Chapter 7 · Blood Resonance

"Stop struggling, or I'll carve that core right out of your throat."

Lyra froze. The blade was a cold, biting line against her skin, pressing just hard enough to draw a hot bead of blood. But it wasn't the steel that stopped her heart. It was the voice.

"Leo?" she gasped. "Is that really you?"

"Don't say my name like you know me." He didn't move. He was a shadow against the flickering emergency lights of the corridor, his grip on her shoulder like a vice. "You were always the weak one, Lyra. The battery. The little echo. Did you actually think I’d come back for you?"

Lyra tried to twist, but the blade nicked deeper. She winced. The air tasted of ozone and burnt wiring.

"What are you talking about? I thought—"

"You thought what? That we're a family?" He let out a sharp, jagged laugh. "I sold you the moment I found a better buyer. Now, where's the Enforcer? Where's Cain?"

"He's... he's hurt," she choked out.

Her eyes darted to Cain. He was a crumpled heap a few feet away, chest heaving in ragged bursts. The energy she’d unleashed to save him had left her drained.