"Language," Mason sighed as he gathered up his platters of bacon and eggs and carried them to the table.
"Did you not see what he just did to me?" Cole hollered.
"I didn't do it! I'm all the way over here!" Jayden yelled back.
"Why did you tell me to get you water if you weren't setting me up?"
"Wyatt was the last one to use the sink!"
"Would you two pipe down?" Ash grumbled as he went to the fridge. "No yelling around Posy. Cupcake, what do you want to drink?"
Before I could answer, he pulled the fridge door open, and an impossibly loud noise blasted out of it. Already on edge from Cole and Jayden shouting, I flinched so badly, I fell off the counter.
"Posy!"
Ash reached for me, but I was already falling and hit the floor with a hard thud. My shoulder didn't win against the hard tile and popped out of place with a sickening sound. Bright red lines shot through my vision and the pain sent my mind back to a dark room.
"Holy shit!"
"Oh my Goddess!"
"Posy!"
"Whose bright idea was anair horn?"
I was too deep in the panic and pain to do anything but scurry away, dragging myself back with one hand as I clutched my injured arm against my chest.
"Look at me, Posy."
With a whimper, I shook my head, tears falling like raindrops, and kept skittering back until I hit a wall.
"Shh. Calm down, little flower." The calm voice was familiar. "You're okay. You're safe. It was an air horn. Just a dumb prank. We love you. We love you so much. You're safe."
He continued to murmur comforting words, and slowly the panic faded and my vision cleared.
"Mason?"
"I'm going to touch you, okay? I need to check your shoulder."
After I nodded, he carefully inspected the damage, then sank back on his haunches with a sigh.
"Can I pop it back into place? Lark will be able to heal the soft tissue in seconds that way."
Knowing it would take her hours otherwise, I nodded and closed my eyes.
"Go ahead," I whispered.
"On three, okay? One, two, three—"
Pop!
As he pushed the bone back into the socket, I grimaced at the sharp stab, and Lark immediately got to work healing me.
"I'm jealous of your high pain tolerance," Mason muttered as he pulled me into a gentle hug, "but I hate knowing how you developed it."
I did, too, but saying it wouldn't help anything. I sniffed and wrapped my arms around his neck so I could bury my face in his throat.
"Go ahead and cry, little flower. I got you."