Chapter 17 · Blood on the Medal

"Where did you get this?"

I didn't ask. I screamed. I slammed the tarnished piece of metal—my brother’s academy medal—right into Cain’s chest. "Where the hell did you get this, Cain?"

He didn't blink. He just stood there, smelling like ozone and burnt copper, staring at me with those dead eyes. The medal trembled in my grip. The gold plating was peeling, showing the scarred steel underneath. I knew every scratch on this thing. It was Jasper’s.

"Give it back," he grated. Low. Like gravel under a boot.

"No!" I stepped into his space, chest heaving. "You’ve been hunting me. Playing cat and mouse while you had his medal in your pocket? Who are you? What did you do to him?"

Cain moved. He didn't go for the medal—he went for my wrist.

His fingers clamped down. Not enough to bruise, but enough to tell me I wasn't going anywhere. He yanked me forward, slamming my back against the damp alley wall. The impact knocked the air out of me in a sharp wheeze.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he hissed.

His face was inches from mine.