Chapter 12 · You got hit

"You got hit."

"So did you. Keep moving."

They ran.

The tether punished every uneven step. If Raven lunged too far, Seraphina's legs buckled. If she stumbled, his nerves seized and his vision jumped. Their bodies had become one badly coordinated machine, every movement a negotiation neither of them wanted.

"Left!" she shouted.

"Your left or mine?"

"The one with fewer bolts!"

"Both sides have bolts!"

"Then pick a side!"

He hooked an arm around her waist and swung them behind a low stack of supply crates. A bolt smashed through the crate above her head.

She shoved his arm away. "Don't drag me."

"Then keep up."

"You pulled me into a wall."

"The wall didn't shoot at us."

"It still hurt."

"I felt it."

She froze for half a second.

Raven saw the change in her face. The anger stayed, but something else slipped beneath it. Surprise. Maybe guilt. Maybe the first crack in the hard certainty she carried like a shield.

He leaned closer. "Don't start feeling sorry for me."

"I wasn't."

"Good."

"I was wondering how much pain you can take before you become useless."

"There she is.