List! Let's make another list of all the things that were happening right now:

1) Micheal's laughter helped nothing and no one. It made the situation even worse than it already was.

2) Cage looked stunned, and then angry. Brushing the snow off his face with one gloved hand, the look of absolute murder in his beautiful green eyes was scary enough to make me want to start running for the hills. I mean, not literally. That was too much work and I'd probably start rolling back down halfway up the hill, depending on how steep this said hill was- never mind, you get the picture.

3) My fingers were turning purple with cold. I lost my entire left eyebrow. I preferred not to lose my fingers as well. Without fingers, how ever could I eat chicken nuggets?

4) Was that blood on Cage's coat? Yes, that was definitely blood. Or maybe ketchup. Maybe he was eating chicken nuggets. Or maybe he got into a fight with an animal. Or maybe he was painting a picture of an apple. Any excuse was good enough to cover up the fact that it very well may have been Jonah King's blood on Cage's coat.

5) Heath arrived with Cage but was already making a beeline for the cabin. He wasn't even fazed by the fact that his boss was smacked in the face with a snowball. I don't even think Heath cared.

6) Just kidding, that's all.

7) Seriously, stop. The list is over.

8) Oh no, this list is getting out of control.

9) Dogs are beautiful.

As terrified as I was, I couldn't stop the little snicker that escaped my lips. He looked so silly. Utterly petrifying, but also kinda silly. What were the chances of having perfect aim at Cage's face? Almost none. I had missed every target except this unintentional one, which was pretty bad considering this was Cage Vickers and Cage Vickers doesn't get into snowball fights. Or get hit with snowballs. If I hadn't already dug my grave, I was about to now.

Awkward silence. Well, I sure as hell wasn't about to be the first one to break it.

Micheal finally got himself under control. Standing up, he brushed the snow off. Cage was still glaring at me. Bits and pieces of a very embarrassing memory floated back when I met his dark eyes. Suddenly intimidated, I tried to hide behind Nick but it didn't work out very well. He just moved away and left me out in the open, an easy target for Cage's temperamental actions.

Cage finally turned his attention away from me and to Micheal. "Did everything work out well?"

As quick as a wink, Micheal slipped away from a playful fellow to his serious, professional, criminal-y attitude. Casting a glance in my direction (I was still trying to hide behind Nick but he just kept moving away, dammit) Micheal nodded. "Fine. She wasn't much trouble."

Maybe not, but I did have a few choice words to tell Cage that would get me into trouble. Out of sheer discomfort, I kept my mouth shut and stifled my anger with silence. Shoving my numb hands into my pockets, I stared hard at the snow.

Cage's gaze pierced right through me even though I didn't look at him. "November."

My heart thudded hard. I didn't trust myself to speak. My shoulder still ached from getting injected so suddenly, and my neck itched with the memory of his lips imprinted against soft flesh.

"Please just answer him." Micheal mumbled under his breath, making sure I heard him.

But I didn't want to answer Cage. I couldn't even bring myself to look him in the eyes after what happened, let alone carry a conversation while knowing full well that the very same man I was talking to had given me one of the best moments of my life and turned it into one that I very much wanted to forget. Seduction was one thing. But seduction that was totally fake was another.

Yes, I was hurt and yes, I was embarrassed. I hated myself. I hated that I could have been so stupid to fall for one of his tricks. Cage Vickers was nothing but a manipulator. I knew that, didn't I? I knew that ever since they kidnapped me. And yet I still let him crush my dignity. I should have known better. Goddamn, I should have known better.

It was with utter Herculean strength that kept me from attacking Cage. With gritted teeth, I forced myself to mutter a soft, "What?"

That wasn't good enough for Cage. Nothing was good enough for Cage Vickers. We were the chess pieces and he was the player. He used others to get what he wanted...distortion at its finest. The fire in his eyes continued to flame even higher. I don't know what he wanted with me and frankly, I didn't want to find out either.

"I need to talk to November." Cage growled. "Alone." The implications of that stressed word was enough to set me on edge. I tried to telepathically communicate with Micheal to tell him not to leave, but it didn't work (I didn't expect it to, but whatever) and he began to walk to the house with Nick whispering something fervently to him.

Panic began to set in as the door slammed shut behind Nick. Cage and I were all alone out in the cold now, with nothing and no one to interrupt. Luckily for Cage, that was exactly what he wanted. Unluckily for me, that was not what I preferred. Him on the Sun and me on the Pluto wasn't enough distance.

