Chapter 13 · Shared Pain

"Try that door again and I’ll break your wrist." Kane caught my hand before my fingers touched the lock.

I twisted hard. His grip tightened.

"You already said that. Three times. Get a new threat."

"I don’t need a new one. You keep testing the same answer."

His shoulder blocked the apartment door. Mine hit the wall behind me. Six feet of cursed contract sat between us, glowing faintly beneath my skin like a second pulse. The closer I got to the exit, the hotter it burned.

Kane leaned in. His breath brushed my cheek, warm and annoyingly steady.

"Want to run?" he whispered. "Learn to serve me first."

I drove my knee toward his thigh.

He turned just enough to take the hit without losing his grip. Then he shoved my hand above my head and pinned it against the wall.

"That’s not serving," he said.

"It’s a start."

The contract flared.

Pain punched through my wrist. Kane’s face tightened at the exact same moment. His fingers jerked, but he didn’t let go.

I smiled through my teeth. "Oh, good. You felt that."

"I felt you trying to be clever."

"No. You felt your bones complain.