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Any chance of this not blowing up went by the wayside as he yelled, drawing the attention of anyone who hadn’t seen the initial approach.

I held up my hands. “Look, I’m sorry about how things went down yesterday. I didn’t mean to—”

“Then you admit it? You used your magic on those poor kids? That you made my boy break his leg?” There was a gleam in his eye.

This man didn’t care an iota what had happened to his kid. That didn’t change the expressions on everyone else’s faces at my admission.

“I wasn’t trying to use my magic on him. They were bullying a little girl, and it slipped out.”

There was a gasp from a woman off to the side, a hand on her chest. “You’re the reason my little girl was crying last night? She was terrified, saying the lake was going to drown everyone, and I couldn’t figure out why. Said she was never going to go there again.”

“If Billie was at the lake with the kids, she was trying to help,” Luisca said, trying to cut in front of me.

I held out my hand so she couldn’t step in between me and Mason.

“I don’t care what she thinks she was doing. I want retribution.” Mason was leaning even closer to us, speaking so loudly he was spraying spittle.

“Your timing is very convenient,” Luisca yelled back. It was the first time I’d ever heard her raise her voice. I didn’t know that she was capable of speaking that loud. “You know if Tiber or Kaden were here you wouldn’t be pulling this,” she said, trying to go toe to toe with the man. If I wasn’t physically wrestling her back, she might’ve punched him.

“Bullshit I wouldn’t. She crossed the line, and Kaden doesn’t give a shit about her anyway.”

“She’s his mate,” Luisca yelled back.

It seemed as if everyone who lived here was standing around, listening on. Lines of division seemed to be forming as well, slowly picking sides as they moved themselves.

“A mate he abandoned the day after his esposmata. Doesn’t sound like he’s so happy with his situation, if you ask me.”

The crowd behind him all laughed. The crowd that was standing behind us wasn’t laughing. I glanced back, seeing the seeds of doubt forming, as if they were afraid they’d picked the losing horse.

That wasn’t as bad as spotting Luisca’s daughters on the outskirts, watching on. Chelsie was hugging her little sister close as Marina looked near tears.

I turned back to Mason. “What do you want?”

“Like for like. You hurt and humiliated my son. He can’t even walk. His leg is broken. I get an eye for an eye.”

“Again,what. Do. You. Want,” I said slowly, wanting to get this situation settled. I’d been here less than a week and I was starting a civil war. I was pretty sure this was the trouble Kaden had asked me not to get into. It certainly wasn’t lying low.

“You do his chores until he’s well, and ten strokes for the pain you put him through.”

Ten strokes?Did he mean he wanted to whip me? A wave of nausea hit so hard that I was afraid I’d vomit on his feet.

“That’s not like for like,” Luisca yelled. “She didn’t hurt him. She didn’t break his leg. If he fell, that’s on him.”

“They were hurt. You didn’t see the terror in their eyes. What? She’s above our rules? I’m allowed to call her out as soon as the crime has been committed.” There was a murmur from the group behind Mason.

The crowd behind me was silent for the most part. I knew how bad it had to look.

“Mason, your boy tripped. Don’t you think this is a bit much?” one of the men behind me asked.

Mason turned to him. “She didn’t have a drop of Kradix blood running through her, and now she’s dripping with power she isn’t even attempting to control. She’s using it against our children, and it’ll be you next unless we get her in line.”

“I wasn’t trying to use it against him,” I said. “He was frightening the girl, and I was just trying to get him to stop. It was an accident.”

“See?” he said as if I’d made his point. “She can’t control it, and she’s going to get someone killed if we don’t do something about it.”

The group behind him roared their agreement. The other side behind me wasn’t looking as confident. A few people on the fringes took a couple steps back. This was going to go badly if I didn’t do something.

I either sucked this up and took the hits or put Luisca in an impossible position, and tore this community apart.