Chapter 10 · The Uninvited Guest

"Open the door, Viviane. Now."

The knock hit again. Hard. Not a request—a demand.

Viviane’s hand clamped around my wrist. Her fingers were ice.

"Don’t move," she breathed, her lips nearly touching my ear. "Don’t even breathe."

"Great plan," I whispered. "He’s literally standing on the porch."

Blood was still drying on the chapel floor where we’d dragged ourselves in. My blood. Her blood. It wasn't going away. That was the new rule Julian left us with: whatever we bleed, we keep.

"Viviane? I know you're in there." The voice outside was calm. Too calm. "Open it, or I open it for you."

She shoved me. Hard. Toward the confessional box in the corner.

"Get in," she hissed. "If he sees you, we reset. And I swear, if we reset with these wounds open, we won't make it to the stairs next time."

"Who is it?" I stumbled back, my side screaming.

"Commander Caelum. My commander."

Her commander. The guy who raised her, trained her, gave her the sword. The one man she trusted blindly.

Perfect.

I folded myself into the tiny wooden box. It stank of old incense and damp rot.