His expression softened just a little.
“You did well last night.”
My face warmed despite myself. “I know.”
“But you are still getting punished,” he added, walking away.
I launched a pillow at the door as it clicked shut.
An hour later, I had scrubbed my body clean, piled my red hair into a messy, dripping bun, filled my belly with something delicious Talon had cooked for me… and my ass was sore as hell.
I winced as I sat down at the dining table.
Ryker noticed immediately.
Of course, he did.
He winked at me like the smug asshole he was. He had delivered my punishment.Hard.
“I hate you,” I groaned as my stinging backside met the wooden chair.
“I love when you talk dirty to me,” Ryker said, leaning back with that infuriating grin. “Say it again. Tell me you hate me, Kitten.”
Rather than engage and give him the satisfaction, I turned my attention to Cade as he brought over a stack of printed pages, the photograph, Melker’s journal, and a few of the folders from the classified box.
My nerves vibrated through me. Suddenly, I could feelthe wolf clawing beneath the surface, as my emotions turned volatile upon seeing the picture of my father again. His kind eyes starred out of the photo, right into my soul.
"Dad," I whispered, tracing his face.
Based on the date of the photograph, everything he had told me was a lie. I had so many questions that I could never get answers to, at least not from him.
Talon nudged Cade, whispering, “Pills.”
Cade pulled the container from his pocket, shaking one into his hand and holding it out for me.
But I was done with the pills.
After killing a wraith last night, I knew what I was capable of. I knew how to keep control without being drugged. So instead, I did what Talon had taught me.
I let my nails sharpen and pressed the tips into my palms until pain stabbed through my skin, grounding me. The wolf settled, and my breathing steadied.
I shook my head at Cade.
“I’m okay. No pills, I don’t need them. I’m in control.”
“Are you positive?” he asked, stern and assessing.
I nodded.
“Okay. Let’s get started then,” Cade said, pulling a stack of pages toward him. “I’ll share everything I know and everything I’ve found. I was up all night going through the database.”
He passed neatly organized packets around the table.
I looked at mine.
Photocopied documents.
Patient Zero’s medical files.
