Chapter 26 · Blood Price

"Get your hands off me, Silas!"

Viviane shoved him. Hard. But he didn't budge. Instead, he drove them both back until they slammed into the stone wall. The impact cracked through the corridor, but neither flinched.

Not because they weren't hurt. Because the sensory sync had finally snapped into place.

Silas gasped, lungs burning. It wasn't his burn. It was hers. He could feel the jagged spike of her panic, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. And he knew—he just knew—she could feel him too. His desperation. His rage. The magnetic, terrifying pull he had toward her.

"I can't," Silas hissed, voice raw. He didn't let go of her waist. "I can feel you shaking, Viv. You're terrified. Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying!" she snapped. Her voice cracked. She tried to wrench away, but the bond flared, tightening like a physical wire connecting their spines.

Every time she breathed, he felt her chest expand. Every time he tightened his grip, she felt the heat of his palms through the thin fabric of her robes. It was too much. An invasion.

"Kaelen said one of us has to go," Silas muttered.