Page 27 of Hidden Pain

“You need to leave, Kingsley Ross. Get as far away from here as possible. Things are changing. Hunter is losing his power, and when he does, I’ll lead in his place. Run and hide because if we find you, we’ll toast our victory over your roasted body,” Ebony threatened before shoving past him and disappearing back into the house. Christian followed her like an obedient puppy but not before pushing him into the wall.

Kingsley righted himself. The whole encounter had left him on edge, and his face was starting to ache where it had been slashed open. More scars…more wounds to add to the collection. He plucked his sketch book up and stared down at the feather he’d drawn—it was an image of hope. A drop of crimson dropped from his cheek and onto the crisp white paper, marring the innocent lines of the feather with his blood. He wiped it away, smudging the red over the paper. The world was rotting from the core outward, and it was poisoning all breeds and species. Ignorance and prejudice were the root cause of the evil. No matter what, people would start dying soon. He just prayed that if it had to be anyone, then it was those who favored stupidity over the wisdom of hope.

Chapter Fifteen

“Well, haven’t you landed on your feet?”

Lily froze as she entered her bedroom at the unmistakable voice of her former alpha, which sent shivers down her spine.

“I didn’t think you’d be Hunter’s type…not after the blonde bimbo he was previously married to. You hardly match up to her in the looks, tits, or ass stakes. He really has fallen down on his luck. I have to say, though, the dress you’re wearing is better than your usual attire.” Nuka Lincoln was laid out on her bed in a fully tailored suit. He looked every inch the savvy gentleman, but she knew better now.

“What, you don’t have a kiss for me? I know my dick would enjoy those lips of yours wrapped around it.” He raised an eyebrow at her and patted at his groin.

“I thought you said I was on my own now. I’d served my usefulness to you, ” she retorted, staying firmly rooted to the spot near the door.

“I’m sure you’ll always have a use.” Nuka smirked at her, and she knew he meant in his bed.

“No thank you.” She moved farther into the room. “What do you want?”

“Such aggression, I never knew you had it in you, my little bear.” The polar bear sniffed the air. “I guess fucking two men has done you some good.”

“I’ve seen the emails, Nuka. I know what you said. You abandoned me. After everything I did for you. So whatever it is you want, say it and get out. I’m not interested in the games you play anymore.” Lily pursed her lips and stood with her hands fisted at her side. This room was her sanctuary, and she wouldn’t let the man in front of her spoil it. How the hell did he get in anyway?

Nuka laughed.

“That is such a turn on. My god, I’m rock hard. You sure you don’t want to suck my dick? This new Lily is so much more fun than the insipid wimp I was burdened with.”

“Get out.” Lily stamped her foot and shouted at him. He was frustrating her. How could she ever have trusted him? She’d thought of him as a god—a man with power and stature, handsome and smooth talking. She’d idolized him, but after having Hunter and Kingsley at her side, she knew better. They were real men. Nuka was all talk. He was evil to the core, and it sent shivers down her spine, remembering that she’d even dreamed of ruling by his side as his queen. She was nothing more to him than another weapon to destroy the human world.

Nuka slid from the bed, straightened his suit, and prowled toward her.He reached out and stroked his hand down her cheek. It was a gesture he’d used to comfort her in the past, but this time, it was a warning.

“Not until I’ve delivered my message,” he said, bending down and forcing a kiss on her lips. She used all her available strength and pushed him away. That was a mistake. He grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, and pushed her face first against the wall. “That was foolish, after everything I’ve done for you.” He licked the side of her face, and she felt his hardness digging into her backside. She felt sick. Never had she wanted Hunter or Kingsley to appear as much as she did right now. She went to scream, but he placed a hand over her mouth, so instead, she allowed her fangs to develop and bit him. He turned her around and slapped her hard around the face before allowing her to drop to the floor.

“Bitch.” He kicked her.

“Stupid, fucking bitch.” He kicked her hard again.

“Get out,” she repeated. “I know exactly what sort of person you are now, and I don’t want anything to do with you. You played upon my hatred for humans and told me they were all the same, but they’re not. Some are good and kind, and they would willingly exist with us as friends. They wouldn’t all cage us and beat us. You’re the monster who wants to do that to them. Why can’t we just share the earth?”

Nuka let out the loudest laugh she’d ever heard from him. It was eerie.

“Humans are the lowest form of scum. You’ve let Senator Ross’ son touch you. In the end he’ll turn just like his father, and you’ll be his first victim. He’ll have you strapped to a table, opened up, and your insides removed to figure out how we shift. Humans don’t understand magic and mutation, because they don’t possess it. It scares them, and they’ll retaliate by seeking to capture and experiment on us. Their greatest scientists will seek to find a cure for us and search for a way to bind our abilities.” Nuka stepped away from her, and she managed to sit up, her face hurting, and her ribs possibly broken from his kicks. She felt a harshness in every breath, telling of an internal injury.

“He won’t turn. He’s not his father.”

“Just because he’s stuck his dick in you, doesn’t mean he’s in love with you, Lily. You are naive to the extreme. Still a child…you never grew up in that cage. You don’t understand the world.”

“I understand it better than you think. I see more than I talk. I observe and listen, and I know what people are capable of. I know exactly who and what you are, Nuka Lincoln.”

The polar bear came back to her and pulled her up onto her feet. Then wrapping his fingers around her neck, he squeezed.

“You don’t know half of what I’m capable of, Lily. The depths to which I’ll allow my evil to go to get what I want. I have influence in more places than you can ever imagine. Packs all over the world will come over to my way of thinking. All it takes is one person strategically planted to start a revolution…to destroy the old regimes and ring in the new. I’ve played the long game for years now, and I’ll continue to do so for as long as it takes. There’s no need for urgency—my plan is taking shape just fine.”

“I know what happened the night Kingsley’s father died. Your grandfather… ” Lily had finally pieced together all the fragments she’d heard over the years she’d spent as Nuka’s whore. “He’s alive.”

Nuka pressed his face into hers.

“So you do listen. Not that it’ll do you any good. It’s too late to stop anything now. The war isn’t coming. It’s already here, and it’s lusting for the blood of our enemies. You’re powerless to stop it.”

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