Chapter 13 · Behind the Blood Door

The blood door slammed shut behind us.

I didn't touch it. It moved on its own, sealing with a wet sound like flesh closing over a wound. The air pressure changed. My ears popped. Finn's breathing went ragged in the corner where Kane had propped him against the wall.

"Don't." Kane's hand closed around my wrist before I could reach for the door. "It won't open from this side. Not until it's ready."

I yanked my arm free. "My mother built this place. She wouldn't trap us."

"Your mother built a lot of things." His voice was flat. Dead. "Most of them had more than one purpose."

The mark on my palm burned. I pressed it against my jeans but the heat didn't fade. Kane had carved it there less than an hour ago. Heart-mark, he'd called it. His life tied to mine. If I died, he died first.

I still didn't know why he'd done it.

The room beyond the blood door wasn't what I expected. No weapons cache. No spell components or curse-breaking artifacts. Just a small space with concrete walls, a metal table, and a chair bolted to the floor.