Chapter 33 · Heart of the Break

Kai woke up choking on his own pulse.

Not blood. Not air. The mark. It was inside his throat now, wrapped around his windpipe like a fist made of wire and heat. He tried to suck in a breath and got half of one before his vision went white at the edges.

Hands on his shoulders. Vera's voice, sharp and close. "Don't move. Don't try to talk."

He wasn't planning on it. The subway platform was still under him, cold tile against his back, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like they had all the time in the world. His dad was a few feet away, on his knees, staring at Kai with a face that looked ten years older than it had inside the gate. Mossan was there too, crouched beside him with a bag open, pulling out vials that glowed the wrong color.

"His pulse is spiking." Mossan's hands hovered over Kai's chest, not touching. "It's not rejecting the core. It's absorbing it."

"That's not possible." Vera's grip tightened. Her fingers were shaking. Kai could feel it through his jacket. "He pushed it out. I saw him let go."

"He brought part of it back." Mossan's voice dropped.