Chapter 12 · The Debt Beneath His Heart

"Put the knife down, Soren."

The blade was already against my throat.

Not cutting. Not yet. Just close enough that the cold edge kissed the skin beneath my jaw. Soren stood behind me, one arm locked across my ribs, his chest hard against my back. His breath touched my ear in short, rough bursts.

Across the control room, the black-glass console flashed with red numbers.

00:08:41.

Nolan's countdown.

Veyra's voice spilled from the speakers. Smooth. Calm. Like she wasn't holding my brother's life over a drain.

"Mara, you have eight minutes. Place your counter-mark on the original contract, or Nolan's debt collects in full."

"Go to hell," I snapped.

Soren's arm tightened. "Don't provoke her."

"She's threatening my brother."

"She's waiting for you to panic."

"And you're holding a knife to me. How am I supposed to tell the difference?"

His mouth brushed my temple when he answered. "You don't have to. You only have to listen."

I twisted against him. The movement pressed my back harder into his chest. Heat pushed through his shirt. His grip didn't loosen.

That was the problem with Soren Kade. He could make protection feel exactly like a cage.

"Let me go," I said.