Page 21 of Fangs
“Hi,” the man said.
I knew him, but I couldn’t remember how or why. I furrowed my brow.
“I’m Lee.” One side of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile.
I frowned in confusion. I was lying on the hard floor, and he seemed to have been lying beside me. Who the fuck was Lee?
“I’m the guy tryin’ to keep you alive.”
That didn’t make any sense.
“It’s a much harder job than I expected.” His tone was teasing, but his eyes looked worried.
“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?” I mumbled, annoyed. Was I dreaming?
He blinked, his eyebrows lifting, and then grinned. “Yeah, you are.”
My eyelids were so heavy, but I needed to figure this out. I knew him. How did I know him?
“Did you know that man in the cell?”Mac’s furious voice ran through my head.
“You were in the cell,” I whispered.
“Yep.”
There was more, but it danced on the edge of my memory, taunting me. He was in the cell—the cell under the watchtower.
“Why…why were you…” My voice trailed off, my mind spinning.
“I was lookin’ for you,” he said lightly.
My body went rigid. He was looking for me because he was with…
“Where’s Wolf?”
“Hopefully, on his way here,” he paused, and a shadow passed over his expression, “though he’s probably plotting the most painful way to kill me.”
I tried to swallow, but my throat was so dry. “Water?”
“You didn’t get enough of it in the river?” he teased, but he stretched to grab something and then handed me a bottle of water.
I tried to sit, but my body was so fucking heavy. He maneuvered me upright, but the movement made the room spin, and my head erupted in pain. I squeezed my eyes shut, wincing.
“You ok?”
I couldn’t answer, trying to breathe through the pain in my head. The rock floor was freezing on my bare legs. A hand pressed against my forehead and my eyes popped back open.
“Fuck, you’restillburning up,” he muttered. “I need to get you back to the cabin, but it’ll take way too long on foot. Hopefully, your brother gets his head out of his ass, sees the smoke, and figures out where we are.”
“How long has it been?” I asked, bringing the water bottle to my lips.
“Been almost a day and a half.”
My hand shook, spilling water down my chin.
“Oh, here, I have?—”
I glanced at him when his voice cut off, but he was staring at my chest. I looked down, my stomach twisting in panic as I realized the shirt I wore had gaped open, revealing the top of the brand. I moved to yank it closed, but he moved faster and caught my wrist.
