Chapter 18 - Kit

The room was cold and smelled distinctly damp and stuffy. It was a basement, after all, and that lingering mildew and stone scent was everywhere. My wrists ached where they hung from the cuffs, and I stared at the hook that had been drilled into the wall and held my manacles.

I'd been down here since I woke up, alone and freezing. I knew Eli had this dungeon on the bottom floor, but I'd actually never been to it before. I wasn't like he needed the place cleaned, and when he'd been furious with me before, I'd been locked in a room in the attic.

I wasn't sure which one was worse.

Probably a tie.

A heavy sigh escaped me, and my head still swam. Eli must have drugged me or something, because I couldn't seem to keep a straight thought for long, and I kept falling asleep. Hell, I'd just woken up again from another little siesta into nightmare land because the loud sounds of voices pulled me into consciousness.

"The supplies are just a few hours out. You'll be able to drug every fucking member of your pack and take down Kaiden for good. Goddamn, won't that be just delicious?"

I recognized the voice as Leon's now, and it sounded like they were having this conversation just down the hall from this cell. The thick, rusty bars were about seven or eight feet away from where I was chained to the wall, and they didn't block out any sound.

"You seem real damn happy about taking down Kaiden. Sounds…personal."

Leon, I assumed, made a snorting sound. "I got out of Jet's fucking pack, and putting his little pup in his place—six feet under—sounds great to me, yeah."

Fury coiled through my blood as I heard the asshole speak so glibly about killing Kaiden. He was always a bit of a jerk, if memory served, but it was clear that Leon was not just an ass but a murdering traitor as well.

"We're just like you, Eli," another voice replied, and I pinned it to Reggie. "We want to command wolves that we can trust to get a job done. We've both served before, and we're done with that shit. So, we'll keep helping you with your little drug ring as long as you hold up your end of the bargain. Our enemies dead and our own crew of wolves."

My hazy brain started to piece together what he'd said, relating it to how Eli had been drawing in more rogue wolves over the past year. They were forming their own little packs, packs of killers and thugs at that.

Nausea crawled through me in a wave again, and I shuffled on the floor, my ass bones aching as I tried to sit differently.

I was so damn tired again. Whatever these fuckers had done to me was pulling me back down into the darkness again. As my eyes shut, all I could see behind my lids was the glow of Kaiden's yellow eyes.

"Kaiden," I whispered, a sob sneaking free.

He was so far away now, and we'd never had that talk we needed to. Would I ever get the chance now? Was it even worth it?

Right before we stormed the castle, as it were, Kaiden had been keeping me at arm's length. Being alone with him had been a no-go, and he wouldn't say anything about what had happened between us.

I'd been on the fence before all this, and now I was even more confused. I was a human in a wolf's world, and Kaiden was an alpha. There had to be stipulations for him, and what's more, he hadn't been particularly clear about how he really felt.

Saying "mine" while you have sex does not make a relationship.

But my thoughts scrambled again, the tiredness too much, and I drifted off somewhere else.

***

Sunshine. Bright and warm yellow streamed through the curtains. I was bathed in comfort, my muscles lax, and happy. Heat bloomed through me and around me, soothing away…something I couldn't remember.

I could stay lying there bundled up in warmth for as long as I wanted. I knew I had no responsibilities today, and the slow, unhurried pace calmed me down to my bones.

"He'll be hungry soon."

Kaiden's voice was quiet as I kept my eyes closed, smiling blindly up at him. My head was in his lap, and I knew if I reached up, I would feel Kaiden's crossed arms. I did, patting the firm muscle of his forearm as Kaiden held him.

"He's got a little bit yet."

I felt an overwhelming sense of contentment. The entire world existed in this little bubble of stillness, and I was okay. I was safe.

Still closing my eyes, I knew that Kaiden was smiling down at me. I knew it. He was there, and I could smell the fallen leaves and dew scenting the air around us. He'd said lilacs once. That I smelled like lilacs when we were…

My heart rate ticked up.

We'd had sex when he told me that. Kaiden had…the warmth around me faded slightly, and I stirred in his lap, my eyes struggling to open.

"Kaiden, why…." My stomach twisted, and then I was sitting next to him. "Wait. This isn't…"

"Come on, hun. He's going to be hungry. You can't keep him waiting like that. It's cruel."

I shook my head. I was staring at Kaiden, his dark hair hanging in his face, but I couldn't make out his face. It was all…blurry.

"Who are you talking about?" My spine hummed with tension as my teeth chattered. "Kaiden, why did it get so cold?"

Without really seeing it, I knew he frowned at me, and another layer of darkness smoothed over the world.

"How can you say that, Kit? What's wrong with you?"

It was like being kicked in the chest. I looked forward again, now standing, and Kaiden was there, holding something in his arms. I couldn't see it. It was small.

"Is this what you want?" Kaiden's voice was a ghostly whisper. "To leave us like this?"

I shook my head. "What? I don't understand. Kaiden, I—"

He opened his mouth, and the scream that bled out from him was too loud to process. My brain ached, and I gripped my ears as they bled between my fingers. Then his voice was back, and the screaming was different—crying, wailing.

"He needs you. Can't exist without you." Kaiden looked down at his arms, cradling that little bundle, and my eyes flared with realization. "Do you want this? Or not?"

I jerked, the loud clang of metal chains hitting the stone wall pulling me to reality once more. I was still in the basement, still in Eli's compound. My pulse thundered as I sat there, shaking.

"What…"

Looking down at myself, the images in the dream swirled through my head. I didn't understand. Or did I?

No, that's insane. You're not fucking psychic, Kit. Just…just go back to sleep.

But as I tried to get comfortable again, I knew sleep wasn't coming again any time soon. The images were still bright in my mind, and I didn't want to face what they might mean. I didn't have the strength to spare.

Because I needed to get out of here before Eli killed me.