Chapter 25 · The Blood Key

"You have three minutes before the guns fire on the Assembly capital."

Cedric's hand closed around my injured wrist before I could reach the brass key.

Pain shot up my arm. I bit it back and looked over my shoulder. He stood close enough that his breath brushed my cheek, warm against the cold stone of the gun chamber.

"Then stop wasting my time," I said.

His grip tightened. "Step away from the lock."

"No."

Behind us, the fortress shook. Metal groaned somewhere below our feet. The main cannon was turning, one heavy click at a time, toward the distant white towers of the Assembly capital.

The key hung from Cedric's belt.

Small. Black iron. Cut with the old Morrow mark.

My family's mark.

He noticed where I was looking. Of course he did. Cedric noticed everything when it involved me.

"You're not touching that key," he said.

"You don't know what it opens."

"I know it isn't yours."

"Funny." I twisted against his grip. "Your fortress disagrees."

His jaw hardened. "Evelyn."

He only used my name like that when he was close to losing control. Not angry. Worse.