Chapter 31 · The Hound Awakes

"Don't move. If you twitch, you lose the finger."

Kael’s voice was a low grate against my ear, his breath hot and smelling of expensive espresso and something metallic. He had me pinned against the cold obsidian wall of the server room, his hand clamped around my wrist, forcing my arm flat. The jagged piece of shrapnel was still buried in my forearm, pulsing a rhythmic, angry red.

"I can handle a scratch, Kael," I spat, though my vision was blurring at the edges. "Get your hand off me before I bite it."

"You're shaking, Vesper. Your DNA is screaming for a fix, and you're trying to play tough." He didn't let go. Instead, he leaned closer, his chest pressing into my shoulder. I could feel the steady, arrogant thrum of his heart. He wasn't scared. He was fascinated. "Look at your eyes. The gold is bleeding through. You're not in control anymore."

I glared at him, my pupils blown wide. He was right. The gene-mod was spiking, a feral hunger clawing at the back of my skull. Every nerve ending felt like it was being rubbed with sandpaper. I didn't want his help, but the proximity—