Chapter 21 · Blood Debt Goes Public

"Everyone out."

Kael's voice cuts through the chaos in the penthouse. Milo's still at the laptop, fingers flying. Three hunters are dead in the hall. The rest are regrouping.

"Not happening," I say.

He doesn't look at me. He's loading a second gun, movements efficient, cold. "You have fifteen seconds before they breach the stairwell."

"Then we go together."

"No." He racks the slide. "You take Milo. I stay. Draw them here."

I cross the room in three steps and grab his collar. "You think I'm letting you play decoy?"

His eyes snap to mine. Dark. Furious. "You think I'm asking?"

"Yeah, I do." I don't let go. "And I'm saying no."

Milo's voice cracks from the desk. "Uh, guys? We have a problem."

Kael shoves my hand off, but I see it—the flicker in his jaw, the way his breath catches. The curse mark on his neck is crawling again, black veins spreading down toward his collarbone.

"How bad?" Kael asks.

Milo spins the laptop around. The screen's full of hunter phones, all lighting up at once. Messages flooding in.

"They just updated the bounty," Milo says. "Nora's at two million now. Alive.