Chapter 31 · The Second Gate

"Let go of me, Kade!" Evelyn's fingers slipped across the Rift, scraping sparks from the broken edge as the current dragged her toward the open gate.

Kade caught her wrist with one hand and locked his other around a rusted support beam. The metal groaned under the pull. His boots slid three inches across the platform.

"Stop fighting me," he snapped. "You'll fall through."

"My brother is in there!"

"And if you jump after him, you die before you reach him."

"Then find a better plan!"

The gate pulsed between them, a vertical tear full of white-blue static. On the far side, a figure slammed both palms against the invisible barrier.

Evelyn heard her brother shout her name.

The sound hit harder than the Rift's current.

"Nico!" She twisted toward him. "Nico, back away from the gate!"

His face appeared for half a second through the distortion. Blood streaked his temple. A black Crown restraint circled his throat, glowing every time his heart beat.

Kade's grip tightened around Evelyn's wrist. His thumb pressed against her pulse.

One beat.

Then his heart answered with the same rhythm.

The bond flashed under their skin.

Kade's jaw clenched. "He's wired to the gate."