Chapter 20 · The Bride's Blade

The thing behind the First Lock hit the door again.

Stone burst across the old vault floor. Jonah flinched where he was strapped into the rusted chair, both hands shaking over his tablet. The screen painted his face red.

“Thirty-eight seconds,” he said.

Carson was on one knee beside the broken circle, blood running from his side and soaking through his shirt. He looked up at me like he was trying to memorize my face before doing something stupid.

Which, yeah. Huge red flag.

“Don’t,” I said.

His jaw tightened. “Mia.”

“Whatever you’re about to say, don’t.”

Another impact slammed through the vault. The black metal door bowed inward. Three claw marks punched through it, long enough to gut a horse.

Gideon stumbled against the wall. His face had gone gray under the blood and dust. The symbols burned under his skin now, crawling up his throat like live wires.

“It needs Vale blood,” he said.

Carson gave a short laugh with no humor in it. “Good. It can have mine.”

“No.” I stepped between him and the shattered lock circle. “It already got yours.”

“That’s why it’s waking up.” Gideon pushed himself upright.