The man’s hand shot out and grabbed my ankle. I yelped. I tried to kick myself out of his grip, but threw myself off balance in the process and fell against the earth. Instinctively, I held Angel close to my chest.
I cried out in pain and fear as I hit the ground. Angel was silent, her eyes wide, then began to cry.
“What’s wrong with you?” I snapped at the man, whose head was still down. I attempted to free myself again but his grip around my ankle was tight and cruel.
The man lifted his head. Cold terror shook me to the core.
It was the same mysterious man I’d encountered the night I created the Cinderhollow barrier.
“Let go!” I snarled, kicking at him with my other leg. The sudden jolt caused the man to grunt and let go. But then, to my dismay, he got to his feet. A bright red gash on his arm was his only injury - the source of the blood on the rocks - but otherwise he was fine.
I barely had time to react. His hands shot out again, grabbing me by the waist. I shuddered in horror. Touching my ankles was bad enough, but the strange intimacy of this stranger’s hands on my hips filled me with disgust.
“You’re sick,” I spat. “Pretending to be injured so I’d come help you? Bastard!”
“I am not pretending. I really am bleeding,” the man said with a strange smile, offering me a view of his injury.
Did he hurt himself just to lure me in?
“Please, don’t struggle,” the man growled. “This is for the best, Halo. Believe me.”
“What’s your fucking problem?” I snapped, not even caring that my daughter heard my foul language. “Who are you and what do you want from me?”
He smiled in a cold curve of his mouth. “It’s nice to see you again. And the little one.”
I clutched Angel closer, furious. “I’ll kill you if you touch her.”
He didn’t react. His grip on my waist didn’t loosen.
“It’s about time we met properly, isn’t it? My name is Zenon.”
I kept quiet. Zenon’s gaze flickered to my daughter again, who was sniffling. I cupped my hand around the back of Angel’s head, restricting her face from view. I didn’t want her to see Zenon, and I definitely didn’t want him to seeher.
“I suppose that’s the reason you didn’t want to leave when I first asked,” Zenon remarked. “You would be leaving behind a mate, and a child.”
My blood boiled. I hated hearing him speak about Angel and Kass that way, like they were footnotes in my life instead of everything I lived for. I curled my lip into a growl.
Zenon sighed. “It’s a shame. We could have given you everything.Icould have given you everything, Halo.”
“We?”
I don’t see anybody else around. Is he lying?
“Yes. The rest of my pack.”
I vaguely remembered his mention of a pack the first time he spoke to me, months ago. It hadn’t unnerved me nearly as much back then.
I wanted my mate beside me. I wanted Kass. Despite not having shared a mutual claiming bite, we were still mates, and that meant we met our challenges together. Things between us had been tense lately, but I had no doubt Kass would run in headfirst to save me if he were here right now.
“My mate is on his way,” I lied. “He’ll kill you if he sees you doing this.”
“Doing what?” Zenon asked innocently. “I’m merely holding you, Halo.”
I snarled. “You’re foul. Let go of me.”
His grip tightened on my waist, and I shivered in disgust. “I cannot. You need to come with me. You can bring the child, too, if you wish.”
Fury exploded inside me. “What?”
