That sad, depressed flicker of a smile was back. I rolled my eyes and broke eye contact.
“Prodigy’s back,” he said, tapping my knee. “At least stay to take advantage of our pain meds and medic skills.”
“Prodigy,” I repeated, glancing down the hall to see the red-haired president striding towards us with confident, self-assured steps. Beside him, a tanned behemoth of a man even bigger than Guardian carried a green bag with a first-aid symbol. “You lot are fucking awful at choosing names for yourselves.”
Tybalt chuckled. “Bet you can’t find any fault in our doctor being called Giant.”
Okay, fine, he had a point there.
“Come on,” he said, rising to his feet with a groan, stretching his arms over his head before offering a hand to me. “If you’re well-behaved, Giant might give you a lollipop.”
I kicked his ankle and got to my feet myself. Mostly just so I could run if anyone made any sudden moves. I locked eyes withthe medic. “If you eventhinkabout touching me, I’ll scratch your fucking eyes out,” I warned him, prickling shivers moving up and down my arms.
“No problem,” Giant agreed with an easy smile. “If you don’t want to be touched, you won’t be. Can you tell me if you’re in any pain?”
I levelled the big, friendly giant with a flat stare.
“And the award for the world’s most useless question goes to…” Tybalt drawled, startling a staccato laugh from my chest. It hurt to laugh, my muscles squeezing pain into all my senses, but it felt like a fuck-you to my buyer and all the auction staff, so I didn’t fight it.
“Tyb, don’t be a dick,” Prodigy sighed.
“Is that possible?” I mused, glancing at Tybalt.
“Not even remotely,” he confirmed with a bigger smirk, hooking higher on one side than the other. I quickly looked away.
“This would be better in my office than the hallway,” Giant said, watching me with a patient sort of kindness that rubbed me the wrong way. “Or at least in the sitting room.”
“Living room,” Tybalt corrected.
“Stop being a contrary bastard,” Prodigy grumbled, but fondly. He turned and headed towards the cosy living room I woke up in, like us following him was a foregone conclusion.
I found Giant watching me with big, sympathetic blue eyes. “I can give you something to ease the pain, and to help you sleep so your body can recover faster. And about the—uh—emotional pain—”
“None of your business,” I bit out.
“Just a physical exam and painkillers then,” he agreed, not pushing like the prick at my side. He angled his head towards the room Prodigy vanished into.
I considered running for a long minute, but the promise of easing the pain thumping through my body was too much of a lure.
And, I reminded myself, a doctor’s kit might contain a scalpel.
What a shame it would be if one went missing.
5
Tybalt
“Ican’t do this,” I snarled the second the door closed on Prodigy’s office, enclosing me in the heavy, dizzying scent of his oud aftershave and the hushed quiet that usually brought calm to the frenzy in my head. Right now, it did nothing. “I can’t watch her break like I broke. Ican’t.”
My breaths came fast and angry, each one sawn off and rough, but it wasn’t true rage that made me want to lash out and trash the orderly office; it was hurt, and the slow, poisonous crawl of old memories. I was right back there, flinching as a cruel laugh dominated my senses, hitting me like a slap.
Why would I want damaged goods? You’re a used-up mess. No one in their right mind would want you.
I slammed both palms over my ears, but the voice was inside my fucking head, and it did nothing.
Hot hands gripped my wrists, the heat burning into my skin like fire, purifying, cleansing. My arms shook as he pulled themdown, and the urge to let the hurt erupt in a storm of violence was so strong I had to bite my tongue until it drew blood. I wouldn’t unleash myself on Prodigy. He was the only thing that tied my sanity together some days, and the last thing he deserved was my fist in his gut. I wasn’t like that monster who bought my new omega friend; I didn’t hurt people. That wasn’t who I was.
“Breathe,”Prodigy barked, a command so powerful I didn’t even try to fight it, letting it carry through me until my lungs expanded, my lips parted. Barks didn’t usually work on other alphas, but I was so screwed up in the head, my instincts were disorganised chaos.
