Chapter 34 · Bloodline Price Tag

"Get the hell away from me, Elara!"

Kane didn't sound human. It was a guttural snarl that rattled the bones in my chest. He slammed his back against the stone wall, claws digging deep furrows into the rock. Blood leaked from his fingertips, thick and dark, staining the floor.

I didn't stop. I stepped closer, my breath coming in shallow, ragged hitches.

"I can help you. Just let me—"

"Help me?" He let out a jagged laugh. His eyes glowed a predatory, lethal red. "Look at you. You're shaking. You're dying. Every time you touch me, you're just feeding the beast. You aren't the cure, you little fool. You're the fuel."

I reached out. My fingers trembled. The air between us felt like static electricity, thick and heavy. Ozone and raw, metallic blood. I didn't care if I was the fuel. I just couldn't stand the way he looked at me—like he wanted to tear me apart and kiss me dead all at once.

"Then let it burn," I whispered.

I lunged. My palm hit his chest, right over his heart.

Lightning. A jolt of white-hot energy surged through the bond, slamming into my spine.