Chapter 11 · The Name on the Order

"Stop struggling, or I’ll carve the answer out of your throat."

Cael’s voice was a jagged blade against my ear. He had me pinned. Cold stone of the archive wall biting into my back, his forearm crushing my collarbone. The air between us tasted like ozone and old blood.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. The edge of his combat knife hummed against my skin, a fraction of a millimeter from drawing blood.

"Get off me!" I spat. I tried to knee him in the groin.

He didn't even flinch. He just shifted his weight, locking my legs against the granite. Total lockdown.

"Where is the ledger, Mara?" His eyes were dark, frantic. "The one Seline kept. The real execution list. Not the sanitized bullshit they feed the public."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I screamed. "I was a trainee! I didn't have access!"

Cael pressed the blade deeper. A tiny bead of warmth trickled down my neck.

"Liar. You’re a Vey. Your family practically built the Bell Grave. You know exactly which shelf holds the death warrants."

I glared at him, chest heaving. He was too close.