Sitting himself on the lip and stretching his leg, he waited as she rustled inside the plastic bag and handed him a bar. Accepting it silently he tore into it, the chocolate delicious, the sugar exactly what he’d needed.
Without asking, Rae ripped the makeshift wrap off, revealing the hole in his thigh. The skin looked angry and red, but the wound was definitely smaller already. Not even Riley could heal that fast, another reminder that something inside him had changed.
Each of her movements were angry, rigid as she pulled out bandages, vodka and a clean cloth. He expected to feel her fury when she touched him, but when she took out scissors to open the denim wider, she was gentle.
“You should go to the hospital,” she whispered, carefully lining up everything on the plastic. “You could get an infection.”
He reached forward, cupping her cheek with his palm in reassurance. It was clear she wasn’t used to this, the panic clear in every jerky movement.
“I’m sorry if this hurts.” Splashing the vodka onto her hands, she carefully poured it straight onto his leg. He didn’t flinch, didn’t utter a sound, even as the alcohol burned, sinking into the wound to set it ablaze. Her eyes were desolate when she looked up, vulnerable. He wanted to kiss her, to remove her dark thoughts until there was nothing left but his lips on hers. He didn’t enjoy seeing her so exposed, not when he was used to the fire.
“I’m trained not to feel pain,” he said, giving her something personal. “It was beaten out of me as a kid.”
Rae’s expression softened. “Your parents?”
Titus chuckled, the sound empty. “My parents aren’t bad people, but they should never have been parents.” He'd spent almost his entire life needing their validation, and it had taken him until he was in his early twenties to stop searching for it. “They didn’t want me, didn’t want the responsibility, so they gave me to an organisation to be trained as a solider.” Like an unwanted dog.
“To train you not to feel?” she asked, looking up. “How old where you?”
“Three when they signed me over, but it wasn’t until I was seven that they the Order enforced it. Until then it was my grandmother who raised me.”
“I don’t think I believe it was a grandmother who raised someone like you.” Rae laughed. “She must be a lady made from iron.”
“Not only me, but my cousin too. He wasn’t even blood to her, and she opened her arms as if he was.”
“Sam’s mate?” At Titus’s nod, she continued. “Your grandmother sounds amazing. I’d love to meet her.”
He knew she didn’t mean to let the second part slip, her eyes widening slightly.
“What about you?” he asked, welcoming the warmth spreading inside his chest.
Rae pressed one of the clean cloths to the top of his thigh, leaving it to balance before holding another to the back. “What about me?” she replied, holding both pieces in place. “You heard what Miles said, he thinks I killed our mum.”
“He’s a prick.”
Rae pressed her lips into a thin line. “Can you grab the bandage?” She gestured to the bag.
“Pink?” He raised a brow.
“It was the only one they had left,” she said, beginning to wrap the bandage around his leg.
He watched her work, brows furrowed in concentration. He didn’t think she would answer, so he made sure he focused on every word when she finally spoke.
“My mother was kind,” she said, sorrow frosting her words. “Quiet. She was the sort of woman who’d bless the sun, and then mourn the moon. She wasn’t well, hearing voices that scared me as a girl, but she was never cruel. My father, on the other hand, was a monster hiding in plain sight.” She checked the bandage, making sure it was tight enough without touching the denim. “The only good thing he ever did was teach me to use a gun.”
“Is he dead?”
“Yes.” Rae smiled, enjoying her fire that was just on the edge of sanity. “So where are we heading? Or are we sleeping with Gerald tonight?”
Gerald took that moment to groan, the sound muffled through his gag.
Titus moved to stand, the pressure from the bandage helping. “We’re dropping your friend off somewhere first, and then we’ll figure something out for tonight.”
Rae nodded, swiping everything into the plastic bag before moving around to the passenger side. She didn’t argue about him driving this time, content to sit there.
“So where exactly is ‘somewhere?’ Are we not just going to kill him?”
“Not until he tells us what we need.” He eyed Rae, her body turned, back against the door so she could watch him openly. Streetlights flashed across her face as they passed, throwing her features into sharp relief. “Do you trust me?”
