Chapter 21 · The Beast Behind the Chains

"Get your hands off him!" My voice cracked as two guards twisted my arms behind my back.

Justin didn't even glance at me.

He stood over Kane, smiling while the Void-iron chains pulsed against Kane's wrists and throat. Each black link gave off a low, sick hum.

Kane's whole body jerked.

The guards forced me down harder. My knees hit the frozen dirt.

"Look at him, Sia," Justin said. "The great King of the North. On his knees."

"Go to hell."

Justin stepped closer to Kane. "Does he still look like a god to you?"

Kane's fingers dug into the ground. Dirt packed beneath his nails. He didn't beg. Didn't even groan.

He only hissed through his teeth as another pulse tore through him.

The pain hit me a second later.

White fire ripped across my chest. My lungs locked. I tasted blood.

Not mine.

The bond.

Our blood-contract screamed between us, carrying every jolt from the Void-iron straight into my bones. I felt the chains chewing through Kane's power. Felt that terrible emptiness spreading through him.

"Stop it," I gasped.

Justin's smile widened. "Stop what?"

"You know exactly what you're doing."

"Do I?" He crouched beside Kane.