Chapter 25 · The Kill Switch

"Don't move. Not a single muscle, Sloane."

Varis didn't scream it. He whispered it, his voice carrying that sickeningly smooth tone of a man who already owned the room. He was leaning against the heavy oak door of the laboratory, tossing a small, jagged piece of obsidian crystal in the air. The Key.

Sloane froze. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she didn't look at Varis. She looked at Kaelen.

Kaelen was standing between them, his chest heaving. His eyes, usually a deep, loyal gold, were flickering—pulsing with a violent, erratic violet light. He wasn't looking at Varis. He was looking at her. Or rather, he was looking through her, his fingers twitching at his sides.

"Kaelen, look at me," Sloane commanded, her voice trembling. "Stay with me. Ignore him."

Kaelen didn't blink. Suddenly, his arm blurred.

Before Sloane could even gasp, his hand clamped around her throat. He didn't squeeze—not yet—but the pressure was there, a warning. He slammed her back against the workbench, the edge of the wood digging into her spine.