Chapter 23 · Aftertaste of Betrayal

"Stop fighting me, Kael. You're literally tearing your own veins apart," Nyx's voice snapped inside my skull, sharp and frantic.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. My chest felt like someone had poured molten lead into my lungs. Every time my heart beat, a spike of white-hot agony shot from the base of my neck down to my fingertips. I slammed my back against the cold concrete wall of the alley, sliding down until I hit the grit.

"I'm... fine," I wheezed, though the blood bubbling at the corner of my mouth said otherwise.

"You're a liar," she spat. I could feel her presence shifting, a cold current of energy swirling around my spine, trying to stabilize the chaos. "The core we stole isn't syncing. It's rejecting you. If you don't let me take full control of the neural pathways, your nervous system is going to fry like a cheap circuit board."

"Get out of my head," I groaned, clutching my chest.

"I can't get out! We're fused, remember?" Her voice dropped an octave, turning into a low, dangerous hiss. "You wanted the power. You wanted the revenge. Well, here's the price.