Hunter shrugged. “He has a point.”
I looked between Hunter and my father. Now Hunter was apparently onboard, I couldn’t see any reason not to take my father with us. I certainly didn’t intend to send him back to the house. “Okay, follow us.”
And we led him through the tunnel through the rock and into the Cavern beyond.
Chapter Twenty-four
We emerged into the Cavern, with Hunter leading the way, me stepping through after him, and my dad bringing up the rear. It was the early hours of the morning, so most people were sleeping, but there were a few still awake, perhaps keeping guard in case someone uninvited tried to enter. They turned to us with wide eyes and open mouths, as though we were ghosts appearing in front of their eyes.
Dixie was the first to react. She let out a cry of relief and ran up to me, throwing her arms around my neck. “Oh, my God. You’re safe. I’ve been so worried.”
I hugged her back. “Yes, we’re safe.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a long story.”
I looked over her shoulder to see Natasha and Sledge in the background. They were both looking toward my father.
“He’s not supposed to be here,” said Sledge.
Hunter stepped in to support me. “We had no choice. He already knows.”
“You’re Ari’s dad,” said Dixie, but it was more of a statement than a question.
My dad nodded. “Please, call me Bryce.” He looked around the Cavern in wonder. “What the heck is this place?”
I touched his arm. “I’ll explain everything, Dad. We just have some things to deal with first, okay?”
Hunter looked around, his eyebrows knitted, his face rigid with anger. “Where’s Kit?”
“I’m right here,” Kit called as he emerged from the corridor which led to the living area. “Where have you been? We’ve been worried about you two. We went to the house, but you were already gone.” He turned to my father with a frown. “Who the hell is this?”
Hunter ignored his question and stormed toward him. He hit him in the chest with two hands, sending Kit stumbling backward in surprise. “We found out who’s been after us. Not only that, but they’re most likely responsible for what we are, for our mother’s deaths.”
Kit, seeing the fury in his eyes, held up both hands in defense. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit,” he snarled. “The Myriad Group sound familiar to you? It should—your father is the founder.”
Confusion filled Kit’s features. “I know what the Myriad Group is, asshole. I grew up with it, remember?”
“Yeah, and your father is behind all of this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your father is the one responsible for us being who we are. He is the one behind developing the drug that killed all of our mothers.”
Kit shook his head. “No, that’s not true. It’s a government experiment.”
I joined in. “You’re wrong. Your father told us himself, face to face.”
Hunter gave a cold laugh. “You realize he experimented upon his own wife? His firstborn child? What sort of sick son-of-a-bitch is he?”
Kit’s ice blue eyes narrowed. “That’s exactly what he is. I wouldn’t put anything past him. Why do you think I’ve estranged myself from him? I haven’t had contact with my father for the past four years. Ever since my brother died, and all he did was blame me for his favorite son’s death.”
“You must have known. How else would you have created all of this?” Hunter gestured at the Cavern, at all the equipment. “Don’t tell me no one at the Myriad Group knows you’re down here.”
“I told you already, they think it’s all gone, destroyed in a tunnel collapse. The entrance from beneath the bridge is my creation. Yes, I’ve worked with what was already here, but the Myriad Group has hundreds of different research centers, all over the country. My father has no idea where I am, or even if I’m still alive. When I left, I took the money out of my trust fund—every last cent. I invested everything I had into the Cavern, so don’t try to make me out to be the bad guy. I didn’t leave my father because I thought he’d been experimenting on me and caused my mother’s death, I left because they guy was an asshole who I no longer wanted to be anywhere near.”
Hunter and I exchanged a glance. Was he telling the truth? He certainly sounded genuine enough, but it could all be a front.
“How do we know you’re not working for him?” I said. “This could all be one big conspiracy to get us all in one place so your father can bring us in. You’re the one who said the government was after us, when this whole time it was your own father.”
“I thought it was the government. Why wouldn’t I have assumed that—men in suits who seemed to either want us dead or to take us in. What else was I supposed to think?”
“You didn’t need to think anything,” Hunter growled. “You already knew! You’ve been working for him this whole time.”
“No, I didn’t. If I was working for my father, don’t you think I would have given you all up by now? I swear to you, I had no idea.” His big fists bunched. “If I’d known, I would have gone back and killed him myself.” His voice was thick with anger.
I touched Hunter’s arm. “I think he’s telling the truth. I believe him.”
“And if he isn’t?”
“Then we’ll find out soon enough. He’ll give up this place, and all of us, but I think he’d have done it already if he wanted to. Philip Middleton had to kidnap my father to find out where his son was. That doesn’t sound like they’ve been in touch recently.”
Hunter appeared to consider my words then nodded.
“The others need to know the truth,” he said. “They deserve to know who is behind all of this. And they deserve to know who their leader really is.”
“I’m not different than the man I’ve always been,” said Kit. “I’m as angry as anyone—more so. How would you feel if you’d just found out your own father was behind your mother’s death? I want to put an end to this, too.”
