My breathing kicked up a notch at the look on his face, so I eyed the food again just as my stomach let out another huge growl.

My cheeks heated. Gods, I hoped this wasn’t my new norm, ’cause that sound was embarrassing.

And what the hell was up with how strong the food smelled? I swear I could practically taste the buttery eggs and crisp bacon that waited before me, even though I hadn’t tasted anything yet.

My stomach let out another growl, and I slapped both hands over it sheepishly.

“You should eat.” The hunter gave me his back again, but at least he’d stopped killing his cookware. “Since the full moon is tonight, your metabolism will be increasing with the impending shift. You’ll find that you’re going to have to start eating a lot more to meet your caloric needs.”

I picked up a piece of bacon. “Did you sleep well?” I asked awkwardly as I bit into the crisp fat. My eyes widened at the burst of flavors that melted over my tongue. Gods, it tasted amazing. Before I knew what I was doing, I was inhaling the rest of it.

“No,” he finally replied after he’d put the dirty pan that he’d near murdered onto the drying rack. “I didn’t sleep.”

I swallowed another mouthful of food. “At all?”

“No, not at all.”

I frowned, remembering how he’d been awake after his demon-ax had rendered me unconscious. The ax’s huge gush of magic had been needed to break through the glowing blue handcuffs Cameron had placed on me. But apparently, only I’d been affected by the ax since Kaillen had never fallen asleep. He’d also been sleeping poorly in Oak Trembler for the past week.

I cocked my head. “When did you last sleep?”

He shrugged. “I slept a few hours the night before you were—” He cleared his throat but didn’t continue.

My eyebrows shot up. “The night before I was abducted?” What had that been, two days ago now? That was the night he’d drunk a bottle of whiskey in his living room and hadn’t come to bed until the early hours of the morning. And the next day, we’d both woken up early and had our explosive interaction in which I’d accused him of not having real feelings for me. That had all taken place before Cameron had overpowered me and delivered me to Jakub-Dipshit’s sorcerers.

Obviously, it hadn’t been a good morning for either of us.

Kaillen’s jaw locked, but he didn’t reply.

I picked up my fork again. “That was two nights ago.”

“It was.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I think you know why.” He pushed the second plate toward me. I hadn’t even realized I’d finished the first. “Eat.”

I frowned. “Isn’t that one yours?”

“No, it’s for you. I already ate, and I couldn’t fit all of the food for you onto one plate.”

My cheeks heated, even more so when I saw that the amount of food on plate two was just as much as what had been on plate one. He’d probably cooked me a dozen eggs, two pounds of bacon, and toasted an entire loaf of bread.

And the crazy thing was that I wanted nothing more than to reach for plate two. My stomach felt like a clawing empty pit. It wanted more, more, more.

“Gods, this is going to do a number on my grocery bill,” I grumbled as I reached for the damned plate anyway.

His lips twitched up, and for the briefest moment, the energy changed between us. It felt as it once had—before I knew of Jakub-Dipshit and before Kaillen’s wolf had decided that I was his mate. It felt like it had when we’d been hunting for Tessa, and bantering with one another had been our norm.

But that momentary lightening of his expression vanished when I plugged my nose and brought the fork to my mouth.

His lips tightened into a grim line. “You’ll get used to the new, stronger scents and will learn how to filter them out. All pups have to learn that when they first shift.”

My shoulders drooped. I was like a pre-pubescent boy about to go through his first shift. But despite that depressing thought, I began shoveling food into my mouth again.

“That’s good to know,” I replied while chewing. It seemed as though I could also kiss goodbye to any decent manners I’d once had, as apparently, I now talked with my mouth full. “Sounds like so much fun,” I added sarcastically in between bites. “I’m now like a child who eats like a horse and has the manners of a troll.”

I expected another lip twitch from him, but instead, his throat bobbed in a swallow. That ashy fragrance tickled my nose again, so subtle amongst the overpowering food smells that I almost missed it.

I swallowed and took another gulp of coffee. Kaillen’s expression hadn’t changed or wavered in the slightest, yet I could scent his guilt.

“It won’t stay this bad. The initial shift evokes the biggest changes. You’ll find that you’ll need to eat a lot in the coming weeks, but in several months it shouldn’t be as severe as this.”

“Months?” I balked. I was going to be eating like this for months.

“Yes.” Kaillen went to the sink and began drying the dishes. “By the way, Commander Klebus wants to meet us this morning.”

That comment had me choking. I coughed and managed to swallow. “She does? Why?”

“She wants to interview us, since we may have encountered Jakub.”

“When did she say that?”

“She called while you were showering.”

I snatched the last piece of bacon. Gods, I’d finished the entire plate, and my stomach was so full now I could barely move, but at least that never-ending hunger in my gut had abated. “When are we meeting her?”

“As soon as you’re ready.”

“Is she coming here?”

He gave me a hooded look.

I rolled my eyes. “Of course not. Let me guess. She has no idea where you live.”

“No, she doesn’t. No one does.”

“Not even Ocean?”

“No, not even my sister.”

“What about your friends?”

“Nope. I usually go to them since they live in the fae lands.”

I swallowed the last bite of bacon, my throat suddenly feeling dry. I’d already gulped down all of the coffee, but was I seriously the only other person on earth who knew where the hunter lived?

As if sensing what I was feeling, Kaillen filled a huge glass of water and slid it across the counter toward me.

My hand shook slightly when I picked it up, because despite his secretive, reclusive nature, the hunter had brought me to his hidden home.

I took a huge drink, then set the glass down. “Why did you bring me here?”

“I needed a safe place to take you.”

“Why not take me to your man cave? I already know about that place.”

“The wards here are stronger. You’re safer here.”

“Even so, could Jakub find this house?”

Kaillen’s hands fisted, and a new scent rose from him. It was sharp and almost metallic smelling, like iron. Anger maybe? “He may be able to eventually, but the wards are thick and incredibly strong around the property. It will make it difficult for a seer to locate you, however, not impossible. And I can’t guarantee the wards will keep him out. He’s proven to be quite resourceful. But for the time being, you’re safe.”

But safe for how long? Klebus had specifically said before I’d gone to Ontario that wards couldn’t be trusted to keep Jakub out. The others he’d abducted had wards in place, but he’d managed to get past them.

My nostrils flared as a deep, burning resentment began low in my gut. Because of Jakub-Dipshit, I’d been kicked out of my home, was barely able to manage my store, had basically abandoned my best friend and sister, and was now also running for my life.

And that dawning realization brought up another topic I hadn’t even considered yet.

Where exactly was I going to stay now? If Oak Trembler was no longer an option and if this home would eventually be compromised, then what did that leave? An SF safe house?

Thinking about that made me consider what I’d said to the hunter last night, about how I was sick of being on the sidelines and wanted to hunt Jakub myself. It was either that or continue running and hoping I’d stay safe.