Chapter 20 · Hunter's Bait

"Stop moving or I'll weld your jaw shut."

Cain’s voice was a low grate. He didn't look at me, but his hand was clamped like a vice around my wrist, hauling me through the sterile, white-tiled halls of the Council’s sublevel.

I stumbled, boots skidding on the polished floor. "You're the one who leaked my name to the entire sector! Why the hell are we still sneaking around?"

He spun me around. Hard.

My back slammed into a cold metal pillar, knocking the wind out of me. Before I could gasp, he was there. He leaned in, chest barely an inch from mine. He smelled of ozone and old blood. His eyes were dark, predatory, searching mine with an intensity that made my pulse jump in my throat.

"I didn't leak it," he hissed. His breath was warm against my lips. "Someone's playing us both. And if you keep screaming like a wounded animal, we're going to find out exactly how the Council disposes of forbidden cores. In person."

I glared back, refusing to shrink. "Then let me go. I can handle the Council. I've been running from them since I could walk."

"You can't even stand straight without shaking."