Predator in disguise

Scars unveiled

I stirred at the sound of a raised voice and blinked, confused. I was laying in my bed under a mound of blankets, naked from the waist up. As the fog dissipated from my mind I became aware of the ache in my entire right arm. Clarity surged through me as I glanced down at the faint scars covering my right bicep. I gingerly pressed my fingertips against my marred skin and sucked in a breath at the tenderness. With a groan, I sat up and tossed the blankets aside as I crawled out of bed. I opened my bedroom door and quietly made my way down the short hallway to the living room, where Alec was seated on the sofa.

One hand was entangled in his hair while the other held his cell phone to his ear. I could not see his face, but the tension visible in his shoulders was enough to convey his agitation.

"The point is," Alec hissed into the phone, "you didn't say anything. You should have told me he was hurt, JC. He could have bled to death -- What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Alec paused, listening to the other end of the conversation. "He's my friend. I don't want him to die anytime soon. I don't think you can say the same thing."

I took a step back towards my room, not wanting to intrude on the private conversation. As much as it piqued my interest to hear JC have his ass handed to him, it wasn't right to eavesdrop on Alec's conversation. I flinched as the floorboard beneath my foot gave a hushed creak.

Alec turned calmly and met my gaze as if he had been aware of my presence the entire time. He lifted his finger to signal he'd be a moment longer and turned away again.

"That's bull and you know it. I have to go. Don't think this conversation is over."

I plopped down on the sofa beside Alec as he disconnected the call and rubbed his temples with his fingers. I glanced around the room awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Was I supposed to apologize for the trouble I had caused? Was I supposed to thank him first? Was I supposed to ask if Alec was okay? Was I supposed to ask about the situation with JC?

"Jace."

My gaze moved to Alec as he bumped my knee with the back of his hand.

"I asked how you were feeling."

"Oh, sorry," I murmured, embarrassed that I'd been too preoccupied to hear him. "I'm a little sore, but other than that I feel great."

Alec's eyes narrowed. "You look exhausted to me."

I shrugged my left shoulder. "Lack of sleep is nothing new to me."

"You can go back and get some more sleep," Alec offered. "I'll stick around if you need anything."

"You don't have to stay."

Alec leaned back into the sofa. "If I go home I might kill my roommate."

"Thank God for Bounty. The quicker picker-upper for those little messes you don't want the cops to know about."

Alec's lip twitched, but his face quickly turned serious again. "JC said he found you in the alley and that you refused to let him help you."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah."

"Why?"

I started to tell Alec the same thing I'd told him earlier, that I thought I could handle the wound, that I thought it wasn't as serious as it had been. But I stopped myself. Alec had come to my aid in a bad situation. The least I could do was be honest with him.

"I didn't want JC's help because I was pissed."

"Pissed at...?"

"Pissed at JC." I took a deep breath. "Pissed at you."