Chapter 6 · The Traitor's Mirror

"Get your hands off me, Nico! Just finish the damn scan!"

Mara shoved the mechanic back. Her shoulder slammed into a stack of rusted gears with a metallic clang.

Nico scrambled backward, clutching the decoder like a lifeline. "I'm trying! The pulse from the gate fried half my circuits. The brand is fighting the machine, Mara. It doesn't want to be read."

Cael was slumped against the workbench. Pale. Too pale. Every breath sounded like a struggle, his chest heaving in a jagged rhythm. He watched Mara with a gaze that was far too soft for a man who'd betrayed everything.

"You're shaking," Cael rasped. His voice was a dry whisper. "Still hate me enough to kill me? Or are you just scared the Crown is coming?"

Mara turned on him, boots clicking sharp on the concrete. She stepped into his space, chest nearly touching his. The smell hit her—metallic blood and the cold, biting scent of ozone.

"I'm scared of wasting another second tied to a liar," she hissed. "If this machine doesn't tell me why we're linked, I might just finish what the Crown started."

Cael didn't flinch. He leaned forward, closing the last inch.