Chapter 15 · Her Debt Has Teeth

Ivy's standing in the middle of my food court with a piece of paper that's shaking in her hand.

Not from wind. There's no wind down here.

From her.

"Noah." Her voice comes out flat. Too flat. The kind of flat that means someone's holding something back hard enough to crack a rib. "We need to talk."

I'm in the wall closest to her. I can feel the temperature drop around her shoulders, the way her pulse is hammering through the floor where she's standing. She's not looking at the shops or the lights or Mallow, who's currently trying to climb into the pretzel warmer.

She's looking at the service door that leads down to my core.

"About what?" I keep my voice easy. Neutral. I've gotten better at sounding human through the speakers, but right now I'm working overtime to keep the static out.

She finally looks up. Her eyes are red.

"They sent me a rider clause. To my contract."

I don't know what that means, but I know it's bad. Ivy doesn't cry. I've seen her take a broken rib and wrap it herself with duct tape and a dish towel.