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“Yes. It’s been happening all day. Apparently being upset makes it happen more.” She practically carried me up the stairs. “You’re going to lie down, and you are not going back there in the morning. I’m telling you right now, I’m not allowing it.”

“I made an agreement. I can’t go back on my word.” I moved slowly to the bed, lying facedown on it, not caring that I was sweaty and dirty. Moving was too much of an obstacle to worry about being clean.

“I don’t care what…”

I was so consumed with pain that it had blurred out Kaden’s presence. I didn’t even realize he was there until Luisca’s words drifted off and I looked over to see what was wrong.

He stood just within the door, his eyes on my back. He wasn’t moving. I wasn’t sure he was breathing, as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what was going on. I knew the shirt was probably bloodstained.

Luisca looked at him, then me. She backed out of the room, knowing answers were needed and not wanting to be the one to give them.

“What happened to your back?” Kaden asked, his voice low and deadly.

“So, I had an interesting couple of days,” I said, my voice sounding stiff even as I tried to make light of the mess I’d made.

He walked over, every movement stiff, as if he were barely hanging on to his control. “Take your shirt off.”

I didn’t move for a myriad of reasons. One, it hurt too much to lie there, let alone do something else. Second, I didn’t want him to see what I looked like at the moment. It was bad enough that I felt it. Third, and most importantly, I didn’t want to. He’d told me to lie low and not cause problems while he was gone. I’d done it the only way I could. If he was going to cast judgments, he could go screw. Maybe if he hadn’t run out the day after our esposmata, making it obvious to all that I meant nothing to him, Mason wouldn’t have pushed it.

“No. I’m trying to lie here and rest.” I put my head down on my arms, closing my eyes as everything that had happened in the last couple of days seemed to crash into me as he stood there, judging me.

The fabric of my shirt began ripping as he split it open down the back.

“What are you doing? I don’t have that many shirts.” I tried to lean up, keeping a hand to my chest to keep the scraps of my shirt on.

“Who did this to you?” He looked as if he were really going to kill someone. I’d done this to keep the peace, and now it looked as if Luisca had been right—it might have the opposite effect, unless I explained the situation quickly.

“I know it looks bad, but I agreed to let it happen.”

His jaw clenched. Well, that hadn’t helped.

“Who.”

“I was trying to—”

“I want aname. Now.”

“You need to hear me out first. I wasn’t attacked. I was…”

He walked out of the room, probably to go get answers from someone else. I forced the stiff muscles of my back to obey as I pushed into a sitting position. I had not taken this beating for nothing.

“Kaden?” I called. I got to my feet, feeling like I was strung so tight, I would break at any moment.

I grabbed another shirt, trying to wrestle it on because I couldn’t risk the girls seeing my back. I hadn’t made it past the hall when Kaden’s voice filled the courtyard.

“Mason, come out now. If I have to find you, it’ll be worse.”

I’d managed to get halfway down the stairs when Luisca appeared.

“You told him?” I asked.

“He was going to find out anyway, and he’s your mate. He has a right to know.”

I hobbled a couple of steps down, wanting to chase after Kaden, but I didn’t have a shot of getting to him in my current condition. “What was the point of any of this if he’s going to beat the man anyway?”

“Beat? Mason will be lucky if he lets him live, and I wouldn’t blame Kaden.” She grabbed my arm, helping me down the rest of the stairs. “Come on, I’ll make you a hot tea while we wait for whatever comes next.”

“I’ve got to go get him.”