Chapter 26 · Crimson Truths

"Do it," the voice hissed, a jagged needle sliding into the back of my brain. "Cut his throat, and you're finally free."

I pressed the blade harder. A thin line of red bloomed against Kael’s pale skin. He didn't flinch. He didn't even try to push me off. He just stared up at me with those cold, predatory eyes, watching the chaos wreck my face.

"Vesper," he whispered. His voice was a low vibration I could feel in my own chest. "Look at me. Not the voice. Me."

I snarled, my grip tightening on the hilt. My vision was swimming in neon static. The gene-mod serum was screaming in my veins, pushing me toward a kill-switch I couldn't control. "Shut up! Just shut the hell up!"

"Who are you talking to?" Kael asked. He shifted slightly, his shoulder brushing against mine. The contact felt like an electric shock, a sudden spike of warmth that cut through the feral cold of the frenzy. "Tell me who's in your head."

"Get out!" I screamed, and I didn't know if I was talking to him or the ghost in my skull. I yanked the knife back, not to kill, but to create space.