Chapter 8 · Blood-Coded Pact

"Move one inch and I open your throat." Lilith's voice brushed my ear while the knife pressed against my neck.

I froze halfway through turning toward her. Her other hand locked around my wrist, hard enough to grind my bones together. The safehouse door had sealed behind us, but the room didn't feel safe anymore.

It felt like a box someone had already nailed shut.

"You brought me into a trap," I said.

"I brought you into the only room in Zero City that still blocks a corporate scan."

"Then why are your hands shaking?"

Her grip tightened. The blade kissed my skin. A hot line opened beneath it.

"They're not."

"Your pulse says different."

She shoved me against the metal door. My shoulder hit first. Then the back of my skull. Her body came close enough that I felt the heat through both our jackets, but her eyes stayed cold.

That was Lilith. A perfect aim. A clean suit.