Chapter 11 · Cornered Beast

"Don't even think about it," Sela snapped, her voice cutting through the roar of the rain like a blade.

Cain didn't think. He lunged. He didn't have the Heavenly Marrow anymore—that gift had been ripped out of him by the people he once called family—but the Devouring Bone inside him was screaming. It didn't want to run. It wanted to eat.

He dove for the alley exit, his boots skidding on wet cobblestones. He felt the air ripple behind him. A flash of silver, a gust of wind, and then a heavy thud. Sela’s boot connected with his ribs, sending him spinning into a stack of rusted crates. The wood splintered. He hit the ground hard, the taste of copper filling his mouth.

"You're fast for a piece of trash," Sela said, walking toward him with a slow, predatory grace. Her armor clinked softly. She didn't look tired. She didn't even look winded. "But let's be real. You're a rat in a maze, and I own the maze."

Cain coughed, spitting a glob of blood onto the pavement. He tried to push himself up, but his arms shook.