Chapter 17 · Kill Him Before Dawn

"Put the knife down, Vesper." Julian's voice shook once, then steadied. "Not because Silas told you to. Because you still have a choice."

My arm kept moving.

The black blade hovered inches from his chest. My fingers were locked around the handle, but they didn't feel like mine. A cold force crawled from my wrist to my shoulder, dragging my muscles forward one brutal inch at a time.

Julian stood against the cracked clinic wall with one hand pressed over his damaged core. Gold light leaked between his fingers, weak and uneven. He had spent the last of his power protecting me. Now he could barely keep himself upright.

And he still wasn't running.

"Stop looking at me like that," I snapped.

"Like what?"

"Like you trust me."

His eyes dropped to the blade, then lifted back to mine. They were too clear. Too calm. The golden boy never looked afraid in front of a crowd. Apparently, he didn't look afraid with a knife aimed at his heart either.

"I don't trust you," he said. "I trust the part of you that's fighting."

The unseen grip yanked my arm forward.

The tip touched his coat.

"Julian." My teeth clenched. "Move."