"November, I am sorry." He broke the silence softly, whispering the heartfelt words like they were supposed to magically just erase everything that's happened. Cage stepped closer, his green eyes remorseful. However, I refused to let myself fall for that again. To believe he was really a good person and lure me into a sense of protection when really, his intentions were the farthest thing from it.

My eyes felt teary but I didn't know if I was really just upset or cold. At this point, I had given up trying to figure anything out...my feelings, his emotions, how many calories were in a chicken nugget...it was too complicated and I wasn't used to complicated. I was used to my pajamas and Fern. They were used to murder and guns.

It just didn't work.

Shifting uncomfortably, I let myself glance at his face once. Just once, and it still was breathtaking as the first time I saw him. Stubble-covered jawline with a pair of thin red lips, the scar in the corner of his mouth, his forest green eyes that glittered like jewels, his dark hair messed to perfection, and his pale skin with cheeks red from the cold...Cage Vickers was beautiful. There was no denying that. And he was a manipulative, apathetic criminal. There was no denying that either.

"You wouldn't have to apologize if you didn't do things like that." The coldness in my voice mimicked his in a way that surprised me. Just speaking to Cage surprised me. I thought I'd lose it after seeing his face. There were so many things I wanted to tell Cage that for a second, the feeling overwhelmed me and I was left speechless. What to say, what not to say, secrets that I should keep, words that I should voice...

"It was a calculated risk." Cage said quietly. Again, there was nothing in his voice. No regret, no sorrow, no emotions. He was heartless. The best way to keep from getting your heart broken was to pretend that you did not have one...however, I was afraid that years of shoving his feelings down turned him into something terrible. "Your life was never in danger, November."

"But it is, Cage!" I shouted, unable to help myself. "It is! Every second that I am with you, my life is in danger. You won't even let me go, you don't trust me to keep my mouth shut. And when I become a casualty, an inconvenience, then you will dispose of me as if I never had a life to begin with. If they're no help to you, they're useless. Trash. Human garbage. You might be a king but your throne is made of all the people you've crushed to get there. Royalty at its finest."

"What's a king without a queen?"

"A lonely man who sleeps alone at night." I retorted coldly. "In other words...you."

That earned a smile from Cage, a little smirk that tugged up the corners of his mouth in a way that was neither helpful nor kind. It began to snow, little soft flakes that barely made it to the ground before piling up with the rest that was already there. He stepped closer and I was unable to step away. Maybe I didn't want to step away. Maybe I wanted to do the same thing he had done to me...rip out my feelings with no thought of how I'd feel. I wanted to make Cage Vickers suffer.

And I knew the power that I had over him. It was a little thing that could barely be called an advantage...unless I made it into such a thing that it could destroy Cage in the end. You see, I wasn't completely stupid. I might have dumb enough to burn off my eyebrow, but I wasn't so dumb that I didn't catch the interpretation of his words. I wasn't blind to the things Cage said. Calling me a princess, asking me to stay, hinting that I could be the queen to his king...I just had to figure out if he meant it all or not.

"You should be careful about what you say, princess." Cage's breaths came out in little white clouds. A tiny snowflake glinted on one of his dark lashes. He was close enough that I could feel the heat that escaped his mouth on my face. "That pretty little mouth of yours is going to get you into a lot of trouble."

"That wasn't nice." Cage reached over and stuck something on my cheek. It was the Captain America sticker I put on the back of his jacket. Pulling it off my cheek, I crumpled it up and threw it at the back of his face, missing. I couldn't throw anything to save my life. I was, however, very good at faking injuries. Seriously, I should get an Oscar for some of the performances I pulled just to get out of gym class.

P.E class was created by the Devil himself. It didn't stand for Physical Education, it stood for Public Embarrassment.

Cage smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Uncomfortable, I shrugged. "I'm fine...why?"

It was Cage's turn to shrug. "Nothing. I'm just curious, that's all. The sedative I injected you with, both times before we left Ivey and Chicago, they were synthetic."

"Which means...?" I trailed off, beginning to worry.

He shot me a smirk. "It was created last month in Argentina. We only have one imported cargo of the sedative with only ten injections. I've already used two on you...and the maximum number of times a person can be injected within a one week period without dying was three. They invited me on hand to watch how the experiments went. After the third injection...well, I'll leave that to your imagination."

What Cage said took a moment for me to understand. I was already injected twice. One more shot of that drug and I was dead as a dead animal. The only factor that I had left to consider was if Cage would actually inject me for the third time. At this point, I would have voluntarily gone along with whatever the Crows wanted. I'd survived for two days and that was longer than an outsider in the Crows ever had.

