Chapter 12 · The Heir Lives

"Get out of my head, Cain. Now."

I shoved both palms into his chest.

The bond threw me backward instead.

Cain caught my wrist before I hit the stone. Heat rushed through his hand and into my arm, burning straight beneath my ribs. Before I could twist free, he caught my other wrist and pinned both above my head.

"You invited me in."

"I invited you to help me control the beast. I didn't invite you to take over."

Silver flashed across his eyes.

The same silver that had lit up the altar walls.

"You lost control first," he said.

"And you enjoyed it."

His jaw locked.

That was answer enough.

The chamber shook. Dust spilled from the carved ceiling. Beyond the sealed stone doors, something scraped across the rock.

Slow.

Heavy.

Getting closer.

Cain turned toward the sound without releasing me.

"They followed us."

"Who?"

"Hunters."

"Silas's men?"

"Not all of them."

Another scrape dragged across the door.

His grip tightened.

The bond pulled me into his senses before I could fight it. I saw the forest outside the chamber through his eyes. Six men moved between the trees. One carried iron.