Chapter 16 · The Pact Has Teeth

Jonah screamed once.

Then whatever had hold of him yanked.

His body hit the stone floor hard enough to crack his chin against it, but his right arm kept sliding toward the black moon gate like the thing on the other side had a rope tied around his bones.

“Jonah!”

I threw myself down and caught his free wrist with both hands.

Bad idea.

The second my palm hit the black mark on his skin, cold shot up my arm. Not normal cold. Grave cold. The kind that got under your nails and made your teeth hurt.

Jonah’s fingers locked around mine.

“Mia,” he gasped. “Don’t let it—”

The gate pulled again.

My shoulder slammed into the floor. Pain ripped through the moon-iron cut under my jacket, hot and sharp. I bit down so hard I tasted blood.

Across the courtroom, Carson had one knee on the ground with silver chain wrapped around his chest and throat. His eyes were wrong again. Too bright.