Darling Wildfire (Red Rabbit #2)

23

GRAHAM

You could have heard a pin drop when Kaelin slapped North as we all waited for the retaliation.

Except it never came. Instead I watched him disappear into the house. Nyx immediately followed him while Atlas came down the steps and put his arm around Kaelin, talking to her quietly as he led her into the house.

“Graham can take you to get cleaned up,”

Atlas said, looking at me over her head.

I pulled her against me and this time she let me lead her upstairs to the room I’d been staying in. I helped her out of her clothes as the shower water heated.

“I shouldn’t have slapped him,”

she said finally.

I kept my smile hidden as I helped her pull down her jeans.

“I think he’ll survive,”

I said dryly.

“But—I did it in front of Nyx and Atlas…and you,”

she insisted. “That’s so disrespectful. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I’m so tired of his bullshit.”

“I’m sure they’ve done their fair share of punching each other.”

I gently pushed her under the spray and leaned against the entrance to the shower. She watched the water run red for a minute before she grabbed soap and scrubbed the rest away.

Kaelin finished showering in silence. She didn’t have any clothes here so I gave her one of my oversized t-shirts that swamped her but also did things to me that weren’t appropriate at the moment.

“I’m finding out what’s going on,”

she said finally.

The look on her face when she turned to me was one I’d seen a few times when we were surviving together. A strong resolve to get what she wanted and fuck everything else.

“Yeah,”

I nodded. “It’s time. Whether he likes it or not, we need to know.”

“So you’ll support me now?”

“Princess, I’ve always supported you,”

I said, wrapping my arms around her. “I only know bits and pieces, not enough of the full picture to tell you anything. I’m sorry you think I’m keeping things from you. It isn’t my story to tell anyway—but at this point, it’s escalated to include us.”

Kaelin nodded. The silence was broken by her stomach growling and I chuckled.

“Let’s get you something to eat,”

I said, nodding towards the door.

We made it down to the kitchen and she hopped up on a barstool while I rummaged around the kitchen. Anytime I turned to look at her, she was chewing on her bottom lip, staring off into space with a crease between her brows.

“I’ll be right back,”

she said abruptly.

I didn’t protest but watched her leave the kitchen. I knew better than to think she was just going to the bathroom.

She was looking for trouble.

But maybe it was time she found some.