Chapter 19 · Forbidden Afterglow

"Get back! Just—stay the hell away from me!"

I screamed it, but my voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. The white light wasn't just brightness; it was a physical weight, crushing the air out of my lungs. Every nerve felt like it was being threaded with live electricity. The forbidden core in my chest wasn't humming anymore. It was shrieking.

Cain didn't listen. The idiot actually stepped forward, boots crunching on shattered glass. He looked like a ghost in the glare—pale, shoulder soaked in blood where that bullet had torn through.

"Lyra, look at me!" he roared.

"I can't!" I snapped. My hands shook too hard to even make a fist. "I'm going to level this entire block! Get out!"

He didn't move. He lunged.

Before I could blink, his hand clamped around my wrist. His other arm wrapped around my waist, hauling me hard against his chest. The impact knocked the wind out of me, but the moment our skin touched, the world shifted.

It wasn't a soft touch. It was a collision.

The soul-bind didn't just spark; it slammed into place like a locking gear.