Chapter 6 · One Heart, Two Killers

"Move your hand or I’ll cut it off," Cassian’s voice echoed inside my skull, sharp and cold.

I didn’t move. I couldn't. I was pinned against the damp stone wall of the drainage tunnel, my lungs screaming for air that wasn't there. The water was rising, murky and freezing, already swirling around my waist. I tried to gasp, but the liquid filled my throat, tasting of salt and old rust.

*He’s doing this on purpose,* I thought, panic spiking. *He’s testing the bond.*

"You're suffocating, Sylvia," he drawled, his voice vibrating in my chest, not my ears. "Pretty pathetic for the empire's best surgeon. Just give me the kill switch. Give me control of the heart, and I’ll pull us out of this hole."

I clawed at the stone, my fingernails bleeding. I couldn't speak through the water, but I managed to glare at him—or rather, at the empty air where I knew his consciousness was anchored to my soul.

"Wrong answer," he whispered.

Suddenly, the pressure changed. I felt a violent surge of heat erupt from my sternum, a rhythmic thumping that wasn't mine. It was heavier, slower, and absolutely dominant.