Chapter 25 · Kane's Kill Order

Kane's eyes snapped open.

Not the slow blink of someone waking up. Not the confused flutter of someone coming back from the edge. His eyes opened like a switch had been flipped, and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Kill her."

I was still on my knees beside him. Blood all over my hands. His blood, Marcus's blood, I didn't even know anymore. The floor was a mess of it, sticky and dark, and Kane's shirt was shredded where the beasts had torn into him. But he was awake. He was breathing.

And he was staring straight at Nora.

"Kane—" I started.

"Kill her," he said again. His voice was flat. Cold. Like he was ordering coffee, not an execution. He tried to sit up, and I saw the curse marks flare under his skin. Black lines crawling up his neck, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. "She's the anchor. She's been feeding it the whole time."

Nora didn't move from the top of the stairs. She still had that syringe in her hand, the green liquid inside catching the dim light. Her face was calm. Too calm. Like she'd been expecting this.

"Kane, wait," I said.