Chapter 58 · It reads you as the owner

He looked at me. "It reads you as the owner."

My fingers tightened around the plate. "Owner of what?"

"The rift network."

The market shook again. A section of the ceiling folded inward. Sparks rained across the lower stalls.

Mira’s voice burst through the relay speaker. "Evelyn, if you can hear me, people are trapped on the east bridge! We have maybe two minutes!"

I slammed my palm onto the debt seal.

The first lock opened.

Pain snapped through my wrist. The display changed.

DEBTOR STATUS: ACTIVE.

Kade seized my hand. "Don’t."

"You said there’s no clean option."

"I said you might die."

"You keep repeating that like it’s going to make me care less."

"It should."

"You don’t get to decide what I risk."

"I get to decide when the risk is tied to my heart."

His words stopped me.

The bond pulsed between us, hot and uneven. His hand covered mine completely. The rough pad of his thumb pressed into my palm, right over the cut.

"Move," I said.

"No."

"Kade, people are trapped."

"I know."

"Then move."

He leaned down until his forehead nearly touched mine. "Tell me you want this because you choose it.