Chapter 23 · The Order Is Still Running

“Which part first, Mara?” Cael’s voice was dead. “Your hands? Or should I just go straight for the throat?”

The blade didn't just touch my skin—it bit. A thin, hot line of blood bloomed against the steel. I couldn't breathe. The air in the corridor felt like wet concrete, heavy and suffocating.

Behind him, Seline Orr was smiling. Not a real smile. Just that polished, predatory look she wore when she owned the room.

“Be thorough, Commander Rook,” Seline purred. “The Order doesn't tolerate hesitation. You had your moment of weakness in the crypts. Now, prove you remember who you serve.”

I stared into Cael’s eyes. Nothing. No flicker of the man who’d pulled me from the collapsing tomb. No trace of the hand that had lingered on my waist minutes ago. Just a void.

“Cael, look at me,” I whispered. My voice cracked. “You know this is a lie. You know what she’s doing.”

“I know you're a traitor,” he snapped. He shoved the blade deeper, slamming my head back against the stone wall. The friction burned. “I know you're the reason the bells are screaming. I know you're the reason Ian is rotting in a hole.