Just kidding. I didn't really kiss Cage-

Just kidding again. I totally did.

Before I realized how stupid my decision had been, we kissed. We kissed softly at first until Cage became more agitated with my vanilla lips. He pressed his mouth harder upon mine, taking my breath away. Literally. I didn't know that kissing required holding your breath, but now it just seemed natural. Everything else was not.

Cage let me have control, and it made me feel special. He kept his hands on my waist and didn't move them any higher or any lower. His body brushed against mine but didn't press. There was no sign that showed Cage wanted to take this any further. He just stood like the world stopped spinning and let me assault his mouth with desperation that surprised both of us. The craving in the pit of my stomach slowly died down as I pressed my lips harder against his, teeth nicking, skin being bitten, and tongue licking.

For once, Cage was too startled to regain dominance and that created a feeling of power and regret that bubbled up to something dangerous. Breathing heavily, Cage turned his head and broke the kiss, almost forced himself to move away.

My heart was resonating loud enough for Cage to hear. Just as I exhaled softly, he came back. His mouth attacked mine this time, even rougher. There was no gentleness in his lips, only a desire to dominate. He pulled back before my teeth could sink into his lower lip.

And then he slipped an ice cube down my shirt.

"Cage!" I shrieked, hopping up and down as the coldness began to settle against my skin. The shock of the ice cube sent immediate shivers down my back. Suddenly being penetrated by something so cold when I was all hot and bothered in less then two seconds had a very upsetting effect.

His red lips, the very same ones I pressed mine up against, tugged up in a pretty smirk. Cage moved back to avoid my flailing around as I desperately tried to get the ice cube out. It was stuck somewhere in the interior of my navel and shirt. What a way to ruin the moment. I couldn't find any suitable reason why Cage would do something like this other than the fact that he just simply didn't want to keep kissing me.

"Was this necessary? Why? Why, Cage? Why would you do something like that?" I growled, twisting and turning all around. It was like dancing, but this dance was very awkward and desperate and totally not planned out like a graceful ballerina number. To my utter relief, I finally managed to get the damned thing out by lifting my shirt. It plinked to the ground, nearly melted by my body warmth.

"Yes. It was." Cage replied quietly. His amusement was suddenly replaced with seriousness and the lightness in his eyes disappeared when I found my composure again. Flustered, I tried to clear my frazzled thoughts and focus on fixing the mess we both just created...mainly by me.

Humiliation flooded my stomach. I'd never lost control like that before, and it appeared that neither had Cage. He kissed back, he even encouraged it. He finished what I started, and I regretted starting anything in the first place. Reckless thoughts follow reckless actions. But now Cage was had a look in his eyes that was made me want to crawl into bed and never face the world again.

"You have no idea what you are playing with, November." His voice was dangerously quiet. Cage stepped back even further, giving us both room to breathe. I noticed how tightly clenched his fists were. Cage seemed to be struggling to force the words out. "No. Fucking. Idea. I need control, November, and you are very close to breaking that boundary." He breathed out.

"Boundary?" I repeated softly.

"Yes." Cage clenched his teeth and it made his jaw tick. He opened his fists and I noticed fingernail marks ingrained on the palm of his hand. The other hand, the one with the cat-shaped band aid on it, was starting to bleed through. "You shouldn't have done that. You'll get hurt, princess. If that kiss lasted even a second longer, you would have found yourself bent over a table. You don't understand what you're capable of, November. I can't keep myself away from you, away from hurting you, if you tease me like that again."

I was surprised, to say the least. When Cage pushed me away, I thought it was rejection. And I hated that feeling. But he meant the complete opposite. I was afraid...but I wanted him. I wanted to test how far and how deep Cage's decency went, and it was not what I expected. I wasn't thinking when I kissed him. He was not a good person....but maybe I didn't want good. What a bunch of Twilight shit this was.

"I'm not gentle, princess. I'll fuck you until you are unable to sit down for a week. There is nothing sweet about me. I don't do nice. If you know what's best, you will stay away. But don't ever fucking tease me like that again. There are many things I can restrain from, but you are not one of them, November." Cage growled. "You are not one of them."

Cage cast me one final dark look and left the kitchen. The door slammed hard behind him. For a moment, I couldn't breathe. My lips felt red and hot, the imprint of his mouth over mine leaving a ghost feeling that I despised. Did I ruin everything? Probably. But kissing Cage Vickers also gave me more inside knowledge on how he really felt about me. Or perhaps that was an act, too. With Cage, nothing was ever really stable.

I couldn't go back out there and pretend to watch a movie in the darkness with Cage sitting less than two feet away after what just happened. But I wasn't about to sit down on the kitchen floor and tell the refrigerator all my secrets, either. With a straight face, I went back into the living room. My constricted chest was relieved when I noticed that Cage was gone. Micheal, Nick, and Heath all looked up as I entered.

"Everything okay?" Micheal asked, blowing a big bubble with his bubblegum. Of course, it popped and covered half his face.

"Yeah." I made myself seem as nonchalant as possible as Micheal cursed and began trying to pull the sticky gum off of his face. I couldn't even bring myself to laugh even though it was hilarious. Nick and Heath began to snicker.

