“You’re a fucking hypocrite, Red. You think you hide your rage, but we all see it simmering away when you fight.” He stormed off, and Kace let him go.
“He’s going to kill himself,” Marshall muttered. “Or someone else.”
Kace waited until Hunter was out of sight, ignoring the chair he had kicked across the room. “He’s only fourteen, he’ll get there.” Hunter was strong, but he had allowed his animal to take more of the abuse than the boy, not that his pride would admit anything had actually happened. No, the truth had been in his face, in his broken expression. Detachment made it worse, and in Hunter’s case it had made his animal wild, which was dangerous for any shifter.
It proved Kace was indeed a hypocrite, because his own beast was just as feral. Not that anyone there knew of his beast, only the teasing glimpses when his irises changed. He wasn’t a shifter, but a druid who could shift from one shape to another. Something that shouldn’t exist.
Kace turned towards the office before Hudson appeared in the doorframe, his hands slick with red while he casually rolled his sleeves back down. The owner of The Vault was in his forties, with a slightly aged face and the beginnings of salt and pepper hair. Despite being human, Hudson’s presence was a magnetic force. Power radiated from him in waves, his dark eyes harsh and deadly.
“So, where’s the kid?” Marshall asked when he approached.
Hudson pursed his lips, fury evident in the set of his jaw. “Hospital.”
Kace growled, clenching his fists. “They dead?”
They both knew what he asked, because anyone who hurt the kids ended up six-feet under. No exceptions. They were a safe haven, and any kid who entered gained immediate protection. No one could cause them harm, not even their parents without answering to Kace.
Hudson flicked his gaze to him, his anger palpable. It teased his beast, the tension only growing until fur brushed gently beneath tight skin.
“Of course.” A savage smile, one that broke the façade of the professional businessman he liked to portray. Deep down he was as fucked up as them.
Marshall sucked in another long drag. “I’ll organise his transfer once he’s healthy.”
Hudson nodded, wiping the blood from his hands on to the dark fabric of his suit. “We’ve had some interesting people in here tonight. They were watching all the fighters a little too closely for my liking.”
“There are whispers of the Pits re-opening,” Kace said, his tone sharp enough to cut.
“It’s a rumour, but it was only a matter of time,” Hudson grunted.
Kace rolled his shoulders, releasing some of the tension. “You recognise them?” The Pits didn’t recruit, they stole. There gave you no choice once you were forced on to the claret sands. It was kill or be killed.
“Nope, but it’s easy enough to suspect which Lord they worked for if they were here for the Pits.” Hudson narrowed his eyes on Marshall’s cigarette. “Marsh, make a note anyone who associates with the Vipers is barred from entering the grounds. Even if they have a cute little snake tattoo on their arse, they don’t get in. I don’t want to risk any of my fighters.”
Marshall nodded. “On it, Boss.”
Kace let out a steady breath. “They’re going to be a problem.” The cage helped with his beast, and while he could find respite elsewhere he wouldn’t have the same power he had at The Vault. He and Hudson had a deal, which gave Kace full control. Control that he needed. The Pits reopening risked that.
“It’s still only a rumour, but if it is indeed the Pits then you’re right.” A chime beeped, and without another word Hudson headed back to his office, phone pressed to his ear. “What the fuck do you want?” he barked into the receiver, the door slamming shut behind him.
Marshall let out a low whistle. “Hud doesn’t usually do the wet work, it must have been bad.”
No, it was usually Marshall who carried out the punishments for Hudson. It had only been eight or so months since they had opened the place to the kids, and in that time Marsh had taken it on himself to be the judge, jury and executioner to anyone who caused them harm. Kace had craved the violence, but purposely kept himself separate. His brothers knew of his darker side, knew that he barely walked the edge of sanity. His continuous rage burned like fire in his veins, and he was sure that if he took it further it would finally push him over the edge into oblivion.
Kace clicked his knuckles. “Nobody messes with our kids.”
Chapter4
Eva
Eva barely controlled the cold terror that was like phantom fingers around her throat, pressing slowly until her lungs hardened to granite. Lucas sat beside her, his knee jumping nervously. He had grovelled and begged, only stopping when one of the men hit him with the butt of their gun.
She had never seen him nervous. Lucas always had an air of authority, and it was one of the things that had attracted her to him in the first place. She quickly learned that beneath the power that he wore like armour was a cruel man who enjoyed hurting those he deemed weaker than himself. She would never have called herself weak, despite being human, and yet she still fell beneath his fists.
She was thankful in that moment that both her parents were dead, because she couldn’t have dealt with their utter disappointment that she hadn’t seen Lucas for what he truly was.
A door clicked behind them, and it took everything in her not to turn. She faced the desk with a straight spine, her hands carefully clasped in her lap. Lucas rattled at the small noise, twisting in his chair fully.
“Dutc… Augustine.” He swallowed, stuttering. “I’ll… I’ll get the money. I’ll…”
