I jerked. “What? No, it’s—”

“Kassen isn’t his real name.”

“Gemma—”

“He was abducted when he was a child.”

“What the hell are you—”

“The house that caught fire belonged to a faction of people who terrorized and molested boys and girls. It’s been going on for decades.”

“Shut up,” I snarled. “He doesn’t need to know—”

“The fire wasn’t an accident.” Gemma totally ignored me. “And the other kids who were trapped were taken over eleven years ago to different locations.”

“Gemma, what the fuck—?”

She shook her head and held my livid stare. “I’m sorry, Kas, but I want you well. I’m sick of trying to cure you on my own. Call me selfish for wanting you healthy. Call me stupid for telling a complete stranger about your past. But I’m not going to lie because it’ll be detrimental to your treatment. You deserve to be happy, Kas.” Her eyes glossed with tears. “I love you. Please trust me when I say...telling people is the right thing to do.”

My heart crashed, and my lungs struggled to breathe. I didn’t know if I wanted to strike her or hug her. All my life, I’d been hidden and taught to stay quiet. Now...the woman who’d ripped me from that threatening silence had just confessed my entire sordid history.

Without asking my goddamn permission.

I gritted my teeth, struggling with my rapidly building rage.

The doctor reclined in his chair, leaving his notepad on his knee as his eyebrows came down, never looking away from me. “Now, that’s quite the claim.”

“He’s been alone for a long time—”

“Gem...” I growled. “Stop it. No more. Not another damn word.”

“He’s a doctor. He won’t hurt—”

“Quiet!”

How dare she give up my tale so quickly?

How fucking dare she share my past with a complete fucking stranger? “Don’t listen to her. I’m not a slave. No one touched me. I’m—”

“I didn’t say you were a slave,” the doctor murmured, his eyes filling with pity.

Fuck him and his pity.

I went to push Gemma off me, ready to punch this bastard in the face, but Gem looped her arm around my neck, wedging her ass deeper onto my thigh again. She swallowed, wariness all over her face. “I’m sorry, Kas. I didn’t mean...” She swallowed again. “I know you’re not used to being so open, but not everyone is your enemy.” Her voice hardened as she looked at the doctor. “I won’t say any more....It’s not my story to tell. But...he has lived on his own for eleven years. I’m guessing he’ll be deficient in vitamins and minerals from years of enduring a basic diet and surviving harsh seasons on his own. It’s probably best he’s evaluated—”

“Goddammit, Gemma!”

“I’m done.” Her head lowered in contrition. “Sorry, my first-aid training kicked in. It’s a relief to share all your symptoms with someone qualified. Someone who can actually help you.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Sounds as if you might.” The doctor inhaled calmly, his gaze locking onto me. “How did you survive this entire time out there, on your own?”

Fuck.

Questions.

So many fucking questions.

He’d ask, and my memories would answer, filling me up with screams, pain, and history. I couldn’t drown beneath the past. I wouldn’t. I had enough shit to endure in this new reality.

My hands fisted harder.

I prepared to go to war.

Gemma tried to defuse me by stroking my cheek.

It helped, but fury still bubbled in my blood.

The doctor noticed.

He coughed and tore his gaze from mine, locking onto Gemma. He chased a different line of questioning. “And that’s how you met? You found the house, and what...became friends?”

“She’s mine, asshole,” I hissed between my teeth.

“Okay, then.” The doctor narrowed his eyes. “You found each other and began a...relationship.”

My own eyes narrowed to slits. “She’s. Mine. That’s the relationship.”

The doctor scribbled something on his annoying notepad-screen.

Gemma shifted uncomfortably on my thigh, her voice slipping back into smooth business. She glossed over our initial few days together and all the shit I’d done to her, even after she’d been stupidly honest with everything else. “I found something online that hinted at a good climb. It’s what I do for work. I make money from posting my climbs online and am always on the lookout for something new. But instead of finding a boulder, I found the house where Kas was living. It’s been a secret since it’s construction.”

“No one else was there?” the doctor asked, scribbling again.

“No. Just him.”

“And you were happy to be found?” The doctor kept his voice deceptively quiet, waiting for me to answer.

Storymaker’s voice echoed in my ears.

Nyx’s screams.

Maliki’s cries.

I shoved it all down. I swallowed hard and tried to get through this. “Yes,” I snapped.

“He welcomed me,” Gem lied. “I’ve stayed with him since summer. Oh, and he broke his arm at the same time he became concussed. It’s, eh...it wasn’t his first concussion.” She winced in my direction. “He had another. It granted amnesia for five years.”

“Gemma,” I hissed. “Stop.”

“I see.” The doctor scribbled some more, privy to my history when he shouldn’t be.

Gemma flinched and caught my narrowed stare. “I’m sorry, I’m done.” She kissed my cheek and turned back to the doctor. “The rest we don’t have to discuss. I only told you this much so you can do a full examination and help him get better. But...” She licked her lips. “You have to understand that he’s been on his own for a very long time.” She lowered her voice. “I’m repeating that part so you have empathy if he struggles with company. He hasn’t had the chance to work through his trauma, let alone the physical condition of a concussion I wasn’t skilled in treating. He needs...space and time and...understanding.”

Goddammit, this woman!

“If you’re so concerned about his condition, then why didn’t you come for help sooner?” the doctor asked sternly. “Multiple concussions of the magnitude you’re describing can come with serious long-term complications.”

“I didn’t seek help because I wasn’t fucking ready to be near people,” I snarled. “Enough. I’m done with this. Either let us go or do whatever you need to do. Either way, storytime is over.” I clamped a heavy hand on Gem’s hip, ensuring she knew I wasn’t kidding.

My temper was frayed.

My patience was done.

If she shared another shred of my history with this stranger, I wouldn’t be responsible for what I’d do.

“Fine.” The doctor sat straighter, clearing his throat as he wrote yet another something on his screen.

Gemma threw me a look before saying calmly, “Whatever tests and treatments he needs, can I ask that we stay together? I think it’s best if I’m in the room when Kas is...examined.”

Examined?

What the fuck did that mean?

“Of course.” The doctor nodded. He stood and smiled down at us. “Can I call any next of kin? If you’ve been gone as long as you say, I’m sure your family will be worried.” His eyes met mine. “And yours? The police will want to talk to you, Mr. Sands. Your family will also need to be notified. They’ll be very relieved to be reunited after so long.” He grinned, warming to his cause. “You’re home now. Both of you. And I’ll do my best to ensure you’re both healthy and ready to begin this new phase of your lives.”

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

FOR THREE DAYS, I did my best never to leave Kas’s side.

That first night, they performed the same tests on us—X-rays on our lungs and general checkup on superficial burns we’d endured from fighting the fire. We were given a course of antibiotics just in case the smoke inhalation turned into a respiratory infection.