Chapter 13 · The Verdict on Her Second Life

Kael wasn't breathing right.

Rin pressed two fingers under his jaw, counting the sluggish pulse. Too slow. The poison was spreading faster than she'd thought, creeping through his veins like black ink in water. His skin was cold under her hand, clammy in a way that made her stomach drop.

She dragged him into the shadow of a crumbling archway, out of the moonlight. The ledger burned against her ribs where she'd stuffed it under her tunic. The shard in her palm throbbed in sync with her heartbeat, hot enough to leave a mark.

One more reset and she'd lose him. Not just his body. The memory of why he mattered.

"Don't you dare," she muttered, shaking his shoulder. "Don't you dare make me choose."

Kael's eyes cracked open, unfocused. His lips moved but no sound came out. She leaned closer, close enough to feel the shallow rasp of his breath against her cheek.

"Mira," he whispered. Barely audible. "Take me to Mira."

"I know." Rin's throat tightened. "I'm getting you there. Just stay awake."

His hand found hers, fingers closing weak around her wrist. The touch sent a jolt through her, not from the shard this time. Just him.