Chapter 16 · Night of the Fracture

"You think I'm stupid, Nora?" Rain hit me so hard I couldn't see and I shoved her anyway, both hands on her chest.

She didn't move. Not an inch. Her back hit the balcony rail and she just looked at me.

"I saw the file," I said. "My sister's file. You rewrote it. You buried her."

"Sera, keep your voice down." Her fingers closed around my wrist. Cold rain, hot skin. Her grip was tight enough to bruise. "Someone will hear you."

"Let them hear me!" I yanked but she didn't let go. "You told me you didn't touch family records. You swore."

"I didn't swear. You assumed." Her voice was low, flat. That pissed me off more than if she'd yelled.

"Don't do that," I snapped. "Don't lawyer me. You lied to my face for weeks."

"I protected you." She stepped in, crowding me back against the wet stone wall. Her coat was soaked through, her hair stuck to her neck. "You want the truth? Your sister was flagged as a shadow carrier at fourteen. Do you know what Solis does to fourteen-year-old carriers?"

"Don't you dare use her as an excuse."

"It's not an excuse.