Chapter 9 · No Safehouse for Us

"Get away from me before I cut this lock out of your chest." Ayla pressed the edge of her soul-blade against Kade Rook's ribs.

He didn't flinch. He stood between her and the dead train door, one hand braced against the metal, the other wrapped around the black glow under his shirt. The glow pulsed against his palm like a second heartbeat.

"You can't cut it out," he said.

"I can cut anything. That's literally how I pay rent."

"Not this."

The train shuddered behind them. Somewhere beyond the sealed platform, boots hit concrete. A voice barked an order through a loudspeaker.

"Ayla Vane! Step away from the fugitive! Your soul-mark has been registered as hostile. Resistance will trigger execution protocols."

Ayla kept the blade on Kade. "Hear that? They want you dead. Conveniently, they want me dead too. So congratulations. We're a couple now."

His eyes dropped to the blade, then dragged back to her face. Too close. His shoulder nearly touched hers. Heat slipped through the torn fabric of his coat, and the new lock between them pulled tight every time he breathed.

"Don't joke about it," he said.

"I'm not joking.