Cassian crouched down and carefully greeted each of the pets one by one. Natalie laughed. "You really treat them like people, don't you?" Cassian patted Lucky's head. "They understand everything we say." Then he looked up at her. "And they're all your partners." Natalie's lashes trembled. He was such a nice guy. If Cassian wasn't so intent on pushing for romance, they could've been great friends. But he kept trying to break past her safe walls, tried to breach inside, forcing her to stumble and run. Cassian noticed her drifting off and waved a hand in front of her face. "What are you thinking about?" She snapped back. "Nothing. Just wondering what you'll do if the rain keeps falling." He raised a brow. "Of course I'll stay here." Natalie raised her voice. "Are you out of your mind?" This acid rain is going to keep coming, off and on, for more than a month! How could we live under the same roof? A single man and a single woman! That's inappropriate! Back at the base, they hadn't crossed that invisible line. They lived upstairs and downstairs, so it hadn't mattered much. But now Cassian was charging right at her defenses. When Natalie exploded, Cassian quickly tried to calm her. "I won't bother you long. As soon as the rain stops, I'll leave."Natalie thought to herself. If only he knew! This rain could drag on forever. When she stayed quiet, he added, "What, you'd rather throw me out into the acid rain?" He looked so pitiful that she didn't know how to answer. Then an idea struck. "You could stay downstairs, in 1301." But then she frowned. "Wait. Maybe not." Brandon had lived there. He'd turned that place into a filthy mess, and worse, he'd eaten human flesh. The apartment was probably unlivable now. What about 1302, Owen's old place? No way. He murdered his wife there and later turned it into a brothel, with people visiting every day. The last thing she wanted was for Cassian to catch some filthy disease. 12th floor, maybe? No, that wouldn't work either. The two brothers she'd fought there had died after running home, and their bones were probably still lying around. Natalie's brows knit tighter. The more she thought about it, the more she realized this whole building was a crime scene. Not a single decent unit available for Mr. Big Shot to stay in. Frustrated, she snapped, "Why did you have to come today of all days?" Cassian smirked. His tone rose with a tease. "Yeah, what a coincidence." He studied her expression, ready to make his move. Cassian sat down on the couch like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Nattie, you saw what's happening outside. If the rain doesn't stop, I'll have no choice but to crash here on your couch."As he spoke, he pulled a pistol from the back of his waist and set it down. "This is the only weapon I have. I'll leave it with you. If I ever try anything against you, you can shoot me." He sounded honest and reasonable. Hard to argue with, really. Still, Natalie didn't like it. Letting someone stay in her home was a huge hassle. A night or two was one thing—but over a month? That was too much. She was still struggling with what to do when Lucky, who had been quiet all along, suddenly grew restless. The dog stood up, tilted her head, and barked sharply as if protesting. "Arf! Arf! Arf?!" Natalie couldn't understand her, but the look on Lucky's face was clear—she was questioning her, unhappy with her decision. Natalie almost choked on her own frustration. This dog is useless! Always taking the outsider's side. She snapped, "What are you barking for? Go sit in the corner!" Lucky's confidence deflated in an instant. She stuck her tongue out, looking embarrassed, and flopped down again. Then she quietly rested her head on Cassian's leg, letting out a low whine. Sorry, Hottie. I can't help you with this one. At that moment, Cash, who had been standing proudly on the coffee table, flapped his wings. The rooster hopped onto Natalie's shoulder and rubbed his head against her cheek. His glossy feathers brushed against her neck as his round eyes gleamed playfully at her. Hard tactics won't work on me, so this little guy tries with the soft tactic, huh?Natalie didn't budge. "Cut it off. That doesn't work on me." With a wave of her hand, she shooed him off. Cash was defeated in his first attempt to charm Natalie. He sulked back to the coffee table. Baron, watching both of them fail, straightened up with confidence. Guess it's my turn to save the day! But he had barely hopped before Natalie barked, "Get lost!" The rabbit froze mid-jump, veered off course, and landed right back where he started. Natalie's anger boiled over. These three little ones—raised by her, spoiled by her—all of them had turned on her, siding with Cassian. What had he done to win them over? Cassian couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her fuming. He stood up and tried to calm her. "Nattie ... " Before he could finish, she cut him off flatly. "No way. Absolutely not!" Cassian studied her for a long moment. Then he took a step closer, his voice low. "Nattie, are you afraid of me moving in?"