Chapter 20 · No Clean Way Out

The spike's gone but the wound in Kade's shoulder is still leaking black.

Mira's palm is blistered where the core flame caught her skin. She's gripping the wall with her good hand, breathing hard, and the look she's giving him says she's about two seconds from deciding he's not worth the trouble.

"We need to move," she says. "Sella saw the core eat that thing. She's going to tell Drake."

Kade presses his hand over the wound. The heat coming off it makes his fingers twitch. "Yeah. I got that part."

"Then stop standing there like you're waiting for applause."

He almost laughs. Would've, if his shoulder didn't feel like someone was driving nails through the bone. "You ripped a soul-spike out of me. You want me to sprint?"

Mira moves closer. Her eyes flick to the wound, then back to his face. "Can you walk?"

"Can you stop asking stupid questions?"

She doesn't smile. Doesn't even blink. Just reaches out and grabs his wrist, pulling his hand away from the wound so she can see it.

The black veins are spreading. Slower than before, but still moving.

"That's not stopping," she says.

Kade pulls his arm back. "It will."