“You done a check?” Kace asked Marshall who had returned a laughing Bella to the others, who were all ready and waiting for their lesson. Thirteen had turned up, but sometimes there was closer to twenty. No one was forced to be there, but if they signed up and didn’t attend they liked to check in on them. Which meant once the session was over, Marsh would head to where some of the kids hung out, making sure they were okay.
And if they weren’t okay… Well, Marshall got to work out his own frustrations.
Marshall’s smile strained, but he nodded. “Hunter isn’t here.”
“What do you mean he isn’t here?” Kace snapped, knowing Hunter always attended because he was one of the boys who stayed there. “Where the fuck is he?” Images of the large derelict house full of adults with needles sticking out their arms flashed through his mind. It was where they had found Hunter, beside his passed out mother.
It was Noemi who spoke up, her voice strong amongst the others. “I heard him say he went to fight.” At twelve she was one of the youngest, but she always acted older despite her size. She tilted her chin up and met Kace’s gaze, holding it even though he felt the tell-tale sign of his irises change. “He said he didn’t want to be treated like a child anymore.” Her bottom lip quivered.
Kace kept his voice soft. “It’s okay, we won’t be angry.” Marshall shot him a frown, so he relaxed his face as much as he could. “Noemi, what did he say exactly?”
“He said you were bullshit, and that you didn’t really care about us.” Her eyes glistened, and she wrapped her thin arms around herself, as if she was about to break. “Why would he say such horrible things, Red?”
“Aw, you know what he’s like Baby-cakes,” Marshall said before Kace could reply. He stepped closer, always keeping a cushion of air between himself and the kids unless they invited the touch. It was always their choice. So when Noemi turned her body towards him he wrapped her in his arms, holding her as she began to cry.
Kace remained where he was, unable to offer comfort right when his beast was so present. Not that he permitted touch in general, but when he saw how some of the kids needed the connection he would force himself. It wasn’t natural, unlike Marshall. No, he was brought up understanding touch and intimacy came with pain, so he tried to keep everyone at a distance. It was his brothers who understood it wasn’t healthy, who had slowly worked with him to accept touch in the smallest amounts from those he trusted.
“Red, are you okay?”
It took a second to realise someone else had spoken, his body so tense it ached when he forced himself to relax. “Excuse me,” he said, needing a moment to himself. “Everyone needs to start warming up, I’ll be back in a second.”
He didn’t stay to check whether they had started their routine, knowing Marshall would supervise to make sure they wouldn’t hurt themselves. His boots were silent as he stalked towards Hudson’s office, not bothering to knock.
“When was the last time you saw Hunter?” he demanded as soon as he stepped inside.
Hudson raised a brow, looking up from the glow of his computer. “Hello to you too.” The light dimmed, the monitor turning dark. “He’s been gone a few days.”
“And you didn’t think to look for him?” Kace all but growled.
Hudson stood, hands planted on his desk. “Fuck off, you know I looked for him, but you know the rules. He doesn’t have to stay, it was his choice. We can only give them what we can, they have to want to be here.” His tone was harsh, but his eyes were tired.
Kace tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “Apparently he’s gone to fight.”
“I know,” Hudson said with a nod. “I’ve called around and warned anyone who signs him on hasyouto deal with.” His smile was hollow. “He hasn’t been spotted at any of the other venues in the city, or surrounding areas. If he’s fighting, he isn’t doing cages.”
Kace breathed heavily through his mouth, his stomach twisting into knots.
“We don't know he's there,” Hudson said, reading his expression.
“We don't know he's not.” Kace no longer cared that his beast could be heard through the timbre of his voice. “I’ll fix this. I’ll bring him home.”
“Red, wait!”
Kace ignored his friend, ignored the kids who turned towards him as he stormed through the room towards the door. The coolness of outside did nothing to calm his panic, nor the gentle rain as he pressed his fist against a brick wall. Bile burning his throat he turned and sat back on his heels, his head low between his knees. He breathed in shallow breaths, the nausea rising with every beat from his aching chest.
A shadow, Marshall hovering by his side but not touching. He didn’t offer any words of comfort, because he knew too that once you became a fighter for the Pits, you didn't come out.
Chapter11
Eva
Augustine adjusted his cuffs, his black suit a stark contrast to the paleness of his skin. Not a surprise considering vampires slight sensitivity to sunlight. He had remained silent the whole drive, yet his eyes never left her once. His attention prickled across her face, lingering at her throat, moving down her arms before repeating over and over. It was only when the car slowed to a stop, and the privacy partition between the back and the driver opened that he even blinked, finally looking away.
It allowed her to swallow, to breathe a little easier even if it was for a few seconds.
The driver closed the partition immediately when Augustine nodded, and his attention returned to her. She couldn’t stop her flinch when he finally spoke.
“Tell me, are you faster than a bullet?”
