Chapter 12 · The No-Trust Pact

"Take your hand off my neck, Jaxon, or I break it."

His fingers tightened just enough to make the threat real.

"You can try," he said.

My cheek was pressed against the cold metal floor. His knee pinned my hip, one wrist trapped above my head, the other locked behind my back. He had taken my blade before I even saw him move. That pissed me off more than the pain.

"You always this friendly with partners?"

"You're not my partner."

"Then stop calling this a rescue."

His breath touched the side of my face. Warm. Controlled. Not even a little winded after chasing me through three levels of a collapsing transit hub.

That calm made me want to put my teeth through his hand.

"I never called it a rescue," Jaxon said. "I called it a deal."

"You dragged me into a locked room, shoved a gun against my spine, and told me your security team would burn the building if I didn't link with you. That's not a deal."

"It's the part where you decide whether you live.