Hunter - Book 2 of the Hunted Series

Chapter 1 - Recovering

 "We'll have to get your wedding done soon. We're nearly out of time."

The morning I'd snapped out of it, I was sitting there between Nick and Jeremy, finding myself offered a ton of fatty junk and some kind of drink. He was shoving them all at me. I hadn't eaten enough, I hadn't changed, and somehow I had this feeling that it'd been longer than I'd realised.

Woops. I groaned softly at the reminder about the wedding. Maybe most girls wet themselves over the idea of a wedding.

I just wanted to get the signing part done. In private. 

"No wedding, you have to go back to Australia." Jeremy reminded me. That wasn't a choice. 

"How long has it been? How long was I- well, you know." It felt like a week at the most. 

"Four weeks. Stop- before you panic, yes, we have been actively searching for your nephew. Daily. Your wedding's more or less ready to go. You need to recover your strength." Jeremy's eyes fell onto my arms, thinner than I'd ever had them before, his eyes creasing in a frown. "And your weight. Drink this with these pills."

I drank it and made a face at the horrible over sweet taste. The pills were huge as well. I made myself do it, his eyes making it clear I Had no choice, until the cup was more or less empty of it. With it I swallowed the panic over Matt. I couldn't help my nephew if I was weak like this, and I was really physically weak, my entire body having dropped so much weight that it scared me a little. I was a little chubby usually. Now I was supermodel thin and I didn't like it at all. "What was it?"

"Muscle building milkshake and multivitamins. You're underweight."

"That'd be a first." I muttered. I lifted an arm to stare at the puny muscle and bones. I'd grown up always wanting to loose weight and be thin like others. My breasts were at least normal. Sort of. They stood out a lot more now that the rest of me was gone. "Is that why I'm so cold all the time?" And why I'd missed my period? Probably. I vaguely remembered that extreme weight loss could do that.

Jeremy nodded and pushed another plate of bacon and eggs at me, I ate it, ignoring my stomach when it complained that it was getting too full. Jeremy's offer of maple syrup went a bit too far though. Americans seemed to like that stuff on everything... I didn't.

"What about... can I see... what you've found out? With Matt?”

"I'm sorry, Anne..."

My heart went crashing down. Lungs emptied of air. Fear crashed over my head. Fear that he was about to say 'Matt's dead'...

"...we haven't located him yet. But they've been sending you emails every week with a new photo. And before you ask, no, I'm not allowing you to see them or answer them. We've got some assistance with the computer to monitor this."

"He's alive?"

Jeremy hesitated. He glanced up at the doorway, where Clayton had appeared, and then nodded. "He's alive. Not the best shape but he's alive. What is it, Clay?"

"Nick's passed out in the living room. Want me to carry him into his bedroom so the twins don't wake him?"

"Good idea." Jeremy nodded.

"I'm sorr-"

"You're grieving." That was Clayton, who'd frozen mid turn, cutting me off and Jeremy at the same time. "If I hear you apologise for that I'll throw you in the cage myself."

Jeremy gave Clayton a sharp look, who'd missed it by turning at the right second, but he nodded. Sighed.

"I guess now that I'm awake-" I tried to rephrase what I was going to say. "-I'd like to be more helpful now. Do things. Be involved in it again."