Chapter 41 · What did you see?

Then a blade of pain tore through the scene.

Evelyn gasped and held him tighter. "What did you see?"

Kade’s hands locked around her coat. "Not mine."

"It came from you."

"No. It came from the core."

"Same difference."

"It isn’t."

Another pulse hit.

This time Evelyn saw herself.

Not the woman she was now. A younger version of her stood in a crowded market, laughing with Mira beside a stack of illegal fuel canisters. Her foster father argued with a Crown officer. Her little brother hid beneath a counter, clutching a cracked toy drone.

Evelyn reached for the image.

It broke apart.

Kade pulled her against him. "Don’t chase it."

"That was my memory."

"The core is pulling memories through the bond. It’ll burn you out if you fight it."

"Then help me."

"I’m trying."

"No, you’re locking me out."

His head snapped toward her. "You want inside my head?"

"I want answers."

"You may not like what you find."

"I already know the worst version of you. Crown enforcer. Memory thief. Possible city killer. Surprise me."

The words hit him.