Chapter 20 · The Void-Binders

"Keep moving, Sia, or I'll drag you by the ankle." Kane shoved me deeper into the Forbidden Woods.

My boots caught on a root. I stumbled, spun around, and nearly slammed into his chest.

"I heard it again," I snapped. "That scream. It sounded like me. How the hell is Justin doing that?"

Kane didn't slow down. He barely glanced back.

"He's carving a bridge through your mind. The scream is psychic residue."

"You could've led with that."

"You would've panicked."

"I am panicking!"

"Good. Panic keeps you alive."

He caught my arm before I tripped again and yanked me forward. His hand was hot through my sleeve. He let go a second later, but the heat stayed.

The deeper we went, the harder the air became to breathe. Every few steps, the earth gave a low shudder beneath my boots. Something ahead was pulling at me.

Not my body.

My bond.

"Stop." I dug my heels into the dirt.

Kane took two more steps before turning. "No."

"We're close to the ritual."

"I know."

"Then you know this is a trap."

"Of course it is.