Chapter 23 · The Broken Anchor

"Get your hands off the conduit, Lira. Now!" Jace's voice cracked like a whip, but he was already moving, his boots skidding on the damp metal floor of the Anchor chamber.

Lira didn't move. She couldn't. Her fingers were locked onto the obsidian casing of the Anchor, her knuckles white, her body trembling so hard her teeth were literally clicking. A sickly, violet haze was bleeding out of the machine, wrapping around her wrists like living shackles.

"I can... I can fix it!" she gasped, though her eyes were rolled back, showing only the whites.

"You're not fixing it, you're feeding it!" Jace lunged, grabbing her by the waist and wrenching her backward.

He slammed into her, the force of the impact sending them both sprawling against the cold stone wall. Lira let out a strangled scream, her back arching as a shockwave of dark energy pulsed from the Anchor, knocking the wind out of Jace's lungs.

He didn't let go. He pinned her against the wall, his chest heaving, his palms pressing into the rough stone on either side of her head. He could feel the heat radiating off her skin—