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"Get the hell off me!"
Evelyn’s voice wasn't a scream; it was a command, sharp enough to cut glass. But she was currently pinned against a damp brick wall in the alley, and I was the one doing the pinning.
My chest was heaving. My vision was still swimming with red static from the Forbidden Card's activation, and the strange, burning tether—a literal cord of crimson light—was pulsing between my sternum and hers. Every time my heart hammered, hers jumped in perfect sync.
"You don't understand," I gritted out, my hand still locked on her shoulder. "We're linked. If I die, you go down with me. If you run, you're dragging my soul through the dirt."
She didn't look scared. She looked pissed. She tried to bring her knee up to my groin, but I shifted my weight, trapping her leg with mine. The friction of her silk dress against my rough jeans felt like a spark in a powder keg. I could smell her perfume—something expensive, like jasmine and cold rain—mixing with the stench of garbage and ozone in the air.
"I don't know who you are, you gutter-trash junkie," she spat, her eyes flashing a dangerous, icy blue. "But I don't do 'links.' Especially not with Discards who smell like a losing streak at a dive bar."
"A Discard, huh?" I let out a harsh, dry laugh. "Word travels fast. But this isn't a game. Look at the link, princess. Does that look like a gambling trick to you?"
She glanced down at the red glow connecting us. For a split second, her composure cracked. Her breath hitched, and I felt it in my own lungs—a sudden, sharp intake of air that wasn't mine. The tether tightened, pulling us inches closer. I could feel the heat radiating off her skin, the frantic rhythm of a heart that was no longer under her own control.
"What did you do?" she whispered, her voice losing its edge and gaining a tremor of genuine panic. "What is this?"
"I pulled a Forbidden Card," I said, my voice dropping. I leaned in, my lips almost touching her ear. I wanted her to feel the danger. "And now we share a heartbeat. You want to play the spoiled heiress? Fine. But right now, you're the only thing keeping me from fading into a ghost, and I'm the only thing keeping your heart beating."
She shoved at my chest, but it was like pushing a wall. "Let go of me. Now. I can pay you. Whatever you want. Just... break this thing."
"Can't," I said, stepping back just enough to let her breathe, though the link kept us within a three-foot radius. "It's a soul-bind. Not a contract. You can't buy your way out of a cosmic glitch."
Evelyn straightened her dress, though her fingers were shaking. She looked me up and down—the torn coat, the blood on my knuckles, the look of a man who had lost everything and was just starting to enjoy the view.
"You're Kane," she said suddenly. The realization hit her like a slap. "The soul-hunter. The one Marcus erased."
"So you've heard of me. Good. That means you know I don't give a damn about your money."
"I know you're a liability," she countered, her eyes narrowing. "And I know that if my father finds out I'm tethered to a dead man walking, he'll have us both dissected to see how the magic works. You're not a partner, you're a walking death sentence."
"Then we're a matched set," I said.
I reached out, grabbing her wrist. Not hard, but firm. She flinched, her pulse spiking under my thumb. The link flared bright red, responding to the contact. It wasn't just a connection; it was a feedback loop. The more tension between us, the stronger the bond felt.
"Listen, Evelyn," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "I don't care about your family drama. But I need my soul fragments back. And since you're the only person in this city with a key to the high-tier sectors and a death wish to match mine, you're going to help me."
"Help you?" She laughed, a cold, brittle sound. "I'd rather walk into a shredder."
"You'll do more than help. You're going to be my shield." I stepped back into her space, forcing her back against the wall. I could see her pupils dilate. She was terrified, but there was something else there—a spark of rebellion, a hunger for the very chaos I represented. "Because the people who did this to me? They're the same people who treat you like a chip in a poker game. We're both just tools to them, princess. The only difference is I've already been broken. You're still waiting for the hammer to fall."
She didn't pull away this time. She stared at me, her breath ghosting over my neck. "You think you're so smart, don't you? You think this bond makes us equals."
"Not equals," I whispered. "Partners in crime. Or victims of the same joke. Take your pick."
Before she could answer, the sound of a heavy engine echoed at the end of the alley. Black SUVs. High-end armor. The kind of cars that didn't belong in the slums unless they were hunting something.
Evelyn's face went pale. "My father's cleaners. They found me."
I looked at the mouth of the alley. Four men in tactical gear, faces obscured by matte-black visors, stepping out with suppressed rifles. They weren't here to negotiate. They were here to retrieve the asset and eliminate the trash.
I felt Evelyn's heart skip a beat. She gripped my arm, her nails digging into my skin. The bond flared, sending a jolt of adrenaline through both of us.
"They'll kill you," she whispered, her eyes wide. "And then they'll take me back to the tower. I can't... I can't go back there."
I leaned in, my shoulder brushing hers, our bodies aligned in a way that felt almost too intimate for two people who hated each other. I could feel the vibration of the approaching boots on the pavement.
"I've already been dead once," I said, a grim smile tugging at my lips. "I'm pretty good at it. But you? You're still breathing. And I'm not letting my only ticket out of this hole get snatched by a few suits in fancy cars."
I shifted my grip, my hand sliding down to lock around her waist, pulling her flush against me. The physical contact sent a shockwave through the link, the red light turning a violent, blinding crimson.
"Want to live?" I whispered, my voice barely audible over the clicking of rifle safeties. "Then follow me and don't let go."