Chapter 24 · The Brass Oath - Chapter 24: Cracks in the Mind

“Mara, let go of me.” Cain’s hand locked around her wrist before she could drive the screwdriver into his throat.

She twisted hard. His grip didn’t move.

“Take your hand off.”

“You’re about to stab a wall.”

“I’m aiming at you.”

“Good. That means you still know who I am.”

The words hit harder than his fingers. Mara froze for half a second, screwdriver raised between them. Cain stood close enough that his coat brushed her knees. His other hand hovered near the brass sigil under her shirt, not touching it, but close enough for the mark to burn.

The tunnel shook.

Dust dropped from the ceiling. Somewhere behind them, gears screamed against metal. The emergency lamps flashed red, then white, then red again.

Cain pulled her backward just as a section of pipe burst overhead. Steam blasted across the passage. He turned his body into a shield, one arm around her shoulders, his chest pressed to her back.

Mara shoved at him. “Don’t play hero.”

“I’m not.”

“Then why are you holding me?”

“Because you tried to walk into a live pressure line.”

“I did not.”

“You were three steps from it.”

“I knew where I was going.