Chapter 10 · Price of the Pulse

"Stop shaking, or we both die," Kane snapped, his hand slamming against the cold brick of the alleyway to pin Evelyn against the wall.

Her breath came in jagged hitches, smelling of expensive perfume and raw panic. He could feel the vibration of her heart through the thin fabric of her dress—not just her heart, but his own, drumming in a sickening, synchronized rhythm. The Forbidden Card didn't just bind their lives; it turned their nervous systems into a shared circuit.

"I can't—I can't make it stop," Evelyn whispered, her eyes wide and shimmering. She tried to push him away, but her palms only slid against the damp leather of his jacket. "It's too loud. Your heart... why is it beating like that?"

"Because we're being hunted by people who eat souls for breakfast," Kane growled. He leaned in closer, his chest nearly brushing hers, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. "Now, listen. If you pass out, I lose half my strength. If I lose my strength, we're both corpses. You want to be a corpse in a designer dress?"

Evelyn stiffened, her chin tilting up despite the tremor in her limbs.