Chapter 17 · The Third Owner

"Take your hand off the seal, Eli." Sera's fingers closed around my wrist before I could touch the blackglass plate. "Now."

"You dragged me into a locked registry vault, chained our curse to the door, and you're worried about my hand?"

"I'm worried about what the registry does to thieves."

"Good. Then you finally understand my concern."

Her grip tightened. Heat ran from her palm into my skin, sharp and familiar. The curse under my ribs answered with a black pulse. The vault lights snapped from white to red.

Behind us, the iron door slammed shut.

Marlow swore. "That wasn't part of the plan."

Sera shoved me against the nearest pillar. My shoulder hit hard enough to rattle my teeth. She planted one hand beside my head and kept the other locked around my wrist.

"What did you touch?" she demanded.

"Nothing."

"Try again."

"Your charming attitude?"

The tip of her dagger pressed beneath my jaw. Not deep. Just enough to remind me she could make it deep.

Her breath brushed my cheek. Cold metal touched my throat. The red light caught in her eyes, turning them bright and dangerous.

"You have three seconds," she said.

"For what? A confession?