Chapter 6 · Black Blood, New Level

"Get your hand off me, Kael, or I swear I’ll break every finger."

I didn't just say it—I tried to wrench my wrist away. The black vein under his palm pulsed against my skin, a rhythmic, sickening throb. He didn't budge. If anything, his grip tightened.

"You can’t break anything while you’re bleeding on my boots," he said. His voice was low. Calm. That was the part that made me want to scream. "Stop touching the rift core."

Behind him, the thing wearing the dead hunter’s face dragged a hooked arm across the stone. *Screeech.* Its jaw unhinged, wider than any human mouth should, spilling thick, black blood between jagged teeth.

The rift core throbbed behind the monster—a red knot of light suspended in the air. Every pulse shoved raw power through my chest. My knees shook. Under my sleeve, the bond mark wasn't just burning; it was screaming.

"Let go," I snapped. "The exit is in there."

"The exit is a trap."

"You said that three traps ago."

"And you walked into all three."

"Still alive."

"Barely."

His thumb pressed hard into the inside of my wrist. Heat jumped from his skin into mine, a sudden electric spark.