Chapter 18 · The Deep Lock

"Don't move." Mina slammed me back against the wall before I could stand. Her fingers dug into my shoulder, and something hot tore across my chest.

"Get off me."

"You're bleeding through the seal." She shoved one hand into her coat and pulled out a bone-white stylus. "The door activation triggered it. If I don't reopen the channels, you'll cook from the inside."

I twisted free long enough to catch her wrist. Her pulse jumped beneath my fingers. "The seal you put there? The one you forgot to mention?"

"The one keeping you alive." She didn't try to pull away. Her face was inches from mine, close enough for me to feel her breath against my cheek. "Let go, or we'll find out what happens when a rift gate opens inside a human body."

Heat poured through my chest. It climbed my throat in a wave and flashed behind my eyes. The lines beneath my skin burned bright enough to show through my shirt.

"How long?" I asked.

"How long what?"

"How long have I had this thing in me?"

Her jaw tightened. "Since the day I found you."

"You said you didn't know what I was.