Chapter 28 · The Eclipse Starts Early

Silas is on his knees when I drag him through the factory door.

Blood's running from his mouth. The bond's screaming in my chest like someone's twisting a live wire through my ribs. Every step he takes, I feel it—glass in my lungs, fire down my spine.

"You need to stop," I say. My voice cracks. "You're going to die before we even—"

"Not yet." He spits blood onto the concrete. "Contract's still got two days."

"Contract doesn't mean shit if you're dead."

He laughs. It sounds like choking. "Then we're both screwed."

I hate that he's right.

Grayson's factory is behind us now, but I can still smell it—metal and burnt copper and something chemical that stuck to the back of my throat. I can still see the rows of weapons lined up like they were waiting for graduation. All of them humming with my family's blood.

Silas stumbles. I catch him before he goes down, and the bond flares so hard I taste iron.

"How much did he pay them?" I ask.

Silas doesn't answer right away. He's breathing too hard. When he finally speaks, his voice is flat. "Enough to fund a coup."

"Against you.