Chapter 35 · Lies of the Creator

"Tell me again why I should trust a woman who built me like a fucking weapon," Kaelen spat, his voice raw. He had her pinned against the cold stone of the laboratory wall, one hand clamped firmly around her wrist, the other hovering inches from her throat.

Sloane didn't flinch. She looked up at him, her breath hitching as the heat from his body radiated through her thin tunic. "Because I'm the only one who knows how to keep you from falling apart," she countered, her voice steady despite the way her heart hammered against her ribs.

"Falling apart?" Kaelen laughed, a jagged, mirthless sound. He pressed closer, his chest crushing her breasts against the wall. The scent of ozone and old blood clung to him. "I'm not falling apart, Sloane. I'm waking up. And every time I do, I remember that you didn't want a partner. You wanted a tool. A dog that doesn't bark unless told."

Sloane tried to twist her wrist, but his grip only tightened. "That's not true.