Chapter 14 · Don't Bleed

"Hold her still," Elder Valerius commanded. His voice was like dry parchment rubbing together, cold and devoid of anything resembling mercy.

Two guards slammed Ella’s arms back against the stone altar. The cold granite bit into her shoulder blades, and the sudden jerk knocked the wind out of her. Above her, the silver needle of the blood-extraction device glinted under the harsh arcane lights. It wasn't just a needle—it was a sensor, designed to scream the moment it touched tainted or foreign essence.

*Don't let them take it,* Cain’s voice hissed in her mind, a low, vibrating growl that made her teeth ache. *If that needle hits your vein, they won't just see a disgraced heiress. They'll see me. And I don't play well with crowds, Ella.*

Ella glared up at Valerius. The old man looked down at her with a mixture of disgust and curiosity, as if she were a bug he was about to pin to a board.

"You're shaking, Ella," Valerius noted, a thin, cruel smile touching his lips. "Is it fear? Or is the guilt of your theft finally weighing on you?"

"I didn't steal anything," Ella spat, her voice raw.