Chapter 22 · The Woman Below

Marcus tried to take the locket from her hand. Evira closed her fist.

"Give it here," he said.

"No."

They were still in the archive room. The rift had closed, leaving nothing but a faint scorch mark on the floor where the blood had pooled. The black marks on Evira's wrist had crawled up past her elbow now, thin lines branching under her skin like roots looking for something to grab onto.

Marcus's jaw tightened. "You're not thinking straight."

"I'm thinking fine." She opened her hand just enough to see the coordinates again. The numbers were scratched deep, like Felix had used a nail or a piece of broken stone. Her chest hurt looking at it. "He gave me this. He knew I'd come."

"That's exactly why you can't go alone. Vivian wanted you to see him. She wanted you to find this." Marcus reached for her wrist, not the locket this time. His fingers brushed the black marks and she flinched. "This is spreading. You use your blood again before we figure out what the hell it's doing to you, and you might not come back."

Evira pulled her arm away. "Two hours.