“You better have good information, kid. What do you need $300 for?” Ace demanded.
“I don’t. I just wanted to see if you would give it to me. Thanks for that, I will add it to my stash,” Rayan said, making me chuckle while Ace growled at him.
“So spill,” I told him, and he rubbed his chin.
“What should I disclose? Her favorite color is purple. Oh! She has a birthmark on her hip that reminds me of a starfish. She also had this vibrating thing in her knicker drawer. Oh, and she had a drawing of your wolves in her sketchbook,” Rayan said. I shook my head at him.
“No real information, like what she is doing?” I asked him.
“Why would you go through your sister’s undies, you little creeper?” Ace said before shivering in disgust.
“I had to grab some stuff for her. Nothing wrong with grabbing clothes for her. Bloody thing sounded like a rocket ship about to take off. I tried to google what it was, but it kept taking me to these half-naked lady sites,” he said, scrunching his face up. I snorted at this boy’s innocence, he would be horrified when he got older and realized what it was.
“Why did you have to take her clothes?” Ace asked him as we pulled into the underground parking lot.
“Um…” He seemed to think for a second, and I could see worry cross his features like he thought he had said something he shouldn’t have.
“Oh, we are here! I guess I will catch you two later. Thanks for the lift,” he said, gripping the door handle, about to do a runner when Ace locked the door.
“Speak, Rayan! You are ticking me off,” Ace told him, and I smacked his chest. I saw Ryker coming out of the elevator toward the car.
“Fine, I will ask your father then,” I told him, and Ace unlocked the door, and I hopped out.
“Wait!” Rayan called out, and I stopped closing the door and looked over at him.
“Mom and Dad think she is at your house. Please, don’t get her in any more trouble,” Rayan said, looking out at his father walking across the parking lot toward us.
“What do you mean? Hasn’t she been staying at home?” Ace said, but Rayan shook his head.
“Mom won’t let her come home,” Rayan said with a sigh. “Lucy didn’t want to stay with you because Melana is always with Ace, so she has been sleeping at the river behind the packhouse. I got clothes for her the other day, and she met me at school. You can’t tell dad! Please!” Rayan said, and I looked at Ace.
“We won’t say anything. How long has she been out there for?” He didn’t get a chance to answer as Ryker opened up the back door.
“Hey, kiddo,” Ryker said, reaching over him and grabbing his bag off the seat beside him.
Rayan looked at us in panic, but Ace had a tight grip on the steering wheel, looking out the window.
“Everything okay?” Ryker asked as Rayan climbed out of the car.
“Yeah, something has come up. I will come to see you tomorrow,” I told Ryker.
“Ace?” Ryker asked, looking at his tense body, his knuckles white as he clutched the steering wheel.
“Everything is fine, just need to deal with something,” Ace gritted out, and Ryker seemed taken aback but said nothing, closing the door.
Ace reversed out of the parking lot. Fur was sprouting on his arms as he fought to control his emotions and those of Atticus.
“Calm down, Ace. We will go get her,” I told him, worried he would shift.
“She wouldn’t come home because of me, Tyson! Don’t tell me to calm down!” Ace snapped.
Chapter thirteen
Lucy
I had around two hours before the sun went down as I gathered firewood. I hadn’t seen Rayan in days. After killing the rabbit, my bloodlust had gotten out of control, and I was desperate for blood but also too scared to leave the river, for fear of attacking someone. Ravenous wasn’t even a strong enough word for how I felt. I was on edge, like a drug addict going through withdrawal. I was also becoming increasingly weaker, and after having blood daily, it was unbearable to suddenly go cold turkey. I grew weak quickly, just looking for firewood was taking a toll on me, and I grew tired quickly. I never realized what an impact going without blood would have.
Giving up, I sat against a tree, leaning heavily against it. I closed my eyes, trying to catch my breath when I picked up a scent. The scent was filling my nostrils, and a growl tore from my lips, the noise startling me as I looked around for what had created the scent. I noticed movement out of the corner of my eyes before seeing something dart between two trees, my eyes picking up the movement as I watched the rabbit scurry away. I felt my fangs protrude, slipping from my gums slowly and painfully. My mouth was completely dry, and I crawled to my hands and knees.