Chapter 12 · The Foundry Names Her

"Get your hand off my throat." Mara drove her elbow into Riven Hale's ribs and felt the chain between their wrists snap tight.

He barely moved. His forearm stayed across her collarbone, pinning her against the iron support beam while black veins crawled up the side of his neck.

"Stop fighting me," he said.

"Stop trying to strangle me."

"I’m trying to keep you from touching the furnace valve."

Mara glanced past his shoulder. The brass wheel sat under her free hand. A red needle on the pressure gauge had climbed into the danger zone.

The foundry floor shook.

Somewhere below them, metal screamed.

Riven leaned closer. His breath brushed her cheek, hot and sharp with blood. "Turn that wheel left. Slowly."

"You could ask nicely."

"You want nice? The boiler blows, this whole block folds in on us."

"Then maybe let me go."

His gray eyes dropped to the knife at her hip. "You stabbed me twice today. I’m not making that mistake a third time."

"You survived both. Don’t get dramatic."

The chain between them pulsed once, black light running along the links. Pain bit into Mara’s wrist. She clenched her teeth.

Riven saw it.