Chapter 30 · The Night They Erased

"Get away from me, Ayla." Kade slammed his palm against the metal door before she could touch him again. The lock-light under his skin flashed red. "You don't get to put your hand on me and call it control."

"Then stop trying to tear the safehouse apart."

"Maybe the safehouse shouldn't be holding me hostage."

The wall behind him shook. Dust dropped from the ceiling. A thin crack ran through the old brick, glowing with the same red pulse crawling across Kade's throat.

Ayla kept the small iron blade pointed at the floor. Her cut palm burned. Blood slid between her fingers and fell onto the black mark stamped across the center of the room.

The mark drank it.

Kade saw that. His eyes locked on her hand.

"You cut yourself again?" he demanded.

"You noticed? I thought your attention was busy breaking every wall in the district."

"Don't joke."

"I'm not joking. I'm buying us time."

He crossed the room in two strides. Ayla lifted the blade, but Kade caught her wrist before she could bring it up.