Page 22 of Little Bunny

Matias must’ve seen the panic in Elijah’s eyes, because his softened. “You won’t leave the tavern?” he asked, his tone calm but mistrusting.

Elijah thought about lying, especially knowing he was surrounded by… them. But Matias had said he could become a target. He’d gone about in all the wrong ways, but Matias was trying to keep him safe.

But Elijah was just rationalizing this so he wouldn’t have another meltdown.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Elijah picked up the ice pack and placed it back on his head. Maybe he’d hit it harder than he thought, because he was going to honor his deal.

His gaze darted to the door when a deep rumble of voices carried from somewhere in the tavern. Then there was a sharp crash of wood, like something big was being splintered, followed by a rough, deep snarl.

What the? His ice pack slid down the side of his head. Matias, already halfway to the door, paused only for a heartbeat before continuing forward, his movements fluid but unhurried. Not running. Not even rushing.

Just… moving.

Elijah felt the man’s controlled power. How dangerous he truly was.

“Stay here,” Matias ordered, already moving through the open doorway. Then he was gone, vanishing into the chaos.

“Yeah, sure,” Elijah murmured, eyes wide. “Because I’m not the nosiest person in the world.”

Not a chance in hell he was staying put. Because of his bargain, he was stuck at Sin & Steel. But he would be damned if Matias would confine him to the bedroom.

He shoved to his feet— big mistake. The world tilted, but he caught himself on the mattress, cursing to himself.

Dizzy or not, Elijah was taking his nosy ass out there to see what was going on. And to find something to eat. The knock on the head must’ve jarred his hunger loose, because he was starving.

Ignoring the pounding in his skull, Elijah stumbled from the room.

He glanced both ways then decided to go left. If he was wrong, he’d have to backtrack quickly.

But, holy hell, he wasn’t wrong. The bar area was a dense sea of muscle, an impenetrable wall of tattooed backs that obscured any view of Matias.

Navigating carefully along the outer perimeter of this brawny fortress, Elijah found a narrow gap. His breath caught as his gaze landed on a behemoth—chains coiled around raw, bloody wrists, a looming mass of inked fury.

Heart racing, Elijah took an unsteady step back. His foot caught on something unseen, but he steadied himself against a table, which scraped loudly across the wooden floor.

Heads turned in his direction, causing his heart to beat even faster. The table inched back a little farther. Slowly, the guy with the chains glanced at Elijah, his eyes dark and menacing. It was like staring into a bottomless abyss.

Now that Elijah knew what they were, he found them a lot scarier. He desperately wanted the guy in chains to stop looking at him, for everyone to turn away. Attention was the last thing he wanted from these men.

“Just tell us what’s going on,” Matias demanded in a voice as steady as a heartbeat in a silent room. “Why won’t you let us remove the chains, Diablo?”

He was the devil Matias had been ready to hunt down. But the devil had found them instead. Every time Diablo breathed out, a snarl pushed out with it.

Elijah’s gaze swept over him, noting the angry, swollen redness of his feet. Each step in his restless pacing was shadowed by a grimace of pain.

“I gotta go.” He raised his arm, chains clattering ominously, like the ghost of Jacob Marley. “Fuck!” His arm fell, and he clutched it tightly to his side.

“I’ll take you,” Santiago offered. A flicker of relief softened the hard edges of Diablo’s dark, watchful eyes. “But first, we get those chains off.”

Elijah doubted Diablo would let Santiago anywhere near him. He still looked cagey—like the room was too small to contain his massive size.

His mouth moved incessantly, tongue darting over his teeth. The guy was thirsty, but his gaze flickered restlessly between them all.

Elijah slipped silently behind the bar and rummaged through every cupboard beneath the counter until he found a few bottles of water. Unsure how much the guy would need, Elijah grabbed all four. Diablo had clearly suffered, and water was a necessity he shouldn’t be deprived of.

With the caution of someone nearing a dangerous beast, Elijah weaved past the men he had been standing behind moments earlier. A few cursed, but it was Matias who growled, like Elijah had lost his mind approaching Diablo while in this state.

Maybe Elijah was being reckless, but he couldn’t stand by and do nothing when Diablo was clearly thirsty.

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