Page 50 of Bite of Sin

“What’s got you so happy?”

Gia stopped sweeping the floor to look at me, and I shrugged. “I slept well.”

My gaze went to the cage Warner had been in, and my heart skipped, seeing it was empty. I turned my head, scanning the cages, finally stopping at the one near the corner. The corner where Zan and the twins always sat. Warner was inside, lying down, his chest moving up and down slowly as he slept.

“He’s still alive,” Gia said, following my gaze. “And no need to try to sneak more food to him. He’s eating better than any other human in here.”

“Why was he moved?” I asked, guilt eating me alive. Here I was, walking and living free—well, free-ish—while he was trapped in a cage.

“Zan wants to keep an eye on him. But I’m sure you already know that.”

“He can watch him fine from any cage in here,” I grumbled.

“Don’t,” she warned, her smile fading as I looked at her. “You push him too far and he’ll snap.”

My curiosity regarding how far I could push him was growing even more. After last night, he knew I was much more capable than I’d been letting on. Was he going to act differently now? He’d made a deal not to hurt Warner for a week, which was what I wanted. Because I needed to plan a way out before those seven days were up. Pax wasn’t going to keep my secret much longer. He would either turn me or reveal I was human. I needed to be far away before he lost patience.

“Where’d he take you last night?” Gia asked, hooking my arm with hers and leading me to the bar. “I’ve never seen Zan Kane have such an interest in anyone, and I’m curious.”

“How long have you known him?” I asked. It was rare to talk to Gia without anyone else around. Usually Dee was here, or Zan. The humans still filled the cages, but they weren’t paying us any attention.

“Years,” she answered.

She went behind the bar, and I sat down on one of the stools in front of her. “How old are you?”

“I’m thirty-five,” she said with a wink, her usual cheery demeanor in place. Zan had warned me that she was dangerous, but I hadn’t seen that side of her. She reminded me of a motherly figure. Or at least what I imagined a loving mother would be. She treated Dee and the other girls here like they were one of them. She gave me anything I needed with a smile on her face.

“How long have you been thirty-five?” I pressed.

“Seventy years.”

“Is that how long you’ve known Zan?”

“No.” She laughed as she pulled bottles of alcohol out of a cupboard. “Zan isn’t nearly as old as me.”

“How old is he?”

“Gia.”

I tensed when his voice filled the room, slowly peeking over my shoulder to see Zan and the twins coming through the back door. I learned a couple of days ago that they lived upstairs, and no one ever went up there except the three of them.

“Hey, Zan.” Gia greeted him, not sounding flustered at all, even though I’d heard the warning in his voice when he spoke her name. “Care to tell your girl how old you are?”

“I’m not his,” I gritted out in a low voice, fully aware that he would still be able to hear me.

“Until she tells me her age, then she doesn’t need to know mine,” Zan clipped out.

Gia raised an eyebrow, looking between Zan and me before breathing out a laugh. “Hmm, something happened last night. I can feel the tension. Want to share?”

I bit my tongue, looking behind me to Zan again. Instead of the frown I was expecting, a smirk was playing on his lips, his calculating gaze swinging to the side before landing back on me. I straightened, realizing Warner was awake. He was sitting up, his entire body rigid as he glared at Zan. His face was still black and blue, but he looked a lot better than the first night he was here.

“Kali and I spent time alone,” Zan drawled smugly. His arrogance had me bristling, and I stood from the stool to face him. The way he spoke made it clear his words were for Warner. Pax and Viggo were already sitting in their usual spots, and I took a moment to study them. I was sure it was Pax who was staring at me intently while Viggo smoked. I’d been able to start telling them apart by their mannerisms, which was the only way, because when it came to looks, they were identical unless their tattoos were visible.

“Alone?” Gia questioned, her humor flowing freely. “And what did you two do?”

I focused on my breathing, watching Zan cross the room with his usual confidence. He was listening to my heartbeat, wanting to get my reaction as he fucked with Warner’s head since he couldn’t physically touch him after the deal we’d made last night.

“Mmm,” Zan hummed out, stopping right in front of me, keeping his words loud. “What did we do, Kali?”

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