Page 56 of Specter Bred

I turned her arm under the light and inspected the wound more closely. It wasn’t particularly deep, but the cut stretched far enough along her skin that there was no question about it. She needed stitches.

Blood still trickled down her forearm as I carefully cleaned away the worst of it, examining the torn skin with more attention than I probably gave most training injuries.

For a few moments she sat unusually still and watched me work in silence, her eyes tracking every movement as I cleaned the blood from her arm. Then her mouth twitched and cracked open. Which meant she was about to say something that would irritate the hell out of me.

"Whatever you're about to say," I muttered, reaching for a bottle of antiseptic, "don't."

She did anyway. Because the woman did not know when to quit. She settled on the one question I'd been hoping she wouldn't.

"How did you get there so fast?"

I didn't look up.

"I heard the commotion."

"Uh-huh…"

I poured antiseptic on the wound.

She hissed.

I smirked.

"That doesn't answer the question, sir. Sure, maybe you heard when it got louder, but not soon enough to… Not unless you were listening… You were all the way on the other side of the–"

"I answered your question perfectly," I said clipped as I cut her off.

"No," she shook her head. "You really didn't."

I reached for the sutures.

"Funny, Teacup. I remember answering," I said, glancing up at her with a smirk.

She held my gaze a beat too long, her brow furrowing as that sharp mind of hers started turning my words over. I watched her piece it together. The slight narrowing of her eyes, the tilt of her head, and the way her mouth slowly tightened as she followed the thread to its inevitable conclusion.

Then it clicked.

And judging by the look that settled over her face, she didn’t fucking like where it led.

"I didn't need your help, you know."

"That's a hell of a way to say thank you."

Her drawn eyebrows lifted.

"Thank you for what?!"

I threaded the curved needle through her torn skin. She hardly flinched.

"For stepping in before Redwood did something even stupider."

A scoff left her lips before she could stop it.

"With all due respect, sir, you don't get credit for fixing a situation you helped create," she said sharply.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It means Redwood watches you."