Chapter 20 · Crimson Baptism

"Stay behind me, Sloane. Unless you want a hole in your chest."

Kaelen didn't look back. He didn't have to. His voice was a low, vibrating hum that I could feel in the soles of my boots. He stepped out into the open, his shoulders blocking the only exit from the alley, his frame suddenly looking too large for the narrow space.

I gripped the edge of my cloak, my knuckles white. "I can handle a few Imperial scouts, Kaelen. I didn't build you just to be a human shield."

"You built me to survive," he countered, finally glancing over his shoulder. His eyes weren't the soft gold I'd seen in the lab. They were burning. "And right now, you're the only thing in this city worth surviving for."

Before I could snap back, the first wave hit. Not men—steel. A dozen jagged bolts of enchanted iron whistled through the air, glowing with a sickly violet light. Kaelen didn't even flinch. He moved in a blur, a sudden, violent pivot that sent a shockwave of air slamming into me. He caught the first bolt with his bare hand. The metal screeched, sparking against his palm, but he didn't bleed.