Chapter 25 · The Fake Initiator

"Don't touch the console." Kade caught Evelyn's wrist before her fingers reached the cracked relay panel.

His grip was too tight. His skin was hot. Under his sleeve, the pulse in his arm kicked hard enough for her to feel it through both layers of fabric.

"Let go."

"The relay is reading your bond signature as an attack. You touch that panel, it locks your heart rate to mine."

"Already locked."

"Not this deep."

The lights above them snapped from blue to red.

A flat Crown voice filled the chamber. "Unauthorized neural core detected. Enforcer Mercer, surrender control of the relay. Civilian Sable, kneel and place both hands on the floor."

Kade turned his head toward the ceiling. His jaw tightened.

"You have thirty seconds," the voice continued. "Failure will trigger cardiac correction."

Evelyn yanked against his grip. "Cardiac correction? You left that part out."

"I didn't know."

"You always say that right before something tries to kill me."

His eyes cut back to hers. Pale, sharp, and already losing focus. "Then stop making me responsible for your bad decisions."

"You dragged me into this bond."

"You stole my core."

"You were going to kill me."

"I was following orders."