Chapter 10 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 10: The Blood Price

"Get that damn thing off the table before I crush it," Seth snarled, his hand clamping down on my wrist. His grip wasn't gentle. It was a warning.

I didn't pull away. I leaned in, my face inches from his, smelling the metallic tang of blood and burnt ozone clinging to his tactical gear. "The voice on the comms said my father is alive, Seth. Why are you so desperate to make me forget that?"

"Because the voice on the comms is a ghost in the machine, Kaelen. A lure." He shoved my arm back, his eyes flashing with a cold, jagged intensity. "You’re a project. A sequence of code wrapped in skin. Do you really think the corporate labs would leave a 'father' just lying around for a sentimental reunion?"

I felt the blood-contract thrumming in my veins, a low-frequency vibration that synced my heartbeat to his. It was sickening. It was intimate. I hated how my body betrayed me, leaning toward his heat even as my mind wanted to scream.

"Maybe I'm the only thing that's real here," I spat. I stepped closer, my chest nearly brushing his chest plate.