Chapter 32 · Crimson Resonance

"Get out of my head!"

I screamed, the sound tearing through my throat as I slammed my back against the cold metal bulkhead.

It wasn't a sound. Not really. It was a vibration—a jagged spike of agony that ripped through the star-core in my chest. Images flooded my brain. A white room. Restraints. My brother's face, twisted in a silent, eternal scream while needles of light drained the gold from his veins.

"Lyra! Look at me!"

Cain lunged. He grabbed my shoulders and pinned me hard against the wall. His grip was bruising, a grounding pressure that stopped me from sliding into the void. I could feel the heat of his palms through my thin jacket, the only real thing in a world dissolving into crimson static.

"I can't—it's too loud!" I gasped, fingers clawing at his forearms. "He's screaming, Cain. He's right here!"

"He's not here," Cain snapped. His face was inches from mine, eyes like flint. "You're overloading. Shut it down or your core fries your nervous system. You want to end up as a vegetable in a Council vat?"

"I don't care!" I spat, a sob racking my chest. "He's hurting!"

"He's a memory, Lyra!