Chapter 10 · The Price of a Heartbeat

"Get your hand off me, Vane. I can handle it."

Nora jerked her arm back. Bad move. A jagged spike of white noise screamed through her skull, and her knees hit the metal floor with a hollow *clang*.

In her peripheral vision, the red countdown timer flickered: 5:42:11.

It wasn't a clock. It was a fuse. And it was wired directly into her brain.

Elias didn't let go. His fingers clamped around her wrist like a vice. He didn't even look at her; his eyes were locked on the diagnostic screen, his jaw tight enough to snap.

"You're shaking," he rumbled. The usual officer's authority was gone, replaced by something that sounded dangerously like worry. "Your pulse is spiking so hard I can feel it through your skin. You aren't handling shit."

"I'm fine," she snapped. Her breath came in shallow, ragged hitches.

She tried to push up, but the world tilted. The bond—that illegal, invisible leash—tugged violently. It wasn't just distance anymore. It was a signal. The Ghost hadn't just left a timer; he'd left a doorway.

Elias hauled her up, slamming her flush against his chest to steady her.

Heat. Sudden, overwhelming heat.