Chapter 11 · Forbidden Resonance

"Get the hell away from me!"

Cain’s voice cracked like a whip. He slammed his back against the safehouse wall, one hand clamped tight over the jagged wound in his side.

I didn't move. I couldn't. My fingers were shaking, stained with that thick, oily black fluid. It wasn't just the color—it was moving. The liquid pulsed against my skin, humming with a parasitic frequency that made the Star-Core in my chest vibrate in sympathy.

"What is that?" I whispered. I stepped forward, ignoring the venom in his eyes. "Cain, your blood... it's not human. What the hell are you?"

"I told you to back off!"

He lunged. His grip was a vice, bruising my wrist as he pinned me hard against the cold metal of the equipment table. He was breathing ragged, face pale, eyes blown wide with agony and sheer panic.

"You don't get to ask," he hissed, his face inches from mine. "You don't get to look. This isn't part of the contract."

"The contract didn't mention you being a monster!" I snapped. I tried to wrench my arm free, but I didn't pull away. I leaned in.