Chapter 17 · Steal the Starlight - Chapter 17: Shared Pain

"Don't move, Ellis." Wren's hand locked around my wrist before I could hit the floor. "If you pull away, I'll feel it twice."

"Then let go."

"Not happening."

My knees buckled anyway. Wren caught me against her chest, one arm clamped around my back while the other kept hold of my wrist. The cameras outside the bathroom were still live. I could hear the audience through the wall, their voices spilling from the studio speakers in bright, excited bursts.

They thought the fight was part of the show.

They thought the way I was shaking meant I was selling the hit.

I dug my fingers into Wren's jacket. "Smile."

Her jaw tightened. "I'm trying."

"Try harder. Your fans are watching."

A red light blinked above the bathroom mirror. One camera. Two tiny microphones. The Corp had turned our apartment into a set, then called it home.

Wren pulled me upright. Her face stayed perfect for the lens—chin lifted, lips curved, golden hair still pinned exactly where it belonged. Only her eyes gave her away. They were too wide. Too focused on me.

"You took a steel baton to the ribs," she whispered.

"It was aiming at your head.