Chapter 33 · Untitled Chapter

The words came out of my mouth but they weren't mine.

"Control transfer accepted."

My voice. Crowe's command.

I tried to move my jaw and nothing happened. Tried to lift my hand and my fingers stayed flat against the concrete. The pulse in my chest kept beating—steady, mechanical, not frantic like it should be—and every beat sent another wave of data through the network.

Through me.

Kade was on his knees two feet away. His chest glowed blue in sync with mine and his eyes were locked on my face. Not glowing. Just... looking at me like he could pull me back if he stared hard enough.

"Mara." His voice cracked. "Fight it."

I wanted to scream at him that I was trying. That every nerve in my body was trying to move and all I could do was feel the network spreading out from my ribs like roots into wet ground. Thousands of heartbeats. Tens of thousands. All of them connected to the thing Crowe had shoved into my chest.

Crowe stepped closer. He wasn't smiling anymore. He looked focused. Clinical.