"Phoenix is having a quiet breakdown in the living room while Rafael pretends not to notice." I step inside, closing the door behind me. The plate lands on the nightstand with aclunk. "I'm here because someone needs to make sure you don't starve yourself out of spite."
"I'm not hungry."
"Didn't ask." I settle onto the edge of the bed. "You haven't eaten since this morning. Probably longer. Your body is still recovering from infection, you spent hours in the rain, and you're clearly in some kind of shock.Eat."
He doesn't move. Just stares at the window.
That hollow look is back. The one that makes something cold settle in my stomach.
"Rex."
Nothing.
"Rex."
"Why are you here?" The question comes out raw. "Why do you keep—after everything I've done to you—why won't you justleave?"
"Because I'm stubborn and you're stuck with me. We've established this."
He makes a sound that might be a laugh if it had any warmth in it. "You should leave. Everyone should." His voice goes vicious, turned inward. "Everyone?—"
He cuts off with a snarl, raking both hands through his damp hair. Then down over his face, pressing his palms against theleather of his mask like he's trying to hold himself together. He folds forward over his knees with a groan.
"I don't know why the fuck I'm telling you this."
The words come out muffled. Bitter.
I stay quiet.
Part of me wonders if I should tell him about the scent match. That might explain why he's spilling his guts to the woman he blackmailed. But not now. Not while he's like this.
The thing is, I don't think it's just biology making him talk. And now his walls are crumbling and I'm the only one in the room.
"You done?" I ask, because aggravating him might bring him back to himself.
He lifts his head just enough to glare at me. "What?"
"The self-flagellation. Are you done? Because I've got a plan, but I need you to stop spiraling first."
"Aplan?"
"Yep." I'm already rummaging through Rafael's nightstand.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for something to keep you safe."
His eye widens slightly in dread that would be comical in any other situation. "In Raf's nightstand?"
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about his secret stash of tits-and-dicks-out-right-on-the-cover vampire erotica novels." My fingers close around exactly what I was hoping to find. "Perfect. I knew he'd have something like this."
I pull out fuzzy black handcuffs.
Rex stares at them. Then at me. Then back at the handcuffs.
"Are those fuckinghandcuffs?"
"Fuzzy ones. Nice padding," I say, dangling them up for him to see and waving them back and forth. His eye tracks them, the pupil dilating. Kind of like a big cranky cat.