"Shame." I said dryly. "Maybe you should ask if I want to go with you peacefully next time instead of forcing me to."

Cage looked down at his boots. "I won't do it again. I promise."

Scoffing, I turned back to the house. The sky was still letting go of little flurries that melted as soon as they touched anything. "Don't blame me if I can't believe that." Flitting with anger, I decided to leave. I had nothing else to say to Cage. Nothing that I could understand myself, anyways. Unfortunately, Cage wasn't done playing his games. My wrist was caught by his fingers and I found myself nearly stumbling headfirst into his chest.

It was a very nice chest.

Cage caught me before I fell. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer until I was pinned against his body. My heart fluttering, I couldn't break the grip and I couldn't tell if it was intentional or not. It was like being hugged by a bear, but that bear was less furry and more attractive and six feet tall. Again, the mixture of coconut and cologne tickled my nose. In the process, Cage had pulled me tight against him and rested his chin on top of my head because he was freakishly tall and he could do that.

I didn't know what to do. In an attempt to show my gratefulness for him catching me before I fell, I may have patted Cage's nose gently. I don't know, it was all so awkward and nice and oh no, he was so warm and smelled very good and I don't know why he was hugging me but it was nice and I never wanted to move away.

No, wait. What the hell? Of course I wanted him to let me go. Out of his arms and out of Alberta. What was I doing? What was he doing? What were we doing? This wasn't supposed to happen. But then again, lots of things happened that weren't supposed to happen. Hugs were meant for friends and family and fluffy things, not globally notorious mafia men who had blood on their coats.

"Cage!" My voice was squeaky with nerves. I tried to push him off me but he was too strong. As much as I liked him, it was wrong and nothing could justify my actions except for human comfort. Not that Cage should be the person I'd look to for human comfort. He'd lost his humanity.

"I never meant to hurt you." The soft words caressed my forehead. Cage kissed my temple briefly, an action that left me both breathless and confused. His lips were warm despite the cold and pressed against my skin so gently that I wouldn't have felt it if I wasn't paying so much close attention. "I didn't distract you so I could drug you. I also did it because I wanted to. Because I needed...to." Cage said, his deep voice sounding sincere.

"I don't believe that." My fingers fiddled with the zipper on his coat, trying to calm down my racing heart and think a way out of this that wouldn't crush the last shreds of self-esteem I had left. He fooled me on so many occasions, I didn't believe a word that came out of his mouth anymore.

Of course I knew the kind of man Cage Vickers was. He killed people, that was nothing new. But before, it had been something that I occasionally saw in the news. Now, I was experiencing it firsthand. "Did you kill Jonah?"

His eyes averted themselves to the snow.

After a moment when I saw his lips purse with no intention of answering me, I forced the words off my tongue again. I knew the answer but I needed to hear him say it. The blood on his coat wasn't his or Heath's. "Cage...did you kill him?"

"Yes, November."

Silence. My throat lumped up so I remained quiet, afraid to speak on the account of my voice giving away my vulnerability.

"I fucked everything up, didn't I?" Cage muttered bitterly.

I shook my head, my eyes focused on the exposed skin of his neck. I needed to focus on something other than the way Cage's body felt against mine, even through the thick clothing. "You didn't, Cage. There wasn't anything to fuck up in the first place.''

"Please."

"Please what?"

"Please don't hate me." Cage whispered. He let go of me and moved back, eyes swimming with remorse. Still, I refused to believe it. Master of distortion, remember? "And do not turn to Micheal for comfort, November. Micheal is not your friend. He is just as bad as I am and you still look at him with irrational affection. You have more power than you realize and I'm afraid of what you'll do to me." His voice turned dark. "Everything that has happened so far was a mistake. I regret not letting you go sooner but I don't regret kissing you.''

Cage suddenly bent down, his lips inclined towards mine. My heart began to race like it was in a goddamn relay and he was so close. Just as our lips were about to meet, I made a decision.

And I moved away. I did what I should have done the first time Cage pulled something like this on me. For the first time in a very long time, I made a decision. Whether it was a good decision or a bad one, I didn't know. Cage met empty air because I was gone.

I didn't kiss him. No matter how much I wanted to, I didn't kiss him and I didn't give in. I didn't let myself fall. The key to my happiness wasn't Cage Vickers. It was chicken nuggets and Ivey, both of which weren't here. And it felt good. I could only imagine the surprise on his face as I turned away and walked to the house without looking back once.

Two can play at this game.