Chapter 7 · The Brass Oath - Chapter 7: The Sigil Takes a Memory

"Get your hands off me!" Mara shoved Cain’s chest, but it was like pushing against a brick wall.

He didn't budge. Instead, his fingers tightened on her shoulders, pinning her back against the damp stone of Inez’s workshop. The air smelled of ozone and old grease, and the sudden heat radiating from Mara’s chest was turning into a searing brand.

"Stay still," Cain snapped, his voice low and dangerous. "The sigil is spiking. If I don't stabilize the flow, you're going to black out."

"Stabilize it? You're the reason it's burning!" Mara gasped, her lungs fighting for air. She tried to twist away, but the bond between them—that invisible, cursed chain—jerked her back. A sharp, electric shock flared through her veins, and for a second, the world tilted.

Inez didn't even look up from her monitors. She just tapped a screen with a manicured nail. "He's right, honey. Your heart rate is climbing, and the sigil is eating. It doesn't care who's causing the fire, it just wants the fuel."

"What fuel?" Mara spat, her voice trembling.

"Your head," Inez said flatly. "Memories. The stuff that makes you *you*. And since you're bonded to Mr.