Chapter 7 · Every Hunter Hears It

"Move!" Lena slams her palm into my chest and shoves me behind the gear-stack before I can even breathe.

"What the hell was that?" I choke out. "What did I just do?"

"You rang the dinner bell for every hunter in Cinder," she snaps. Her gun's already up. Her other hand is fisted in my jacket like I'm gonna bolt. "That oath? That light? That wasn't quiet. That was a flare."

The sigil on my forearm is still burning. Not hurting. Buzzing. Like it wants to talk.

And outside Bram's shop, the city answers.

Sirens. Not the normal soot-district wail. Guild horns. Low and long. Three blasts.

"That's a collar call," Lena says. Her voice drops. Cold. Flat. "That's for you."

"For me?" I grab her wrist. "You said it was just an oath! You said it would hide me!"

"I said it might!" She yanks her hand free. Her eyes flick to the window, to the alley, to the door. Calculating. Always calculating. "Milo, every tracker in the lower city just lit up. Every hound, every inspector, every debt-collector with a Guild scanner heard you make that promise.