Page 88 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

“You’re hurt.”

His expression closes down.

“I’m not going to ask you again. Who are you?”

“Ah, yes. Forgive me. I’m Kestrel.”

He stares at me.

“Raptor’s gone. She comes out only when we really need her. Did she scare you? Are you okay?” I murmur the words, watching his expression carefully. But my gaze keeps flicking back to that dripping trail of blood that’s running from his temple down to his jaw.

“We?”

“We, us. All of us,” I murmur and reach out again. He flinches backward, glancing at my hand with a wide, pointed glare.

“Where is Merle?”

I shrug. “Merle isn’t needed right now, and she’s resting.”

“Resting?”

I frown at him, reach into my pocket and find a tissue, I pull it out and dab at his face, cleaning up the blood. I work at the spot until the blood is gone.

“There, you’re perfect again. Not that you aren’t always perfect, you are,” I babble, but I’m mildly infatuated with this omega.

“Kestrel?”

“Yes, that’s me.” I smile at him, trying to reassure him. “Kestrel. I am a fan of yours. The way you move and how kind you have been. Got a little bit of an omega crush to be honest.”

He ignores me.

“And that was Raptor?”

“Yes, she’s, uh, a little intense,” I let out a little laugh and move into his space again, reaching up and putting just my fingertips on his jaw. The contact feels like a lifeline between us, a connection. This omega has been hurting so badly, all I want to do is fix him and soothe his pain.

“And Merle is in there, too?”

I nod, stepping back as his tone gets angrier and more hostile.

“We?” he snarls.

I chuckle. “Caught that, did you?”

“Yes! Don’t fucking laugh, this is not funny.”

“Hmm,” I burst out laughing, despite his anger, and bounce towards him, watching as he bounces back, looking me up and down, alarmed by my sudden shifting mood. “Are you scared of me, Pix? You shouldn’t be. I would never hurt you.”

“You just stabbed a man into a sieve.”

“No, that was Raptor. She’s a little stabby. I like to take care of people. Totally different personalities. I just want to make you feel good.”

“I see. So, you’re like a totally different person than Merle?”

I nod. “I am.”

“I want Merle back.”

My smile slowly fades. “What about us?”