Chapter 34 · The Dead Man's Play

"Drop the card, Kane. Or I'll make sure your soul doesn't just fragment—it vanishes."

Marcus didn't even look at me. He was staring at the holographic display of the House’s cheat codes, his fingers dancing over the interface like a pianist playing a requiem. The air in the vault hummed with a sickening, high-frequency vibration that made my teeth ache.

I didn't drop the card. I gripped it harder, the edges of the Forbidden Card slicing into my palm. Blood leaked between my fingers, hot and metallic.

"You're bluffing," I spat. My voice sounded like I'd been swallowing glass. "You need this fragment as much as I do."

Marcus finally looked at me. His eyes weren't human anymore—just swirling voids of stolen power. He stepped closer, his polished boots clicking on the obsidian floor. He stopped inches from my face, the scent of expensive cologne and ozone filling the gap between us.

"Need?" He chuckled, a dry, rattling sound. "I don't need it, Kane. I want it. There's a difference. You're fighting for a life you already lost. I'm just cleaning up the trash."

Evelyn shifted behind me. I could feel her breathing, shallow and jagged.