The Rise (The Kings and Gods #3)

Chapter 10

Lana

We ate breakfast, and he fucked me again and again. I showered and dressed in the clothes he had brought in for me, and now we sit awkwardly at the table. He’s looking down at his phone while Hoax stares at the side of my head. It’s weird and a little unnerving. Finally, I turn my head to look at Hoax, and he smirks at me.

“Do you want something?” I ask him. He just smiles at me.

“I’m just thinking.”

“About what?” I ask.

“You.” I glance over at Hunter, but he’s still looking down at his phone, not paying us any attention, so I turn back to Hoax.

“What about me?” I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I’m wondering how you got him to keep you.”

“Who said he was keeping me?”

“He isn’t letting you go.”

“And that bothers you?” I ask him, listening to Hunter chuckle under his breath.

“No. Not as much as I thought it would. Honestly, I’m not sure what to think about you, Lana. You’re one of them,” he says, shoving up to stand as I do the same.

“I’m not one of them.”

“Yeah, you are.” He’s pissing me off. He’s pushing my buttons, and I don’t know why.

“You know what? Fuck you, Hoax!” That’s when I move, lunging toward him, taking him by surprise, and tackling him to the ground. My fist pulls back and slams into the side of his jaw as he laughs at me. He fucking laughs at me! Tears spring to my eyes as I swing again, only to be lifted off him in one move. Hunter has me around the waist, dragging me toward the other side of the room. He spins me and slams me against the wall, knocking the air from my lungs, then stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at me.

“What?” I snap at him.

“You can’t just go around attacking people, especially my people.”

“He started it,” I snap at him, wiping at the tears on my cheeks.

“Was he wrong?” he asks me. My mouth falls open at his words, but he’s right. I was one of them, but I’m not anymore.

“I’m not one of them. Not anymore.”

“Then what are you, little rebel?” My heart skips a beat every time he calls me that.

“I want to help you.”

“Doing what? Torturing people?” he muses, his head tilting to the side.

“If that’s what I need to do.”

“You’re not a killer, Lana.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t know me,” I argue, trying to defend myself. Clearly, I’m not doing a very good job at it, though. Hunter steps closer to me, wrapping his hand around my throat and pulling my body closer to his.

“You’re right. I don’t know you, and you haven’t offered up anything, either.”

“I don’t know you either, Hunter.”

“I’m Hunter Ray. I’m twenty-six years old. I’m a fucking God by birth, but I earned my spot here. I kill and torture for a living. I’ve never hated anything more than traffickers aside from my dad, and I killed him. That about sums me up,” he reveals.

“I’m Lana St. John. My father sold me to his friend when I was seven. I lived with him until I was sixteen, and he no longer wanted me. I was his toy to use and abuse. When I came back, they acted as if I was never gone and put me to work. That was eight years ago. I’ve taken care of those kids as best I could. I never want to go back to that life again.”

“You’ve been hurt,” he says softly.

“More than you could know.”

“I want to hurt you,” he admits.

“In the same way?” he shakes his head.

“No. In my way.” I nod my head because I have loved everything he’s done to me so far. I wasn’t sure that I would, but I did. Before I can say anything else, he leans in and crushes his lips against mine. His tongue sweeps into my mouth and toys with mine. I moan, and he eats it all up before biting my lip hard. I groan and he pulls back, holding out his hand to me.

“What are we doing?”

“We’re going to the fair,” he says. I narrow my eyes at him, thinking he’s lost his mind. “What?”

“The fair?”

“Yeah. The fair.”

“You … you trust me enough to take me there?” Something in my chest tightens. Does he trust me?

“You can run, little rebel, but I’ll hunt you.” His words cause a shiver to run through my body. Without another word, Hunter drags me toward the door. I watch him punch in a code, but I don’t see what it is, and then we’re outside, walking to a blacked-out SUV. I don’t bother to look around. I just climb in when he opens the door for me and I settle into the seat.

Hunter walks around the car, and I can’t help but watch him. The way he moves with authority and precision. He climbs into the car and starts it up before pulling down to the gate. Again, he punches in a code, so the gate opens, and he pulls through.

Once we’re outside the gates, I glance around.

“You know where you are?” he asks. I shake my head as he looks at me for a second and back to the road.

“Don’t tell me.”

“Why not?” he chuckles.

“It’s safer that way.”

“Are you afraid that they’re going to find you?” That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. What if they find out I’m here with Hunter? Or that I was sleeping with him? There are too many ‘what ifs’ causing a chill to wrap around me. I cross my arms and start rubbing one with the other and Hunter notices. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

“But I am.”

“But you don’t need to be,” he tells me.

“Why? There’s a chance they could find me, Hunter, and the fact I’ve literally been sleeping with the enemy isn’t going to go over well.”

“Did you have a boyfriend?” he asks casually.

“He wasn’t really my boyfriend. He … I was-”

“You don’t have to tell me,” he adds.

“It’s fine. I was pregnant. I was not very far along, but my brother was mad that I didn’t follow his rules, and he beat me. I lost the baby.”

“Fuck, Lana. I’m sorry,” he says reaching over to grab my hand in his. It’s soothing and reassuring.

“Don’t be. I’m not. They wouldn’t have let me keep it, and I can’t imagine losing my child the way these other people have.”

“Yeah, but that was still yours. Did the dad want it?”

“Gabe. His name is Gabe. He acts like he did, but he’s a coward. I’m not sure he even cared about me. He claimed he did, but he wouldn’t stand up for me. He let my brother do what he wanted.”

“He’ll die for that,” Hunter growls. I glance over, and I see the way his knuckles turn white as he grips the wheel. He doesn’t say anything else and maybe that’s for the best.

Instead, I sit back and watch out the window until all the lights come into view. Then, a small smile lights up my face.