Chapter 14 · Lethal Sync

"Don't you dare let go!"

Viviane's nails dug into my wrist, hard enough to hit bone. I didn't even flinch. I couldn't. I was too busy staring at the thing crawling out of the wall.

It had my face. My dead face. Stitched together wrong.

"Silas! Left!" she screamed.

I swung, but my other hand was locked with hers. I couldn't break the grip. The pact mark on my forearm was burning white-hot, and she was feeling it too. Same pain. Same pulse.

The stitched-version of me lunged. I hit it with a blast that should've turned it to ash. It barely flinched.

"It's not working!" I yelled. "My magic's not—"

"Because you're pulling alone, idiot!" Viviane yanked me sideways. Claws raked the air where my head had been a second ago. Her breath hit my cheek—fast, hot, panicked. "You have to pull with me!"

"I don't know how to pull with you!"

"Then learn!"

She slammed her back against mine. Her coat was torn, hair coming loose, smelling of blood and ozone. "Julian's using them to bleed us. If we don't sync, we reset!"

Julian laughed from the altar. Calm. Bored.