Chapter 21 · The Brass Oath - Chapter 21: Father's Ghost

"You knew this place was a trap." Mara drove her fist into Cain's jaw before he could reach for her.

His head snapped sideways. The brass oath under her ribs flared hot, and a matching line of light burned across his wrist.

Cain caught her arm on the second swing. His grip locked around her wrist, hard enough to stop the punch but not hard enough to break it.

"I knew it was abandoned," he said.

"That isn't what I said."

"Mara—"

"You brought me to the last place my father was seen, and you forgot to mention your mentor owned the locks?"

Cain shoved her hand against the wall. His shoulder blocked the narrow exit. His breath brushed her cheek, warm and sharp with metal dust. The oath pulled at both their pulses, forcing their bodies close whenever one of them tried to move too far away.

Mara hated that part most.

She hated that his heat reached her through two layers of clothing. Hated the way his thumb pressed against her pulse, counting it like he had the right.