Chapter 24 · The Archive Heist

"Step away from that door, Princess. You trip that ward, it fries your brain like an egg."

Kael's hand clamped down on my shoulder. Hard. Fingers digging in.

"Who's there?" Kael snapped. He shoved half his body in front of mine. "Show yourself."

The air stank of ozone and old dust. My pulse was trying to punch out of my throat.

A laugh crawled out of the dark. Slow. Amused.

"A friend of the family. Or — let's say — a big fan of the experiment. Sloane, right? Or should I use your real frequency? The one that doesn't belong here?"

Cold shot down my spine.

Kael went rigid. "What did you call her?"

"Ignore him," I whispered. I leaned in, chest brushing Kael's arm. Heat poured off him. I could feel his pulse hammering under his skin. My breath hit his ear. "He's noise. A ghost. We got nine minutes till shift change. You want the truth about your life or you wanna play hide-and-seek with a voice?"

Kael didn't move. His jaw was locked so tight I could see it jump.

"Sloane, get back," he ordered.

But he didn't pull me back.