Chapter 31 · Mom Left One More Key

"You're out of your mind." Kael catches my wrist before I can reach the door. His grip's weak. The broken heir mark on his forearm is still bleeding through the bandage, slow and dark.

"Let go."

"Nora." He pulls me back half a step. "Selene just tore the mark off me in front of every hunter in the city. The gate collapsed. You think walking into her trap is going to get Milo out alive?"

"She has my brother."

"She has bait."

I yank my arm free. "Then what's your plan? Wait here while she carves him up for leverage?"

Kael doesn't answer right away. He's leaning against the edge of the table, breathing shallow. The curse that used to crawl up his neck is gone, but losing the mark didn't fix him. It just made him mortal.

"Your mother left you something," he says finally. "The lighter. The one you used to break my death mark."

"I know what my mother left me."

"Do you?" He straightens up, and I can see the effort it takes. "Because Selene's not asking for the lighter. She's asking for you. That means she doesn't have the other half."

"Other half of what?"