“You know where we can find your father, then?” I asked him.
“Not right at this moment, but I’m sure if I speak to the right people, I’ll be able to find out. He won’t go down easily,” Kit warned. “He keeps himself surrounded by armed security.”
Hunter nodded. “Yeah, the men in black who’ve been chasing us all this time.”
“We have to plan for this,” Kit continued. “We need answers. It’s not as though it’s just a case of figuring out how to kill him, as much as I want to see the son-of-a-bitch dead. He’s going to have one hell of a lot of backup, especially now he’s revealed he’s the one responsible. We need to train hard and be ready.”
I took a step forward. “How long are we going to train for before we actually do something? You say we’re down in the Cavern to hone our abilities, but isn’t the truth that we’re really hiding?”
“We’re not hiding, Ari,” he said, his lips thinning into a line. “We can’t just launch into a fight without knowing what we’re doing.”
“And how long is that going to take? We can’t just let your father carry on like he is. We need to get out there and stop him!” My anger built inside me, and I knew I had to keep control, or the Myriad Group wouldn’t be the only ones hurting people. “How many more people are we going to lose before we act?”
Kit shook his head. “I don’t want us to lose anyone else, either.”
“I know that, but we will, if we don’t do something.”
“I swear to you that we’ll take action,” said Kit, “and we’ll do it soon. I won’t let my father get away with what he’s done to us all.”
Chapter Twenty-five
I lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I was exhausted but unable to sleep, a million thoughts racing through my mind. The future felt terrifyingly uncertain. I wanted all of us to be safe, but that would never happen with Philip Middleton still out there. Who knew how d
eep into the Myriad Group this went? There must have been others involved. As far as I was aware, Kit’s father wasn’t a scientist, which meant there were people who worked for his company who knew exactly what had been done to us. It might have been more than twenty years ago, but that didn’t mean they were no longer working for the group. There could be an entire division dedicated to rounding up what they’d created all those years ago…
Us.
Dixie had stayed with Sledge, and Kit had found my dad a bed with the other men. I was alone in the room, with only my thoughts for company. I worried Philip Middleton might have been watching out for where we’d gone after we left the island, and would launch an attack on the Cavern. Every little noise jolted me from the lure of sleep, and set my heart racing.
Movement came at the door.
I sat up, clutching the bed sheet around me.
Hunter stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. His head tilted to one side as he regarded me.
“Jesus, Hunter. You scared me.”
“Sorry.” He moved farther into the room. “I saw Dixie with Sledge in the common room, and I realized that meant you were alone.”
“Yes, but I’m fine.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
My heart caught in my chest. “It wasn’t?”
“I thought I might lose you tonight, Ari. I don’t think I’ve ever been so fucking frightened in my life.” I watched as he hooked his fingers beneath the bottom of the gray t-shirt he wore and pulled it up over his head.
“Hunter …” I said, not sure how I was going to finish.
His hands went to the buckle of his belt. All words fell from my lips as he undid the belt and shucked his jeans from his hips. He toed off his boots and jeans with them. In only his underwear, which left little to the imagination, he slipped into bed beside me and pulled me into his arms.
It didn’t even occur to me to ask him what he was doing. We both knew. This had been building between us since the first moment we’d met.
He kissed me, our lips crushing together, our tongues meeting. The scent of him filled my nostrils—a musky scent that was purely Hunter—and then he flipped me onto my back with him above, so his body shadowed mine. His hips slotted between my thighs, and I wrapped my heels around his hips, pulling him closer.
“I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you,” he told me between kisses.
“Me, too.” I nodded in earnest. “Me, too.”
Our hands learned each other’s bodies, ridding ourselves of our remaining clothing. I wanted him to know me in that way, for us to have the intimate connection I’d been so sure of from the start. His mouth was on my skin, mine on his. His fingers found my most secret place, and I reached down to stroke him, too, so wondrously hard and silky soft, all at the same time.
Pleasure built inside me and I urged him on, wanting more. Above our heads, the lights flickered on and off.
“Ari?” He growled his warning against my mouth.
“Sorry,” I replied, suppressing the grin threatening to break across my face.
He settled himself back between my thighs and pushed inside me. I was relieved he’d brought protection, though I know I’d rib him later about taking me for a sure thing. We moved together, both building toward our peaks. I lost myself in him, forgetting everything else for the moment, only aware of how the feel of his body against mine felt like coming home. My pleasure found its tipping point and I spiraled down in its grip, crying out against Hunter’s shoulder. He gritted his teeth, his breath hot against my neck, as he found his own release inside me. Somewhere in the room, something exploded with a pop, but I was too far gone to notice what it was.
We came down together, sweat-slicked skin, heaving chests, and glowing cheeks. He kissed me again, and we held each other beneath the sheets.
I sighed in contentment, incredibly happy in his arms. “There was a while there where I didn’t think this was ever going to happen.”
He propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at me with those dark eyes I’d come to care about so much. “Yeah, me, too. I’m sorry. I cared too much about the power Kit had over us. With this new information, I just thought screw it. His father is the man who did this to us. He has no moral right to hold anything over us anymore.”
“It’s not Kit’s fault that his father is an asshole,” I pointed out.
“No, but it’s Kit’s fault when Kit acts like an asshole.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “You’ve had some moments yourself.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I’ll do better going forward, I promise.”
I gave a small shrug. “Hey, I’ve made mistakes myself. I could have gotten everyone killed on that island. I can’t trust myself, and that worries me more than anything. More than you or Kit, more than Philip Middleton and the Myriad Group, even.”
“We’ll keep working, Ari. We’ll figure it out. What you did tonight with the storm was incredible. You have all this power inside you, and if we can figure out a way to control and channel it, you will be the most powerful Kin ever known.”
From out of nowhere, I shivered. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“It’s scary, I know, but it’s also incredible. You’re incredible. And I will be right here, by your side, every step of the way, if you’ll have me.”
I nodded, and he kissed me again.
“I’ll have you,” I whispered against his mouth.
Chapter Twenty-six
This time, when I blinked open my eyes and realized Hunter was no longer beside me, it didn’t worry me. Instead, I hugged myself with happiness at the memories of the night before. The musky scent of him permeated my sheets, the memory of the taste of his skin still on my tongue. I knew he’d be somewhere in the Cavern and I’d see him soon. Our lives were inextricably entwined now.
Dixie was back in her bed, still sleeping, buried deep beneath the covers. I wondered if she and Hunter had crossed paths while she’s been sneaking in after spending time with Sledge, and he was slipping out after being with me. A smile tweaked my cheeks at the thought, and I pressed my lips together. Each of them must have looked as guilty as the other.
Remembering my dad was somewhere in the Cavern, probably feeling lost, worried, and alone, I jumped out of bed. The picture frames still sat on my bedside table, their emptiness somehow mocking me. I’d hoped deep down I might have tugged at someone’s conscience with my plea for the photographs to be returned, but whoever was responsible for taking them hadn’t cared.
Pushing the thought of my missing belongings from my mind, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt, quickly used the bathroom, and went out to try to track down my father.
I passed several people in the corridor—Russell, the guy who’d been chewing gum during a meal when I’d first arrived, and Caro, the New York girl with red hair who had an affinity for electricity. They both smiled and called “morning” to me as I passed by, their friendliness leaving me puzzled. I checked the kitchen for any signs of my father, but he wasn’t there. A few other Kin were preparing themselves breakfast—an Asian woman with the shiniest hair I’d ever seen, who I thought was called Tori, and a blonde guy whose name might have been Matt, or possibly Mark. They both glanced over at me as I entered.
“Hi, Ari,” the female half of the pair called.
“Morning, Ari,” said Matt—or Mark.
“Good morning,” I replied, feeling off kilter. Why was everyone being so nice to me? It made me suspicious. Had I done something in my sleep again? “Umm, have you seen my dad, Bryce, anywhere? I brought him to the Cavern last night.”
“Yeah,” said Tori. “I think he’s in the rec room.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I turned and walked away with chirps of “see you later,” following me. What was going on? Why was everyone being so friendly? I couldn’t help wonder if Hunter was behind it. Had he spoken to everyone about my missing photographs and told them to be nicer to me
?
I entered the common room to find my dad sitting on the couch, surrounded by people perched on the armrests, or sitting cross-legged on the floor. He glanced up at me as I entered, the smile that had already been on his face widening at the sight of me. He clutched a mug of coffee, the scent of which made my mouth water.
“Ari, you’re up!”
“Yeah, Dad.” My gaze scanned all the people around him. So much for him being alone and worried. “I see you’re making friends already.”
“Sure, everyone’s been great.”
“Hey, Ari,” said the girl with the big dark glasses who’d been sitting opposite me at lunch. I searched my mind for her name. Ashley. Ashley from Arkansas. That was it. “Your dad’s been telling us all how you rescued him.”
A young-looking guy with light brown hair, whose name I was completely clueless about, nodded in agreement. “Calling in that storm was totally badass.”
Ashley’s eyes widened behind her glasses. “And causing a landslip that made Bryce’s captor fall down the side of the cliff into the ocean? That’s insane.”
All the attention made my cheeks heat. “Oh, well, it wasn’t exactly intentional.”
It dawned on me the reason everyone was being so friendly. They’d heard what had happened the previous night, and it had elevated my position in the group. Well, I’d been at rock bottom, so the only way had been up. Maybe my dad being here helped, too. Even though it was against the rules to tell anyone about the Cavern, these had been extreme circumstances, and anyway, everyone liked my dad. With each member of the Kin having lost a parental figure, I thought perhaps they liked having an older person around for once.
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