Chapter 29 · Alive Only

The bounty notification burns on my screen. Ten times standard rate. Alive only.

Grimm's staring at it too. His jaw's doing that thing where the muscle jumps. He's not looking at me anymore. Just the two words glowing under my name.

Alive only.

"They want you breathing." His voice comes out flat. "That's worse."

I pocket my phone. My hand's shaking but I don't let him see it. "You knew they'd do this."

"I knew you'd give them a reason to."

"Don't." I step back. The safe house kitchen feels smaller now. Everything does. "You don't get to make this about what I did. You lied. Mom lied. The whole clan—"

"Your mother died keeping you out of this." Grimm moves toward me. Not fast. Careful. Like I'm the one who might bolt. "And you just painted a target on yourself for every two-bit hunter with a grudge and a gun."

"Good." My throat's tight but I get it out. "Let them come. At least I know who wants me dead now."

"You don't know anything." He stops three feet away. Too close. Not close enough. "That bounty didn't come from Kash tracking. You see a clan stamp on it?"