Chapter 10 · Prisoner's Bargain

"Get your hands off me before I rip them off," Sera spat, her voice raw.

Nora didn't flinch. Instead, she slammed Sera back against the cold stone wall of the holding cell, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Nora’s forearm pressed hard against Sera’s throat—not enough to choke her, but just enough to make sure she knew exactly who owned the air in the room.

"You’re in no position to make threats, Sera," Nora whispered, her face inches away. "Kaelen is five minutes away from walking through that door. Do you think he’s coming to offer you a drink? He wants to peel the truth out of you, layer by bloody layer."

Sera glared, her chest heaving. She could smell the faint, expensive scent of jasmine on Nora’s skin, a stark contrast to the metallic tang of the dungeon. "Then let him. At least he's honest about being a psychopath. You? You play the golden saint while you're choking me in the dark. It's pathetic."

Nora’s grip tightened. A flicker of something dark—not light, never light—shimmered in her eyes. "Pathetic? I’m the only thing keeping you alive.