Chapter 26 · Blood Price

"Get the hell away from me, Kade!"

Rook’s voice cracked, but she still tried to shove me back. Her palm hit my chest, but she didn't have the leverage. I didn't budge. I couldn't. My muscles were locking up, twitching in a rhythm that wasn't mine. The glitch-chip in my neck was screaming, a high-frequency whine only I could hear, and it wanted something. It wanted her.

"You're shaking," I rasped. My voice sounded like I'd swallowed a handful of glass.

"I'm fine," she lied. She was pale, her breath coming in short, jagged hitches. She tried to step back, but her heel caught on a stray cable on Old Smokes' floor. She stumbled, and I caught her.

My grip was too tight. I knew it. My fingers dug into the leather of her jacket, pulling her flush against me. The second our skin touched—even through the gear—the chip surged. A bolt of white-hot electricity shot from my spine to my fingertips.

"Let go!" Rook hissed, struggling. She clawed at my wrists, her nails digging into my skin. "You're spiking. I can feel it. Your DNA is eating itself, you idiot."

"I can't...