Page 21 of Red

“You need anything?” Her soft voice comes through.

Maybe he’ll let me stay over tonight.

There’s no way he didn’t hear that, or anyone else.

I slide back from the table and go to top up my already-full water glass. “Can I get anyone anything?” I ask in a normal voice, not dropping to the flirtatious level of Nikki. I can’t believe in my body’s reaction. He wants to murder you and is practically a forced chaperone. Get over yourself. You know you’re alone for life now. But the beautiful darkness of his coat floods my senses.

Five hands shoot up, all holding glasses, and I take my time filling them.

Well, at least the girl has manners despite her being a useless human. The old man’s voice rings in my head—one of the Elders—and the glass in my hand slips and shatters across the mahogany floor.

Spoke too soon.

I don’t get why they think it’s so funny to talk about me to everyone like I’m not even here. I should just tell them to talk to my damn face.

I take a careful step over a large glass shard. One dropped thought in the pack’s connection and I could make them all realize I’m not just this useless human—it’s just that I shouldn’t.

Stark comes up behind me with a broom and I do a double take at the domestic side of him sweeping across the floor.

“Here. It’s my mess.” Tingles shoot up my arm when I grip over his hand. We both let go, and the broom bounces off the counter to the floor. I step back without thinking and a pain sears up my foot. I lift it, sliding over to grip the counter to get a look. A small amount of blood drips from my heel.

I glance up at Stark. Did he feel it? That same look he had earlier today is in his eyes. Those wide-set shoulders rise with a deep breath, and I keep my eyes away from my hand despite the sensation.

Nikki steps up next to him and grabs the broom still on the floor. “I’ll clean up. You go back to your dinner.”

“Wow, you are breakable,” Nikki says, watching the blood drip from my foot.

“Seems like it lately. Excuse me.” I sidestep her to grab a cloth to wipe up the blood. Meanwhile, Stark seems to be in his own world, frozen. I make a hop toward the bedrooms, avoiding making a blood trail.

Jocko steps in like a wall and grabs my arm. “What’s got into you?”

“Glass, in particular.” A light laugh erupts from me and tears start down the sides of my cheeks. I messed up.

“There’s nothing funny about you being hurt.” Stark’s voice stops my laugh short.

“Sure. Anyway, I’m going to go bandage it.”

“I got you,” Jocko says.

“You should get back to the Elders.” Stark places a hand on Jocko’s shoulder.

Jocko shifts away and drops my arm, causing me to wobble. “Yell if you need me.”

I nod, and he winks behind Stark’s back before leaving us to help Nikki. I have no idea what he’s winking about.

“You two seem friendly.” Stark places his own hands where Jocko’s once were. Light pins and needles form right under his fingertips. I don’t want to squirm and draw attention to it.

“We’re panic buddies now, so I’d say pretty close.”

Stark’s eyebrows raise in question, his grip tightening on my arm. He helps me all the way down the hallway and into my bedroom, balancing on the chair next to the large bookcases.

He picks up my foot to look, and my dress rides up to the tops of my thighs.

“Um, can I have my foot back?”

It takes a moment to register, and he drops it. I lift it up onto my thigh, and my dress slides all the way up again, only covering the important things. Stark’s breath hitches, and the blue in his eye glows. He pauses, then grabs the medical kit next to scraps of red fabric on my dresser. That mouth of his forms back into a hard line.

“I had nothing nice to wear. I’ll buy you new curtains.”