Chapter 20 · The Cost of Light

"Get her away from there! Now!"

Nora lunged. She didn't make it two steps before Elias slammed his arm across her chest, pinning her hard against the cold metal railing. The air left her lungs in a sharp wheeze, but he didn't budge. He held her tight, fingers digging into her jacket, his chest heaving against her back.

"Look at her, Nora! Look at her eyes!" he roared in her ear.

Nora stopped fighting. She trembled. Ten feet away, Mia stood perfectly still. Her little sister wasn't crying. She wasn't screaming. She was just... floating. An inch off the floor. Her brown eyes were gone, replaced by a blinding, electric blue that pulsed in time with the hum of the city core below.

"Mia!" Nora’s voice was a desperate whisper. "Mia, look at me!"

Mia’s head tilted. It wasn't human. It was mechanical. Precise. When she spoke, it wasn't her voice—it was a metallic chorus that vibrated inside Nora’s teeth.

"The Key has been accepted," the thing in Mia's body announced. "The protocol requires a host. The host requires a price."

"What price?" Elias demanded. His grip loosened just enough for Nora to twist around.