Chapter 16 · Forbidden Feast

"Swallow it, Jessa." Kane shoved the black shard against my teeth as the stone door behind us cracked again. "Now."

I bit down on his thumb instead.

He jerked back with a sharp curse. Blood beaded across his skin. He looked at it, then at me.

"Did you seriously just—"

"Try it again and I'll take the whole hand." My back hit the wall. The half-open exit glowed behind his shoulder, a thin gold slit in the stone. Beyond it, something heavy slammed against the door.

Kane stepped closer anyway.

He was pale from blood loss, one hand pressed to his side, but the bastard still moved like the room belonged to him. His coat brushed my knees. His warmth hit my face. The shard stayed trapped between his fingers, cold enough to sting my lips.

"You want to live?" he asked.

"I want you to stop making decisions with my mouth."

"Then make one yourself."

The door boomed.

Dust dropped from the ceiling and skittered across my boots. A deep voice growled from the other side.

"Kane Draker! Step away from the anomaly!"

Kane's jaw tightened.

I smiled without humor. "Your friends sound polite."

"They're not my friends."

"Funny.