Page 52 of Oathbreaker

That’s not true, Winter. He’s gone. You know he is.

A huge weight lifted off my shoulders when I met with Dr.Greene yesterday. She’s a quick-witted woman with soft brown eyes and a skin complexion to match.

I didn’t care who I saw when Ella set up the appointment. The only thing I needed was someone with a medical license to tell me that I still wasn’t pregnant and all the STI results were still negative.

They are.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

I put my head in my hands.

“Hey.”

I jump, knocking my tea mug off the counter and splashing myself with the hot liquid all in one movement. The mug crashes to the floor, and I suppress a yelp.

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit,” I say as my heart beats in painful, rapid crashes against my sternum. I rush to the paper towels on the other side of the kitchen.

In my haste, I don’t think about stepping on the slippery floor or the broken ceramic.

A large shard pierces the skin of my foot, and I have a completely over-the-top reaction to it.

I shriek.

Trauma causes amplified pain responses, I recall from my studies. It seems that I’m education in real life.

Kitty’s nails click on the tile at a furious pace, and in a second, he’s next to me, tail wagging.

“Off-duty,” I tell him. He doesn’t move.

I fall back into the chair, bringing my foot up to inspect. I’m still breathing hard, but I can’t look at Hunter.

“Off-duty,” I emphasize to Kitty, and he drops to the floor, sitting. Tilting his head again, he gives me what I can only equivocate as a doggy sigh, and he moves to sit at the back of my chair.

I jump again when I feel a movement coming from my right. I bring my hands up to cover my head, bracing for an attack. I tremble, so close to panic.

“It’s okay, Rio,” Hunter says from beside me.

Rio. It’s just Rio.

Still, I can’t stop trembling.

As if I’m underwater, I hear Rio and Hunter exchange a few words and then it’s just Hunter and me in the kitchen.

One.

One-two-one.

One-two-three-two-one.

The pressure in the air changes as Hunter takes a step in my direction. That snaps me out of my daze.

Suddenly, inspecting my foot for damage is the most important task ever.

“Did I wake you, Hunter?” I say, my voice at a more sedate volume.

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