Chapter 18 · Steal A Heartbeat

"Stop shaking, little surgeon. You're making me nauseous."

Cassian’s voice didn’t come from the air. It vibrated inside my own chest, a low, predatory hum that rattled my ribs. I was slumped against the cold stone wall of the alley, my hands still slick with the girl's blood. The fragment—the jagged piece of his soul I’d just ripped out of her—wasn't in my hand anymore. It was gone. Sunk deep into my own skin, leaving a searing trail of heat that felt like molten lead pouring through my veins.

"She's dead," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I killed her."

"Correction," Cassian purred, his presence expanding in my mind like ink in water. "You saved me. And in exchange, I've decided to move in. Get up. Now."

I tried to push myself up, but my muscles locked. A sudden, violent surge of power snapped through my spine, forcing me to stand straight. It wasn't my movement. It was his. He was piloting me like a puppet, his will overriding my nerves.

"Get out of my head!" I snapped, clutching my temples.

"Make me," he countered. I could feel his smirk—not on my lips, but in the way my muscles twitched.