“The fuck does that even mean?”
A hitched gasp spread her lips further apart, and it wasn’t until then that I realized I could feel the ridges of her tiny wrist bone crushing beneath my fingers.
“I already told you,” she huffed, eyes glassy with desperate anticipation. “I don’t have the time to explain it to you.”
Demitri barked from somewhere behind us. “Dude, you’re grabbing her too hard!”
Yes. Yes I fucking was.
“Drop the glass,” I ordered with bulleted gruff, the edges of my self-control blurring. Everything was getting red-hazed and smooth in my head, strict boundaries wobbling, logic dissipating, green eyes fucking begging.
“What a mess that would make,” she provoked and didn’t look sorry about it.
Falling bait to her trap, I squeezed her wrist even tighter.
“Scarlett.”
Behind her stare, fireworks billowed as she whimpered a sound of satisfied pain.
The helpless noise lassoed around my dick, pulling my shaft stiff and balls tight. Fuck. Blood was rushing south and draining from my brain, reckless visions of smashing my mouth against hers so I could taste her pain getting a spotlight they shouldn’t.
The sound of breaking glass stunted the unhinged thoughts.
As soon as it happened, an unruly moan wretched up Scarlett’s throat, a divot of pleasure wrinkling her forehead as her gaze ignited.
Shouts from behind us went off in unpracticed bombs of horror and surprise. Scarlett was breathing hard, panting even as the audience we’d gathered balked.
Curiously, I looked down between us.
Steam pushed through my nostrils, heat cascading in waterfalls down my body.
Her hand half the size of mine trembled between our chests, bright blood spinning in rivulets down her forearm and slight fingers. Shattered glass punctured her palm, a huge chunk of it burrowed in the meat of her flesh.
“I fucking told you that was too hard!”
Before I could react, a pissed off blur detached Scarlett from me, rushing her inside the cafe. Our small crowd swept to the sides to make room for them to pass through, and she and Demitri disappeared.
The heatwave that’d slapped me head-on seconds prior turned volcanic as I watched him take her away. I could feel my brain melting as I stared at where they’d left through, upper lip curling, sweat pouring, instincts setting back a few million years.
“Move.” Exclamations burst around me as I shoved my way through our drama-hungry audience and charged inside after them. A glimpse of red slipped around a wall, and I tore through tables and customers to reach it.
Storming around the wall, I saw her and I saw him standing in the fluorescent silhouette of an open family bathroom door.
Both of their heads snapped toward me as I plowed forward, murderous crimson ringing my vision around the youngest Vitalis’ face.
“What the—”
That was all he got out before I grabbed him by the collar and threw him out of the bathroom.
He yelled and skidded to the floor, messy head of brown hair popping up to watch as I fisted the door handle and sneered at him, slamming it closed.
My fingers switched the lock in place. Thumps from his fists vibrated the door a few seconds later.
“Let me in! Open the door!”
He went on like that, calling for Scarlett and cursing at me.
Pivoting over my shoulder, I found my mark of red already watching me.