Chapter 15 · Where are we going?

He finally stepped back, the loss of his warmth leaving me feeling suddenly cold and exposed. I leaned against the wall, trying to stop my hands from shaking.

"Where are we going?" I asked, glancing toward the door.

"To someone who knows how to hide a Night Lord and a traitorous spellbreaker," Cael said, crossing the room to grab his cloak. "Toby Quill. He owes me a favor from the time I kept his head attached to his shoulders."

"Toby?" I frowned. "He's a black-market rat. He'll sell us both for a handful of silver."

"He'll sell us if he can," Cael agreed, glancing back at me. "But he's terrified of me. That's the only currency that actually works in the undercity."

I followed him toward the exit, my boots clicking softly on the floor. Every time I looked at him, I saw the man I was supposed to kill, the monster the Crown warned me about. And every time I felt the bond pulse, I remembered that he was the only thing keeping the black fire from consuming my heart.

We stepped out into the alley, the damp air hitting us like a slap.