Chapter 7 · Forbidden Resonance

"Let me in, Kael. Stop fighting it or we both burn alive in this skin."

Nyx’s voice wasn’t in my ears anymore. It was inside my marrow, a vibration that felt like liquid nitrogen pouring through my veins. I was slammed against the cold metal of the alley wall, my lungs screaming, my skin literally smoking where the fusion was failing.

"Get... out... of my head," I gasped, my fingers clawing at the brick.

"I can't!" she snapped, and suddenly my own hand flew up, gripping my throat. Not because I wanted it to, but because she was pulling the strings. "We’re out of time. Your core is melting. If you don't sync now, you're just a charred corpse in a designer alleyway."

I choked, staring at my own arm as if it belonged to a stranger. The power imbalance was sickening. She didn't just have the keys to my nervous system; she was the only one who knew how to stop the fire.

"Do it then," I managed to wheeze. "Just... fix it."

"Not that simple, sweetheart. You have to open the door.