Chapter 9 · The Bell Foundry

"Get away from that door!" Riven slammed his shoulder into it just as gray fingers punched through the cracked wood.

Mara jerked her knife free from his throat and spun. The clinic's front doors buckled. Outside, something screamed with a voice full of broken glass.

"You said the dead were trapped outside," she snapped.

"I said they were busy." Riven shoved the bolt into place. "That was before you opened the file."

The black mark around Mara's wrist tightened. Pain flashed up her arm, hot and sharp. Across the room, Riven grabbed his side at the exact same moment.

"You feel that?" she asked.

"I feel everything you feel." He looked over his shoulder. His eyes had gone almost silver. "Try not to make it worse."

"You used my blood without asking. Worse already happened."

Another body hit the door. Dust jumped from the ceiling.

Riven crossed the room fast and caught her wrist. His palm was warm despite the blood soaking through his shirt. The limiter between them gave a hard pulse.

"Move," he said.

Mara yanked against him. "Take your hand off me."

"Gladly. Step outside and see how long you last.