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“Thank God you’re finally awake. I thought the fever broke this morning, but I couldn’t be sure,” he announced, approaching the bed.
“Stay away!” Stephanie said sharply, and Kit stopped moving. “Why am I naked, and what happened to me? Why does my back hurt so much?”
“Do you remember arriving home?” Kit asked.
Stephanie’s heart skipped at the word home.
“Yes. You were pacing in the window, and then something assaulted me… I was running… then a sharp pain…” Stephanie broke off, confused as she frowned and tried to make sense of the images.
“Justin, the Human Killer attacked. He’d been waiting for you to return and was hiding in the trees. He targeted your vehicle, and you got out and ran, but his claws wounded you as you crossed the inn’s threshold.”
Stephanie’s eyes widened at Kit’s explanation. She remembered snatches of what he spoke. Falling to her knees, running panicked, then an agonising pain.
“I should have stayed in the car,” she muttered.
“No, sorry, dove. That’s gone. The Human Killer took its anger out on it,” Kit said.
Stephanie frowned and rose a little in the bed, and a gasp left her mouth at the state of her car. It had large holes in the bodywork, deep scratches that had peeled back metal and there was no glass in any window.
“Oh my God!” Stephanie gasped. “If he did that to my car...”
“Yes, imagine what he would do to you. As it was, the wounds on your back were dire, and I worried we might lose you,” Kit said honestly.
Stephanie’s wide eyes held shock and disbelief as she gazed at Kit. “How long have I been out?” she whispered.
“Five days. It was a hard-fought battle, but we won. The fever brought on by the poison in Justin’s claws broke this morning, as I said.”
“You’ve been caring for me?” Stephanie asked, peering down at her breasts and blushing deeply as she met Kit’s eyes.
“There was no one else, Stephanie,” Kit demurred.
“You saw me naked?” Her voice rose, and Kit winced.
“No. The White Witch bathed and clothed you, but we had to keep your back bare for the poultice to work. The fresh air also helped heal the wounds, which is why we only used light strips of cloth to cover them. But I’m afraid they will leave scars,” Kit said sadly. “I don’t have access to CeeCee’s apothecary. Otherwise, I am certain the scarring would have been less.”
“I don’t care about scars, Kit. Scars mean I survived. It means Justin didn’t win and get his wish. Is he still out there?”
Stephanie sent the window a wary look.
“Oh, he’s been back every night attempting to break in. You’d think he’d get the hint that he can’t, but the man is stubborn. If I didn’t know better, I’d applaud his determination. Instead, I despise the poor creature, for he is doomed to constantly fail,” Kit replied.
“Justin won’t stop coming, will he?” Stephanie said.
Justin’s actions and level of hatred were finally sinking in. She failed to comprehend how Justin could hate so much. It was beyond her understanding. Was this because she’d left him or because he’d been discovered to be a vile woman-beater? They’d been separated a while now, so this obsession with her made no sense apart from one thing. If Justin succeeded in killing her, he’d give Cole a blow he’d never recover from. And deep down, Stephanie realised it was about that.
Justin’s hate of his cousin was so ingrained, and Stephanie was the tool to deal Cole a wound that would forever bleed. This wasn’t about her. Well, not much anyway. Justin no doubt wanted to punish her for escaping him and revealing his true self. Then again, this was also about him and Cole. Justin wouldn’t rest until he’d dealt Cole a death blow. And that also explained why it was centred around her.
If Justin pursued and killed Cole, it would be finished. Cole’s suffering would end when he died. But to take one of Cole’s adopted sisters away from him would leave a hole in Cole’s heart, and he’d never forget. Worse, if it was Stephanie who passed, Cole would forever blame himself. Because Stephanie met Justin through Cole.
Oh, Justin’s plan was wicked indeed, and he clearly had planned it out. Stephanie suddenly wondered about Justin’s cause of death. Had it been an accident or suicide? She’d never inquired, but she hadn’t thought how he died was important. He was just dead.
“How do we beat him? I can’t stay locked up here forever,” she asked.
“Stephanie, I discovered a book. I was beginning to read it on the night of the attack. However, I didn’t get far with it, but it is a comprehensive work put together by my ancestors. It details their dealings with Human Killers and how they turn into Master Ghouls. The fact there aren’t many Human Killersrunning around meant they’d found a way to destroy them. I’m certain we have to behead them,” Kit said. He was still standing in the place Stephanie had frozen him in.
“Sorry, take a seat,” Stephanie offered, realising her rudeness.
“Thank you!” Kit replied, sinking into the armchair.
