Page 9 of Kai's Hunger

“Next town over,” I concluded. “Your brother, he didn’t have a car. How’d he get me to your clinic?”

“He carried you. It wasn’t far.”

“Oh, wow. That was nice of him.”

“Leaving you out there alone and unconscious wouldn’t have been a good idea.”

“True. So, you’re a doctor?”

“No, but I’ve been trained.”

She glanced around the room. X-ray machines, CT scanner, gauze, and needles. “But this is a clinic? Surely there’s a doctor on-site?”

“Only me,” he explained softly. “This is a private clinic, Lily. Exclusively used by the Ravenbriars for generations.”

The name, now I knew why it’d sounded so familiar. “Your family owns half the county.”

He smiled and leaned back in the chair. “It’s closer to seventy percent.”

The Ravenbriars went back for generations. As far as I knew they were the first to inhabit the area. “Geez, your family is a legend around here. People tell stories,” I informed him.

He stiffened, his smile disappearing. “What sort of stories?” His entire demeanor changed. A minute ago he’d been all smiles and relaxed. Now he appeared ready to interrogate me.

“Uh, well...” I wasn’t sure how much to tell him. Offending the guy who’d helped me seemed a poor way to repay him for his kindness. Not to mention the fact that I was alone with him.

“You’re afraid,” he murmured as he reached up and patted my knee. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention.”

I took a deep breath, then let it out. “I think I’m just jumpy.”

He shrugged. “I would be too in your situation.” He paused, then asked, “So, you’ve heard of us?”

“Yes,” I hedged, “but I don’t want to offend you.”

He chuckled. “You won’t, I promise.”

He appeared sincere so I went on. “There are rumors that your family lives in the woods. Like survivalist types.”

“Not entirely untrue. What else?”

“Oh, uh, okay. Well, that you kill anyone who trespasses on your land.”

“I see.” Creeg stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his arms over his chest. “Like anyone, we do have the right to defend ourselves, but we’re not mindless killers. I assure you.”

I felt silly even saying it. “They’re just rumors. I don’t think anyone truly puts much stock into them. Like ghost stories. Seeing is believing.”

He cocked his head to the side. “And what do you believe?”

I sat up a little straighter. “I believe people can be terrible gossips,” I answered, thinking of all the nasty whispers I’d had to endure over the years because of my mother’s drinking.

His gaze warmed as he stared at me. “And gossip hurts in a myriad of ways, doesn’t it?”

“Yes.”

He grinned and stood. “Then we will both try and keep an open mind, yeah?”

I liked the guy. He was kind, but also forthright. It was refreshing. “Yes, I think that’s a very good idea.”

When the door opened, we both looked up and caught Kai coming toward us. He didn’t look happy. And was that blood on his lip? “What happened to you?” I asked, instantly worried about the man I was becoming entirely too fascinated with.

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