Chapter 20 · Memory Fuel

"Don't you dare let go!"

Mara's scream ripped through the white noise just as the floor vanished.

Rowan felt her fingers dig into his forearm, a vice grip that nearly snapped bone. They weren't falling. They were being dragged. The white light didn't just blind—it scrubbed. It felt like it was peeling the skin off his ribs.

*Slam.*

They hit a cold, metallic floor so hard the air left Rowan's lungs in a pathetic wheeze. He gasped, coughing up a taste of copper. He tried to roll, but a heavy boot slammed into his chest, pinning him flat.

"Who the hell are you to this place?"

Mara was over him in a heartbeat. Her blade pressed deep into the soft skin under his jaw. Her eyes were wild, flicking between the black obsidian cylinder in his hand and the holographic screens screaming around them.

Rowan choked out a laugh. It sounded like a sob. "I... I don't know. The door just opened for me."

"Liar."

She pressed harder. A single drop of blood slid down his neck. "The Purge Protocol doesn't trigger for guests, Rowan. It triggers for intruders. Or owners who forgot their own damn names."

He looked around.