“Is that the only way you can win, huh?” I barked, squirming as the bystanders reeled with enjoyment. “You pick up the guys you fight, too? Or do you like your men bent over, is that it?”

Laughter filled the hallway, but then I was flying again, and I squealed, my ass crashing into the ground. What the hell?

The wind was knocked out of me, and I coughed, trying to get in a breath.

Will came down on top of me, pushing me onto my back and grabbing my wrists. I fought, struggling my burning muscles against his hold, but he eventually forced my hands above my head, holding them there. I wasn’t strong enough. Son of a bitch.

I shifted under his weight, the crowd howling around us as he pinned me to the floor.

Will grunted, the stench of beer all over his breath as he struggled to keep hold of me. “This is what you really want, isn’t it, runt?”

“Eat shit!”

I thrashed under him, but he just busted up laughing.

They were all laughing. My brother was right. This was what it always turned into with women. I was reduced to being on my back, no doubt where Easy Cheese here thought I belonged.

I belted out a growl, throwing all my weight up into him, and flipped him over. I landed one punch, knocking him in the nose, before he threw me off. I landed on the ground, and we both scrambled to our feet, him holding his nose and wincing.

I launched for him again.

But someone caught my sweatshirt from behind and an arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me up off my feet.

“Whoa, there, Tiger.” The broad chest at my back shook as the man behind me laughed.

I breathed hard, jerking my head to get a look.

I came face to face with a silver mask. The hood of his black hoodie was down, but I met his eyes as they gazed down at me and saw his dark hair.

Kai.

He looked ahead, jerking the chin of his mask. “What the hell are you doing?”

I looked to Will, his head tilted back, his finger under his nose, and blood trailing down to his top lip. “Getting the shit kicked out of me,” he grumbled as the crowd’s amused chatter surrounded us. “She’s a scrapper.”

“I only got hits in, because you let me,” I spouted off. “Let’s finish it. For real this time.”

Will rolled his eyes, and Kai tightened his hold, but I heard his breathy laugh behind me.

“No one wants to see you hurt, babe,” Kai said, lowering my feet to the ground and coming to stand at my side, looking down at me. “You okay?”

I pushed my hair behind my ear, pausing when I realized my hood had come down. I glanced left to right. Please, let Damon not have spotted me here.

I pulled up the hood, covering myself as much as possible.

“Are you from another school?” Kai asked. “This is a Thunder Bay party. Are you supposed to be here?”

He didn’t recognize me.

The make-up. I’d forgotten about the make-up I was wearing.

Plus, I was in my pajamas and a sweatshirt, different clothes than at the cemetery.

I started to back away.

The longer I stayed, the bigger chance I’d be discovered. It was time to leave.

“Wait a minute,” he said, stepping toward me. “This is a private party. Who are you?”

My gaze flashed to the people around the hallway, seeing them watching us.

“I can call you a ride,” Kai offered, slowly advancing as I backed away. “Do you have a car? How old are you?”

“Kai, let her go. Come on!” Will called, heading into another room.

I took a step, holding Kai’s eyes and my heart pounding. “Old enough to have seen and heard worse,” I told him.

And he stopped mid-step.

A shot of thrill swelled in my throat, and my legs burned with the urge to run.

He stared at me, his chest rising and falling faster. He remembered. I was scared he wouldn’t. Maybe I’d dreamed the confessional this morning, and it never really happened.

But he cocked his head, and it felt like he was zoning in.

Shit.

I took another step back, past the crowd, and kept going.

“Michael brought me here.” I swallowed, my mouth so dry. “It has nothing to do with you. I don’t even want to be here.”

I stumbled over something on the floor, looking away to find my footing and quickly looking back at him. But he just stayed rooted in his spot, watching me.

Wasn’t he going to say anything?

I continued backing away, afraid to turn my back on him.

And then he took a step.

I sucked in a short breath. “What are you doing?”

He took another step. “Giving you a head start.”

My stomach leaped. “But I don’t…I didn’t want to play!”

“Oh, you’ve been playing with me all night,” he said, a growl lacing his voice. “Run. Because I turn into a very different person when no one’s looking.”

I lost my breath and whipped around, taking off. The lobby. There would be people in the lobby. And desk clerks. I raced to the end of the hall, past the elevator, without looking back and bolted through the Exit door leading to the stairwell.

Bright light blinded me, and I grabbed onto the railing as I ran down the stairs, swung around the bannister, and leaped down the next flight. I heard the door above slam shut, but then a loud gong echoed in the stairwell, and I knew it was the sound of it swinging open again.

I choked on a breath and swooped down another flight, jumping stairs as I did. But I couldn’t not look back. Twisting my head over my shoulder, I searched for his shoes or any movement, but nothing. Not even the sound of steps being taken.

But then, all of a sudden, he landed with a loud thud on the landing one short flight up, having leaped over the railings and two flights.

He straightened his bent knees, standing tall again, and his dark eyes pierced me through the horrid mask. My heart lodged in my throat, and I squealed, racing faster down the stairs and feeling him on me like the clothes on my back.

The muscles in my legs burned, and sweat covered my brow, but God, I was excited.

I wanted him to catch me.

Launching myself down, down, down, the stairs, I could hear his jumps getting closer and closer. But I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to see him coming. I just wanted to feel it. Feel his arms wrap around me and danger take hold, forcing me to face it.

I sucked in short, shallow breaths, every inch of my skin desperate to be grabbed, squeezed, kissed, bit, and sucked. God, what was he doing to me?

Reaching the lobby, I swung open the door, catching sight of black out of the corner of my eye and smiling, almost delirious, because I was so fucking scared he was damn near right behind me.

I ran through the door, into the lobby, and looked around, seeing a few stragglers still sitting around the dimly lit hotel. No clerk stood behind the desk, and I swung around, not seeing any security guards or janitors or anyone. Not that I was planning to run for help, but I assumed what Kai would or wouldn’t do depended on who was watching.

Whipping around, I stumbled backward, watching the door and the white wall of the stairwell visible through the small rectangular window suddenly turning black as his form covered it.

A raging heat burned low in my belly, and I stopped breathing as he swung the door open and stepped through, locking eyes with me.

He seemed so much bigger now. He was already tall, but I was scared, and the fear had me gauging his size to mine. He could probably wrap his arms around me nearly twice.

Do it, I dared him with my eyes. It had been a fucking long day, and I was so tired, but fire coursed through my veins, never making me feel more alive. I wanted to see everything he was made of. Quiet, pondering, stoic, and reserved Kai Mori. Come on. Fuck with me.

I dipped my tongue out, licking my lip and tasting the sweat on my skin.

And he shot off, rushing me.

I gasped, spinning round and darting for the first doors I saw. I ignored the attention we’d attracted from the people sitting in the lobby and ripped open the door, rushing through.

It slammed behind me, and I dashed across the ballroom and scrambled behind a set of black drapes, just as the door swung open again.

I clamped my hand over my mouth, desperate for air, but I couldn’t stop gasping. It was too loud. The door shut again, and I couldn’t hear anything else, my heart was pounding in my ears so hard. Was he in the room?