Chapter 29 · Voice from the Void

"Don't touch that door." Cael caught my wrist before my fingers reached the control panel.

His grip locked around me. Not painful yet. Close.

I twisted hard. "Let go. That's my mother calling."

"That's not a call. It's a breach signal."

"You don't know that."

"I know the system doesn't route private calls through a dead-zone relay." He pulled me back against his chest and kept my wrist pinned between us. His coat brushed my shoulder. His breath hit the side of my face, warm and steady while mine came out sharp. "Step away from the door, Lex."

"You step away from me."

"Not happening."

The control panel flashed again.

INCOMING VOICE CHANNEL: UNKNOWN SOURCE.

Under it, one line kept stuttering in and out.

LEX QUINN.

My pulse jumped.

"See?" I shoved my elbow back. "It has my name."

Cael caught the strike with his free hand. His fingers closed over my elbow, stopping me like I weighed nothing. "That is exactly why you don't answer."

"If she knows my name, she knows where I am."

"Or something wearing her voice does."

That landed harder than his grip.

I stopped fighting for half a second.

Cael felt it.