Chapter 7 · The Ring

Milo screamed again under the street, and Nora lunged for the maintenance door before Caden could grab her.

The rusted handle burned her palm.

Not hot. Wrong-hot. Like the metal had been sitting in a furnace for ten years and was suddenly remembering it.

"Nora. Stop."

"Get your hand off me."

Caden caught her wrist anyway. His fingers closed around the restraint cuff linking them, and pain snapped up both their arms.

He hissed through his teeth.

Good.

She yanked once. Hard.

"My brother is down there."

"I know."

"Then open the damn door."

"That scream was bait."

"And you know that because you're an expert on using people as bait?"

His face went still.

Yeah. That one landed.

Blood ran from the cut at his temple, dark down the side of his jaw. His coat was half-burned at one shoulder. Under the ripped shirt at his side, the old scar near his ribs glowed faint orange, then faded.

He looked like hell.

Nora didn't care.

Not enough.

Behind them, the cracked pavement gave a tiny pop. Black smoke leaked from the sealed line in the road where they'd closed the breach.