Chapter 26 · The Heir Price

The blade was still humming in Kai's hand when his father pulled back, palm bleeding dark across the stone floor. The cut wasn't deep but it was deliberate. His dad didn't flinch. Didn't explain. Just pressed his hand flat against Kai's chest like he was signing something Kai couldn't read.

Then the mark under Kai's ribs caught fire.

Not the usual burn. This was different. Sharper. Like someone had poured ink straight into his veins and set a match to it. Kai tried to shove his father's hand off but the old man's grip locked down, fingers digging into his collarbone. The mark twisted. Lines crawled out from the center, branching like roots or roads, spreading across his skin in paths he could feel but couldn't see.

"Dad—stop—"

His father's eyes were black. Not the pupil. The whole thing. Kai had seen gates do that to people before they got dragged through, but his dad was still standing, still breathing, still holding him down like this was the plan all along.

Vera lunged forward. "Get off him."

She didn't wait for an answer.