Never mind taken out a warrant.

That’s the dumbest fucking system I’ve ever heard of. Leave it to the barbarians to come up with it.

He could always count on Nero to be succinct . . .

And bitter.

“Not according to the warrant I signed. Your family wants you back.” Jayne glanced around the street before she turned the transport off the main road. “Look, let me take you to my sister and we can sort this out.”

Hadrian reached for the handle.

“You won’t get far out there on your own.”

That was what she thought. “You’d be amazed at what I can do.”

She let out a short laugh. “I’m sure you’re right. Trisani are known for being amazing.” Smiling, she swept a glance over him that affected him in a way it shouldn’t. Not to mention the damn inconvenient timing of his body craving a woman that had been sent after him. He had to pull his thoughts back before they got him into some serious trouble.

“Name’s Jayne . . . Erixour. We both know you can melt my brain so why not stay here for a few and let’s find out what’s going on, okay?”

As bad as he hated to admit it, she was right. He could kill her with nothing more than a sneeze.

Granted using his powers for something like that would take him down a day, maybe two, but she didn’t know that. No one knew how much using their powers cost them. It wasn’t exactly something they bragged about.

Or broadcast as it was a weakness they guarded with their lives. And no two Trisani were ever affected the same way.

Some weren’t affected at all.

Right now, his head was killing him from that damn drone, grabbing the blaster, and doing those dishes.

If he’d had any idea he was going to be attacked, he’d have never used his powers so carelessly for a menial chore.

In all honesty, he needed a nap to recover.

Damn Nero for being right. It’d been stupid to use his powers for something so trivial. Served him right.

But this was life and death.

Depending on what he had to do to survive, he could easily go down and be at their mercy. And the saddest part? He wouldn’t know what pushed him over the edge. Sometimes he could use his powers and it would cost him nothing.

Other times . . .

He could do something simple and pass out. Nero claimed it was because he was young.

Hadrian didn’t know the truth. He only knew the reality that seriously sucked.

Debating what to do, he studied Jayne. Physically, she appeared around his age.

But there was an air to her that said she’d lived beyond her years. A hardness that came from experiences someone their age shouldn’t have.

It was why he hated to look in a mirror. All he saw was an old man who’d been kicked since the day his brother had saved his life when Hadrian was toddler.