Chapter 34 · The One-Hour Clock

"You have one hour before the bond finishes eating you alive." Silas's voice came through every speaker in the clock-out chamber. "Try not to waste it fighting each other."

I drove my elbow into Julian's ribs.

He caught my wrist before I could hit him again and twisted just hard enough to make my knees buckle. His other hand pressed against the console behind me. Metal dug into my spine. His face was inches from mine, his breath hot against my cheek, and blood ran from the cut above his eyebrow into one golden eye.

"Stop trying to break my arm," I snapped.

"Stop trying to get us killed."

"Those aren't the same thing."

"They are today."

The display above us flashed 59:41.

A red line crawled across the black glass. It matched the burning line under my skin, the one that ran from my wrist to my shoulder and disappeared beneath the collar of my jacket. Julian had the same mark. The soul-bind had started as a chain between us. Now it felt like a wire being pulled tighter around both our throats.

I shoved my free hand between us and caught the front of his uniform. "Move."

"No."