Page 77 of Kai's Hunger

My face heated. “You won’t get any arguments from me.” I shoved the covers off, then stood. The room tilted, but the pain wasn’t as severe. The sleep had done me good.

“You need meds, too.” He watched me, his brows furrowed. “We do that before we talk to my family. Your health comes first.”

“Text Creeg and have him bring them to the kitchen.” I went to my suitcase and pulled out a pair of black leggings and an oversized grey concert tee. “I don’t think this should wait.”

A sense of urgency hung in the air as I quickly dressed. Kai had to help me with the shirt. My arms were still too sore to lift above my head. Kai’s hungry gaze lingered on my chest, and it made me anxious to get to the cabin. To feel his touch everywhere. I wanted to make love to Kai. To erase the memory of Patterson’s hands against my flesh. I was desperate for it.

As we made our way to the kitchen, the warm light from the overhead fixtures spilled across the worn wooden table, casting long shadows on the faces gathered around it. Kai’s family. The ones who had rescued me. And now Trakker, their brother, was suffering. I felt responsible.

As we sat down, Creeg placed two pills in front of me, along with a cup of coffee. I thanked him and swallowed them down, my fingers traced the rim of the mug, my gaze distant as I recounted the information I’d gained. “Patterson was eager to know all about your family,” I began, not waiting another second. “He asked questions that made no sense to me at the time. At one point I decided to appeal to his conscience.”

Lucian snorted. “Bastard has no conscience.”

I sent him a look of understanding. “True, but I did get him to reveal something about himself.”

Wyatt sat at the head of the table, his intense gaze trained on me. “What?”

I swallowed hard. Letting my mind recall the moment was difficult enough, much less sharing it with everyone. “I asked how he’d feel if someone he loved was on that table. If his daughter was the one being tortured.” I sighed. “He gave me the strangest look. Almost as if he were afraid. Like I’d hit a nerve.”

“A daughter,” Wyatt quietly repeated. “I’d never considered it.”

“He was so angry with me. His interrogation technique was bad, but after that he dropped all pretense of kindness.”

Kai snarled a curse. “I want to feel my claws dig into his throat.”

“We all do, brother,” Wyatt muttered, then stared at Miggs. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Hell, yeah.” He leaped to his feet. “I’m on it.”

As Miggs rushed from the room, my control snapped. “What? Can someone please fill me in?”

Kai reached for me, then explained, “If Patterson has family, then it’s possible he’s put his new facility in their name. To keep us from finding it. Miggs can do a computer search. He’s a whiz with that shit.”

Silence hung in the air before I recalled another detail of my captivity. “Did you get the other guy out of there?”

Kai frowned. “Lily, there was no one else. Only you and Dad.”

I shook my head. “No, there was another man. On a different floor. He was chained to the wall.”

Kai exchanged looks with the others. “Did any of you—”

“No, and we searched that place well,” Wyatt bit out, his gaze on me. “What did he look like? Can you remember?”

“Long black hair and ... well, purple eyes.” I sighed. “I know it sounds crazy, but I’d swear he had purple eyes.”

Everyone fell silent. Fostine finally broke the tension. “That sounds a lot like Malachi.”

“No, the Georgionis are dead,” Lucian explained. “Look, I never saw anyone except Lily, but I suppose it’s possible Patterson had another there.”

I cleared my throat and all eyes turned my way. “The guard seemed afraid of this guy. Like really terrified.”

“Sure as hell sounds like Malachi,” Wyatt grumbled. “If he was there, then Patterson got him out before we arrived. We searched that place top to bottom.”

“Let’s hope he’s not still a prisoner.” Kai groaned.

“If he is, then he’s probably being held in the same place as Trakker. If Miggs finds anything, we’ll leave immediately. We’ll get them both free.”

Lucian placed a steady hand on my shoulder, his eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you for sharing this with us.”

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