Chapter 7 · Before the Livestream

"You have three minutes before they cut the vault feed—and if you waste them, every copy of your mother's recording dies with you." Nia's voice crackled through the stolen earpiece.

"So stop glaring at Julian and move." I tightened my grip on Julian's hand. The blood mark between our palms pulsed hot enough to hurt.

"Tell me you can keep the system alive."

"I can keep it alive for three minutes," Nia said.

"After that, Celeste's people turn the whole temple into a dead zone." Julian pressed his good hand against the knife wound in his shoulder. Blood soaked through his shirt and ran down his arm. He still stood between me and the vault door.

"Then we use the three minutes."

"You don't get to give orders," I snapped.

"You got stabbed protecting me. That doesn't make you king." His eyes dropped to our joined hands. His fingers were cold. Mine were shaking.

"No. It makes me the only person here who knows how the Knox security grid works."

"Your family built this place."

"And your family died because of it." The words hit harder than they should have. I shoved him back against the stone wall.