Free Masquerade by Nyrae Dawn Page B

surrendering before taking a couple steps away.
    She goes right back into dancing but Mohawk is still close behind her. Easing forward, I sit up straighter, my feet planted on the ground as I fight the urge to stand up and go over there. It’s not my business. She’s not mine and I don’t want her to be.
    But what if he won’t leave her alone?
    I don’t want to protect someone else.
    It’s so much fucking pressure to be what other people need you to be. Especially when you fail at it over and over like I did. I tried so fucking hard for Laney, but she’s my sister. I don’t give a shit about anyone else.
    When Mohawk turns back to her, trying to dance and grind against her ass, I push to my feet. Trevor grabs my arm.
    “A woman like her doesn’t need to be protected. She’s only going to get pissed at you for trying.”
    Jerking my arm away, I head toward Bee. Fuck what Trevor said or if he’s right. Fuck if Bee gets pissed at me or not, and fuck that stupid voice in my head telling me to back off. That I’ve dealt with too much of other people’s shit in my life. That there’s a hundred other guys in here who can step in so I don’t have to get involved. I’m not going to let any guy give her or anyone shit while I’m here.
    I’m about halfway to her when Bee turns around and shoves him. Mohawk stumbles backward, but she doesn’t stop, she keeps going at him, screaming something as she does.
    “Settle the fuck down, you crazy bitch. I was only dancing,” Mohawk yells.
    “Don’t touch me. Don’t fucking touch me unless I say you can.” When she tries to leap at him again, I grab her around the waist. She’s twisting and fighting the whole time but I stay between her and him.
    One of the bouncers on shift grabs Mohawk.
    “She told you once. Stay the fuck away from her,” I grit out at him as I stand between them. Bee’s trying to get around me. Everyone’s yelling. When I turn to look at her, she’s shut down again, nothing but fire in her eyes.
    “Don’t want the bitch anyway.” The asshole laughs.
    I don’t hold back this time; letting my fist fly forward, I hit him in the face. He drops to the ground as Bee tries to go for him again, but I grab her waist. She doesn’t stop trying to get free.
    When she almost slips out of my arms, I squeeze tighter, hefting her over my shoulder like a goddamned caveman or something, her fists coming down on my back the whole way out of the club.

Chapter Nine
~Bee~
    I’m not the type of girl to make a scene. I don’t freak out for no reason, and I definitely don’t get thrown over a guy’s shoulder because I went postal on someone in a club.
    Yeah, I’m on edge because of the call from Mom and maybe a little bit because of Maddox, too, but that’s not what this is about. The second he put his arms around me from behind, I had this strange flashback. A weird almost déjà vu of being grabbed. It was familiar, too, and a part of me wants to dip back into that flash from my mind and explore what it was.
    The other part is pissed it was there in the first place.
    “Let me go!” I shove at Maddox, trying to get out of his arms. A chilly blast of night air hits me as he steps outside.
    Maddox doesn’t listen but walks around the corner until we’re a good distance from Lunar. When he sets me down, I realize we’re next to his bike.
    “What the hell was that?” My voice cracks as I scream at him.
    His voice is more measured but equally as angry as mine. “That was me saving your ass. By the way, I’m not the hero type. I’ve dealt with enough shit in my life.”
    His words make my thoughts stumble slightly. He did save my ass, even if it was from me making too big a fool of myself. This strange urge rumbles through me, to ask him what he’s dealt with, why he’s so adamant not to be a savior; then I realize it’s not like I need that from him anyway.
    “And I don’t need a guy on a white horse to save me. I’m drunk. He grabbed