I pursed my lips to one side and arched a brow. "You took them off before when we - uh - you know. And I know you don't wear them in the shower. Why don't you just take them off?"
Cocking his head to one side, Darren asked, "You don't like what I'm wearing? The saleswoman said it was the latest style."
I shook my head and held my hands up. "No. I'm not saying that. You look..." I started and then really looked him over. Damn. The man looked good in anything he wore. I swallowed hard. "You look great. Just the gloves are a bit out of place."
Backing into the room, I couldn't keep the pain off my face. I tripped over something and went down. Darren grabbed me by the arm before I fell on my ass.
"Thanks," I winced and forced a smile. "Again."
"No more changing the subject." Darren held me gently in his arms. "What happened?"
I shook my head and even that hurt. "Don't worry about it. It's self-inflicted." I pushed away from him and hobbled to the bathroom. I could feel Darren like a looming presence over me while I turned the bath on, filling the tub with cold water. I shivered just at the thought of getting into it but knew I'd hurt even more if I didn't do as Billy suggested.
"Piper."
I sat on the toilet set, gritting my teeth the whole way down. "What?" My tone came out snippy, even to me.
Darren stayed in the bathroom doorway, his brows drawn tightly. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"
Giving him a weak smile that I knew wasn't at all pleasant, I said, "What else am I going to do? Wait for the vampire hunters to just decide they're tired of hunting the guys, and everything is just going to go back to normal?"
Darren just stared at me.
I huffed. "I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of just sitting here and letting the hunters dictate our lives. Aren't you?"
"Why you?" Darren took a step into the bathroom and stopped. "You haven't been in our world long enough to know what you're getting into. You're just going to end up getting yourself killed."
Turning my back on him, I muttered, "I don't see you stepping up to do it. Now get out. I need to soak."
"I hope you know what you're doing." Darren lingered for a moment longer before leaving, closing the door behind him.
When he was gone, I disrobed and sank into the tub, each burning inch, making my eyes water. I sighed heavily. "So do I. So do I."