells. One after another, all of them dark and empty, until they reached the last two. Wyatt sat on his haunches staring at the first cell. When we reached Wyatt, we both stumbled in shock at the sight of our father. Two more steps and I saw Lily, and what Patterson had done to her. She lay there, on a dirty old cot, utterly unresponsive and completely unconscious. Her body was wrapped in a tattered white sheet, while her left eye appeared swollen and bruised, accompanied by a cut on her lower lip. I snarled, then gripped the bars and yanked, snapping the lock in two and letting it fall to the floor.

“Lily,” I murmured, entering the room and slowly pulling her into my arms. “What did he do to you, my love?”

She lifted her gaze to mine. “You came.”

“Always,” I swore, holding her tighter. She rested her head against my chest, and I could feel her body trembling as silent tears soaked my shirt.

I stood in the cell, my normally composed demeanor shattered by the sight of her. My towering, muscular frame caused the small space to feel suffocating. My fists clenched, knuckles turning white as the anger within me surged like a tempestuous storm. My jaw was set and my eyes blazed with an intensity that could ignite a fire.

Every fiber of my being burned with a fierce instinct to avenge. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, my heart pounding like the beat of war drums. My protective instincts roared to life, a primal force that overwhelmed reason. It was as though an ancient guardian spirit had awakened within me, ready to unleash its fury upon any who dared to harm my beloved.”

At Creeg’s urging to hurry, I pulled Lily away a few inches, then bent and lifted her carefully off the floor. “We’re going home.”

Creeg cleared his throat. “Patterson and the guards, they might still be here.”

“Fostine took care of one of them.” I wanted nothing more than to tear them all apart with my bare hands, but my first priority was getting Lily to safety. “We’ll deal with Patterson later.”

Without warning, Fostine leaped around a corner and headed straight for us. There was blood around her snout. “Perhaps the bastard is taken care of already,” Creeg mused as he gripped the lock on our father’s cage and yanked. It fell to the floor and he shoved the door wide.

“I never thought I’d see you boys again,” our father groaned, walking slowly from the room. He’d lost at least fifty pounds and was nothing but skin and bone. His careful movements and the stiffening of his shoulders were proof of the pain he was in.

“I take it you can’t shift?” Creeg whispered to keep Lily from overhearing.

“No,” he answered. “Drugs.”

I had seen enough of the place and I needed to get Lily away. “Let’s go.”

Wyatt led, heading back the way we came. When we stepped outside and spotted a van tearing out of the parking lot, I cursed. “Patterson,” I groused, tightening my hold on Lily.

“Where’s Trakker?” Creeg asked, staring at something on the ground.

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