Hiraeth

Chapter 21: His name is...

We meet with Lucy in the dinning room. Ryder is by her side. I'm pretty sure, he hasn't left her side since finding her.

It makes me happy that this grumpy man finally found what he so desperately wanted. You can tell by how he looks at her that she is his gravity.

Lucy is nervous but relaxes every time Ryder touches her hand or arm.

My eyes flash to Kaius who sits in his seat with his arms crossed. Lucy is nervous around Kaius. His emits pure power and she is only human.

I feel the anger start to boil in me. Kaius knows what he is doing and won't put in any effort to make her more comfortable.

I lean forward and reach for Lucy's hand. Ryder's eyes dart to my hands almost aggressively but he doesn't dare do anything more with Kaius in the room.

"Lucy."

Her blue eyes look up to me and her blonde curls slides away from her face so I can see her clearly.

"You said you had information for us."

She nods and glances at Kaius.

"You can tell me." I say, moving my head so she sees me and not Kaius.

Her eyes focus on me and she relaxes a bit.

"I... I don't know exactly who but I have my suspicions."

I nod. "Why don't you give us a few names to make things easier?"

She nods and looks to her hands. "Well... the first one is a man named Mr. James Rochester. He often visited us."

Kaius's voice grumbles next to me. "Rochester is in charge of a very large drug ring. The Russian government has been trying to get him for years."

"The other name is Hugh Hart."

"Hart works with Rochester" Ryder comments.

Lucy goes quiet and looks down at her feet, letting her curls block her face.

"Lucy?"

Ryder leans over to her and takes her hands that are fidgeting in her lap.

"Baby, you can tell us" he whispers to her.

She looks to him and I see her grip on his hand tighten. She takes a deep breath before looking me in the eyes. I see a spark of determination in them that surprises me.

"The last guy was my guardian. He looked after me after my parents died and has been like a brother to me... until recently."

"What do you mean recently? How?" I ask.

"He... he has been acting strange. He hasn't been taking care of me like he used to for the last 2 years. He has grown cold and distant. Whenever I do see him, all he can talk about is someone named Kaius Hale." Her eyes flick to Kaius and this time they don't back down. "I assumed that was you and that's why I came to you that night."

"What is his name?" I ask calmly.

"He..."

"Lucy?" I see her look down to her lap and hide her face again. That's when I feel it.

I look next to me and see Kaius staring Lucy down. A raging flame is in his golden eyes and it looks like he could stab Lucy with his glare.

He is forcing her to stay quiet. He knows what she was about to say but he won't let her.

I feel my anger boil over. "Kaius!"

He stands up abruptly, moving the table as he does. Lucy jumps and shrinks in her chair as Kaius towers over the rest of us.