Chapter 16 · Not a Capture Order

Kade's hand locked around my wrist before I could grab the car door.

Not rough. Not the way you'd stop someone from running. His fingers were shaking.

"Get in," he said. His voice came out flat, but his grip tightened. "Now."

I looked at his face. Sweat ran down his temple even though the night air was cold. His jaw was clenched so hard I could see the muscle jump under his skin.

"Kade?"

"Now, Mara."

Juno already had Claire in the back seat. The engine was running. I pulled my wrist free and climbed in, and Kade slammed the door behind me hard enough to make the frame rattle. He didn't get in. He stood there on the curb with both hands pressed flat against the roof of the car.

Juno twisted around in the driver's seat. "What the hell is he doing?"

"I don't know."

Claire was slumped against the opposite door, eyes half-closed, but she lifted her head. "He's fighting it."

"Fighting what?"

"The code." She sounded like she was talking through a mouthful of cotton. "It doesn't want him to let her go."

I shoved the door open again and got out. Kade didn't move.