"What the fuck?" Micheal groaned. The gum was stuck all over the little hairs on his jaw. He was trying to pull it off but began to make an even bigger mess. It was terrible. "What the fuck? What the absolute fuck? Can someone get me cold water- stop laughing, you little shits."

The doorbell began to suddenly chime, a musical tune that startled us all.

Saved by the doorbell. "I'll get it." I mumbled quickly, walking out of the living room. Cage appeared on top of the stairs. Ignoring his gaze, I went to the door and pulled it open. Well, I tried to open it. The doorknob wouldn't even turn. Cage's footsteps came closer. His hand touched my back and I jumped.

"It's locked." He muttered, reaching over to press a button on a security system I hadn't noticed. Cage typed in the pin and the door made a soft buzzing sound. I pulled it open, a huge fake grin on my face.

There was no one there. Cold wind blew into the warm interior of the house. Poking my head out, I searched for the mysterious doorbell ringer, but I only saw the vast amounts of white snow and trees all around. Cage pushed open the door all the way and pushed me back, searching as well. There was nothing there...until his eyes travelled down to the Welcome mat.

On it, very casually, sat a tear gas grenade. The numbers were ticking down from ten.

"Shit!" Cage slammed the door shut and grabbed my wrist. Instantly, I went into panic mode. Nick, Micheal, and Heath came into the hallway, took one look at Cage, and instantly dispersed into all different directions. We barely got away from the door in time to hear a thunderous crack from right outside the door. The tear gas began seeping in through the crevices, having an instantaneous effect. A burning began to form in my throat. Cage cursed and pulled me into the kitchen, flying around the room and opening drawers until he found a gun.

"Stand back. Open on five!" A loud male voice shouted from outside. "One..."

"We need to leave." Cage said angrily. "Heath! Let's go!" Footsteps pounded from upstairs. Nick appeared from the basement, carrying a couple of big black bags. Micheal was already making his way outside through the kitchen door, searching desperately in his pockets until he found a key. Heath came into the kitchen, breathless and carrying a bunch of folders and three laptops. "This is everything." He mumbled.

"Cage-" A dark desperation began to settle in the pit of my stomach. The cops, or whoever, were outside.

His green eyes were dark. "November, listen to me."

"Two..."

"I'm not coming with you!" I yelled, trying to wrestle out of his grip.

"We need to go." Cage whispered angrily.

"Three..."

"I will not negotiate." His words were clear and authoritative. I instantly stopped struggling when the familiar coldness of the barrel of his gun pressed into the side of my temple. "You walk or I put a bullet in your head."

"Four!"

"November, go!" Cage shouted, forcing me out the door. Nick, Heath, and Micheal were already in the car. Heath shouted something that I didn't hear. Other shouting from around the corner of the house could be heard. Darting outside, I slipped into the car with Cage following close by. From inside the house came a crash as they broke the door down.

I could have made a decision. I should have. Even if I resisted harder, Cage wouldn't have shot me. And I should have. I should have resisted. I had enough of this, enough of being the Crows hostage. The police were right there. Right outside the door. We were so close to being caught. I was so close to going home. I had a chance. I didn't take it. Instead, I listened to Cage. I ran away from the only insured safety. Sure, there was a gun pointed to my head. But there was a what if. What if I fought harder to stay? One more second and the police would have found us, and I would have been safe. But I didn't.

What did that say about me?

Micheal ripped the engine and we were suddenly driving away from the house in a flash. Cage was rifling through one of the bags. My hands were shaking. When I looked back, I noticed a bunch of police officers come through the kitchen door where we had been only seconds ago. One of them pointed a gun.

"Cage!"

My warning came too late. Micheal, panicking, swerved the car violently to avoid the bullet. The car nearly flipped over. I didn't care about that. My entire body went numb when Cage suddenly cursed. He slumped down in the seat, holding the back of his neck. Blood began to colour his fingers and drip down.

"Shit!" Micheal yelled as a bullet shattered the side mirror. They were still shooting. Another one connected with the back of the car. The road was slicked with dangerously slippery ice. Micheal, amid all the panic, managed to stay focused on driving. Nick was shouting something about Cage and Heath was opening the bags, searching for something.

I couldn't move. The sight of blood, especially Cage's, rendered me numb. We were finally far away that the police couldn't shoot at us anymore, but the danger was far from over. Cage was bleeding out on the backseat yet still was conscious. I noticed Heath inject him with a blue coloured liquid inside. Heath really had a thing for needles, it seemed.

"November, get some snow from the roof of the car." Heath instructed. He had two fingers lodged deep into the back of Cage's neck, right where the bullet wound was to stop any more blood from gushing out. Cage was mumbling something, in too much pain to speak clearly. I stared in horror. It was like something out of a slasher film. The injection Heath had given him seemed to keep him awake. "November! Listen to me!" Heath suddenly roared.

"I got it." Nick interrupted. He rolled down the window, reached up, and grabbed a handful of snow. Wrapping it up in a towel, he handed it to Heath.

Heath was about to put it over the wound but suddenly, Cage slumped forward with the movement of the car, his eyes closed. He was either unconscious or dead.