Page 17 of Unmarked Magic

Did Red really have someone casually warming her bed? The thought made something in the pit of my stomach churn. I’d never felt it before. I hadn’t seen her with a guy in a while, not even at the bar; she had always been tight-lipped when it came to her love life.

Choosing to ignore her comment, I dragged my attention back to the room. “The place is looking good. You still haven’t got that art on the wall yet, though.” I noted the blank wall, figuring that was where she planned to put it.

She followed my line of sight. “Yeah, I need help to put it up. Colt’s actually on his way. I asked him to help.”

My stomach tightened. Colt?

Since when does she ask Colt before me?

I frowned. “Why didn’t you ask me?”

Shrugging, she flipped closed the book in front of her, proceeding to place it back on the bookshelf. “You have enough on your plate. I didn’t want to bother you.”

Jealousy flared inside me. “Red, you’re never a bother. I’d do anything for you if you asked,” I said honestly.

She turned to face me. The words stalled in the air between us.

I meant every word but hadn’t expected the force of them to hammer my chest so suddenly. It was as if I’d just said something I shouldn’t have.

Fuck. “I mean... for anyone.”

Trust me to say something real, then screw it up.

My hands gripped the bench again, and every inch of the roughly sawn timber rubbed against my skin.

Idiot.

Red’s gaze remained on me as she leaned against the bookcase. She wore a burgundy knit dress that hugged her curves, and her hair was in a neat bun on top of her head. When the door chimed, she flicked her attention to it. “Speak of the devil,” she murmured.

Colt entered the apothecary, his normally vibrant eyes a stormier version today. “Hey,” he said tightly.

Everything about him seemed off. He didn’t knock, for starters, something completely out of character for him, and his movements were wary, his jaw fixed.

Alarm bells immediately rang in my head.

Red beat me to it. “Is everything okay? You look…” She didn’t finish her sentence before Colt threw a glance in my direction. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. “There’s a problem,” he said, striding over to the bench. His hands fisted the side, his head lowering.

Red crossed her arms, a ripple creasing her forehead. “With…?”

“The botanicals. The dark room.”

Fuck.

Red moved closer. “Don’t stress, we’ll make it work,” she said, completely unaware of the situation unraveling before her.

I moved closer to the bench until each of us claimed a side. “What about the darkroom?” I questioned, needing him to be really clear about what the problem was.

His eyes focused on the center of the table before finally stretching to find mine. “Your apartment wasn’t the only thing tripped by the storm.”

“How bad?” I asked.

How fucking bad?

“I’m not sure I can save them. I’ll do my best,” he ground out, still not looking at me.

“All of them?” I pushed, not tearing my eyes from him for a second.

“Everything in the dark room,” he confirmed.