Page 267 of Fangs
“Do you think Wolf knows?”
I barked a laugh. “No. There’s no way he knows.”
“How the fuck does henotknow?”
That was a good question. My whole crew had figured it out without me saying a word. It really wasn’t hard. Wolf was real fucking perceptive, so how he didn’t notice Ember’s cheeks going pink when Lee whispered in her ear or Lee being glued to her side or the way their eyes seemed to always find each other across the room was beyond me.
I shrugged.
“Guess everybody’s got a blind spot,” Griz muttered.
“Mac?” Raven’s yell came from outside, and it had a hint of urgency that made me head immediately to the door.
“What?” I asked as I strode outside, scanning for any sign of a threat.
“Em needs some help at the clinic!” Raven reported, her voice clipped.
I didn’t wait; I took off running. I skimmed through the thoughts nearby, trying to figure out who was with her and why she needed help, but found nothing. The clinic finally came into view, and my stomach dropped when I realized Wolf’s crew wasn’t outside. Where the fuck were they? I burst into the clinic, scaring Roe and Apple, where they were lying on the floor drawing with charcoal on some paper.
“What’s wrong?” Apple demanded, sitting up. Roe copied her, his eyes wide as saucers.
“Nothin’, it’s ok. Nothing’s wrong. Where’s Em?” Nothing looked out of the ordinary.
“In our room,” Roe answered timidly.
“You kids stay here, ok? Everything’s fine.” I tried for a friendly smile, but they both frowned at me.
I strode into the addition and up to her door, rapping gently on it.
“Come in,” she called from inside, and just the sound of her voice eased some of my tension.
I pushed the door open and stepped into her room only to freeze on the threshold, the words I’d been about to say stuck in my throat.
Ember stood with her back to me—her bare, unguarded back. My eyes followed the curve of her spine and mapped the exposed, scarred skin she worked so hard to hide. The scars weren’t just lines—they crawled across her freckled skin like barren, twisted branches. I’d seen her back bloody and shredded, but somehow this was worse. A bleeding wound was temporary—these marks had been carved into her with a cruel permanence—and they should have been mine.
Her hair cascaded down her back in damp, unruly waves as though she’d just bathed. The jeans she wore were too big for her slight frame and belted tightly around her waist. Her ribs jutted out like monuments to the hunger she’d been forced to know so intimately. Looking at her, one could easily misjudge her as fragile, but she was tough—tougher than anyone I’d ever met. You didn’t survive this world by being soft, and she was a survivor.
“Sorry, Raven, I know you’re—” She turned as she spoke, holding a towel over her naked chest, and as soon as our eyes locked, she froze like a deer in headlights. Her eyes widened, panic flickering in them.
“Hey, sorry, I should’ve announced myself.” I kept my voice steady as I held her gaze. “Raven said you needed help?”
“Oh.” Her voice was flustered and uncertain. “Um, sorry… I just thought… Raven was gonna… I saw her and asked, um…”
I could practically see her scrambling for composure. Her cheeks were painted in a rosy pink, and I fought the smile that tugged at my mouth. Her blush undid me every time.
“Em, it’s ok.” I softened my voice. “What did you need help with? Your back?”
“You don’t have to?—”
“Ember,” I interrupted, my voice low and firm. I stepped further into her room, gently closing the door behind me. I waited until she met my eyes to continue. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t ready and willin’ to help.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth.
“If you want someone else, that’s ok,”I said in her head.“But I’m more than willin’.”
I could practically hear Griz snorting in amusement at that.
“Are you sure?”she asked.
