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“Billie,” he said, as if he were the one who was standing here with their arm jacked up their back.

I tried to force some sort of energy through me, toward him. We stood there for another few minutes, and then I went flat. My arm started to ache, but my ego was feeling the brunt of it.

Finally he dropped my arm.

“It’s me, isn’t it? I’m the reason,” he said, looking at me as if he couldn’t quite believe that was the problem.

“No, of course it’s not you.” I scowled at him as if he were the most ridiculous person I’d ever met. It didn’t wipe that look off his face. He was onto me.

What if he was right? What did that mean? Was I not only lusting after him, but feeling something more that I couldn’t seem to stuff away in some dark crevice of my mind? If I was, it was that damned Kradix song. Ever since I found out he’d sung to me while I was hurt, it had messed me up in the head. He’d probably done it on purpose, knowing it would screw me. Or maybe it was the mating bond?

“It is me. Dammit. I should’ve realized after…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but I knew what he was going to say. I couldn’t seem to hurt him, and yet when he’d been threatened, I’d killed my grandmother.

“Wait here.”

“Where are you going?” He could leave, no problem, but I didn’t like that look on his face. The determination was even worse than when he realized I couldn’t hurt him on purpose.

“To get someone other thanme.”

Yep, just what I didn’t want, which was why I knew it was what he’d do.

“Kaden, I’m not ready to…”

It didn’t matter what I said, because he was almost out of sight.

What was he planning? I could leave, but where to? There was nowhere to go. I could find another abandoned building a few blocks away, but he’d sense where I was anyway and just hunt me down. That’s who he was.

Before I could come up with a plan, he was walking back toward me with a guy I’d seen a few times, including at the house last night, and had instantly disliked. Mason was his name. There’d been something about his mannerisms that had seemed bully-ish.

The second he looked at me, I knew right where this was going. This was someone who wouldn’t have a hard time hurting me at all. He’d probably enjoy it.

“You want me to hit her?” He smiled, accenting the crookedness of his blunt nose.

Kaden was watching the man, looking as if he hated him as much as I did. Yet he’d brought him here to attack me. Whatever Kaden’s goal, this man wanted to hurt me.

I liked it better when Kaden hadn’t had a plan.

I ignored the man and stared straight at Kaden. “You’re taking this too far.”

“Not far enough, considering the situation and time restraints.”

I didn’t tell Kaden how I hated him at this moment—not aloud, anyway. I wouldn’t deign to let this man know just how alone I was in this place, or how deep inside I felt like a desperate little girl with no control. I’d transitioned, felt power flooding through me, thinking I’d never feel that way again, and yet here I was.

Now what? No matter what Tiber and Luisca had said, they were Kaden’s people, not mine. I was alone.

“I’m going to have to keep physical contact with you when you attack her, or she might kill you,” Kaden said to Mason, moving forward with his plan.

Kaden was more concerned I might kill Mason than that Mason could hurt me? I didn’t know if that made it better or worse. My heart and stomach were warring for which one was going to explode first as I stood there, sweat beading on my forehead.

“That’s fine. I only need one arm.” Mason laughed.

I should walk away. Say screw it. I shouldn’t entertain this game Kaden was playing. Yet as I looked at Mason’s sneering face, my pride stung at the idea of scampering away.

“Fine. You think this is such a good idea…” I said to Kaden, before turning my stare on Mason. “You think I’m going to be so easy that you only need one arm? Let’s do it.”

Mason didn’t waste a minute. He took a swing at me, his beefy fist aimed right for my nose, looking to inflict maximum damage. I raised my arm to block him, working solely on instinct. I achieved that goal and more. The second we connected, the force went out of his blow and he dropped to the ground. The only part of him left upright was his arm. That was because Kaden was still holding on to it.