Chapter 17 · What the Core Took

"Get away from me." Kade had one hand around Evelyn's throat before the ceiling started to come down.

His grip wasn't tight enough to crush her. It didn't need to be. His thumb sat against her pulse, counting every frantic beat while his other hand held a black Crown pistol against her ribs.

"You want me away?" His voice came out rough. "Give me my core."

"I don't have it."

The lie barely left her mouth before the bond punished her.

Pain flashed behind her eyes. Kade's jaw clenched at the same time. His fingers jerked against her neck, and the pistol dipped half an inch.

"Try that again," he said.

A crack split the room above them. Dust dropped across his shoulders. Evelyn shoved at his wrist, but he caught both her hands and pinned them against the wall beside her head.

His body blocked the only clear path to the door. Heat pressed through his torn black shirt. His breath brushed her cheek, hard and uneven, carrying the sharp taste of blood.

"I said I don't have it," she snapped. "It's inside you.