Chapter 27 · Twin Marked Reckoning

"Get your hands off him!" I drove my shoulder into the guard before his electrified chain could tighten around Ronin's throat.

The impact barely moved the bastard. He caught me by the collar and slammed me against the shuttle's torn inner wall. Metal punched between my shoulder blades. My teeth clicked together.

Across the cargo bay, Ronin hung three feet off the floor.

Two black chains had speared through his shoulders. Blue current crawled over his bare skin, turning every muscle rigid. Blood ran down his chest and dripped from his fingertips.

His eyes found mine.

"Vira," he rasped. "Don't."

"You always say that right before things get worse."

The guard holding me shoved his forearm under my jaw. His helmet blocked his face, but I could hear him breathing through the filter.

"Step away from the commander," he ordered. "Or I open his marks."

My hands closed around his wrist. "You mean you burn the marks. Say it right."

"You know what the chains do."

"I know what cowards do when they need hardware to win a fight."

His grip tightened.

Ronin's head snapped up. "Touch her again and I'll tear your spine out."

The guard laughed.