Page 8

Chapter 8

Prowl

King waited, watching me as I followed Daff’s every move, right until she pulled the curtain along its track and turned on the water.

“I never expected to see you like this again.”

I gave him a crooked smile.

“Sane?” I shook my head, my eyes tracking back to Daff’s shower curtain.

“Neither did I.”

“Do you want to be released?”

It was easy to assume the sadness clinging to him was my fault.

There were only three of us left, and Rage, though physically well, had a broken mind.

His lion had risen too close to the surface, and he often lost the fight.

If King had one of us back…

“I think anything’s possible, with Daff by my side. I?—”

I broke off, the thought of seeing the open sky, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin, the wind rush past me as I run, pushing past the burn in my thighs and the pressure in my lungs…

Such simple things, too often taken for granted.

Things I never thought I’d feel again, as sleep slowly deserted me, the need to eat faded, my body dying faster than it could heal.

King motioned towards the shower.

“She’s nothing like they told us.”

“No,” I said, feeling the fist around my heart squeeze.

I swear I could see her through the curtain, see the water rolling down her curves, touching all the places I could only dream of.

“Do you think there are others like her?”

I dragged my eyes back to him, grateful I could rest my arms on my thighs, hiding the steel in my pants, trying to spring free.

“You’ve met more than I have.”

King shook his head.

“The first group barely interacts with us. They keep to the places they feel safe and never instigate.”

“And Daff’s group?”

“We haven’t met them yet, not officially. We’ve seen them on the bus and being shown the shared spaces. Tomorrow, I hope.”

“Daff has a friend, Mandy. she asked to remain in contact with her. If she’s one of the brave ones, I’ll ask if she’d be willing to meet you.”

King nodded but didn’t seem as eager as I’d expected.

“I’m glad you found her. And your peace again.”

My palm found my chest, rubbing the place where I could feel my heart beat the strongest. “I feel her here. As steady and sure as my heart’s beat.”

King leant forward, his hand barely pausing before reaching past the bars to land on my shoulder.

“Be careful, brother. She can’t stay.”

My eyes flashed fire, possessive heat searing through my veins as a growl ripped through me.

“She will always be mine.”

King rose and stepped back, his air of sadness returning.

“Then in a way, a piece of her will remain with you, long after she’s gone back to her real home.”

The shower stopped, and King lowered his voice.

“We’ve survived pain before. We’ll do it again, if needed.”

My growl tore free, following him from the room, until the door thunked back into place.

I pressed my head to my bars, pushing until I felt the first bite of pain.

King was right. She wouldn’t, couldn’t stay.

Not forever. She had a home and life out there, and with the money she’d earn from being here, she’d be able to have the life she longed for.

She deserved it.

She deserved anything and everything that would bring her joy.

And if I was lucky, which I hadn’t ever believed before her, I might bring her some too.

Daff’s head popped through the curtain.

“You okay?”

My purr answered her, needing to reassure her.

She shot me a crooked smile as she stepped out, wearing pants that were glued to her like a second skin, a sleeveless shirt that flashed toned arms, and her dark hair pulled up in a messy pile atop her head.

She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

“You like them?” she asked, doing a spin, briefly flashing her perfect ass in my direction.

“They’re called leggings. Bit different to your cargos. These are way more comfortable.”

If she was hinting I should try them, there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d do it.

They could feel like feathers cushioning my balls, but there’d be no hiding the steel in my pants any time she touched me.

Or I remembered how she looked, like a wet goddess, naked and glistening in the shower.

She smirked in my direction like she knew where my thoughts had gone.

“Thank you for talking with King.”

She cocked her head to the side.

“I know to you that seems like a big deal, but it’s really not. Not to me, at least. Or anyone else who’s a half-decent human being.”

This woman.

She was too good for the likes of me.

But I was too selfish not to grasp hold of every possible second I could with her.

Her perfect tits bounced as she raised herself onto her tiptoes and fell again.

“I really hope they figure out a way for me to talk to Mandy. Not that I don’t love our little corner of The Compound or my time with you, but I’m keen to know what they’ve told her about you guys and what they’re expecting of the other women.”

“I’d like to know too.”

“Then let’s hope we hear from her soon.”

The door buzzed, giving us our incoming warning, before the on-duty guard stepped through, followed by Kara and the trolley with our lunch.