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The fuck?

I let go of the bannister and take them down hard.

A curtain of dark chestnut hair fans across my forearm. “Ow! The hell, Torin?”

Fuck.

I'm already releasing her. “Christ. I'm sorry.”

She rolls over, breathing hard, and pushes herself to sitting, staring at me. “Are you always in the habit of tackling people randomly in the middle of the night, or am I just the lucky one?”

“I heard footsteps. I checked on you before I left, and you were asleep.” I stop. “I'm sorry.”

“So you said.” She winces when she shifts and presses a hand to her side. “Get the light on.”

I find the wall switch. Under the hall light, she looks pale and ruffled and slightly winded. I watch her breathe, careful and shallow, and feel like a gobshite.

“Your ribs.”

“I'm fine.”

“You're not. Show me.”

She meets my eyes with reluctance. A beat passes. She tries to hide a wince when she breathes in.

I reach for the hem of her top before I've decided to. She goes absolutely still.

“I won't hurt you.” My voice comes out lower than I intend. “More than I already have.”

“I know.”

Something shifts. She lifts the hem herself.

On her side, just below the rib cage, an angry red mark is already turning purple.

“Christ, I'm sorry.”

“You said that.”

“Aye.”

When I spin her around to inspect her, to see what else I've done, she goes absolutely still with that held-breath quality again, like her body is deciding something her face won't show.

I drop my hand. “I'll get ice.”

“I don't need ice, Torin. I'm fine.”

“You're not. Come with me.”

I take her hand without another word and start walking. Her hand is small and cold, and it makes me feel like an arse. First her foot, now this. She's just a tiny little thing.

“Do you often tackle people for fun?” she mutters as we walk through the darkened, empty rooms.

“Aye,” I tell her. “Especially on nights I have a hostage with me. It's almost become routine.” I glance at her. “What are you doing down here at three in the morning?”

“I was hungry.” She pauses. “My appetite's coming back, apparently.”

Grand. I tackled her for getting a midnight snack.