Tabitha’s POV

Jace tosses the ruined shirt aside and rests his palm on my back. His gaze burns into me and suddenly I feel so naked and vulnerable, like I’m totally naked in front of him when there’s still a piece of fabric between us.

I expect his serious expression to melt into something ridiculing, like he usually does when we were younger. But he doesn’t. He just studies the injury with a furrowed brow, like all he can see is the pain inflicted on my body.

“Now, let’s remove this son of a bitch…” Jace picks up the tweezer and crouches in front of me. His jaw tightens as...