Chapter 9 · The Truth in the Bond

"Put him down, Tessa. Right now."

The warden's voice cracked through the stairwell speakers. Below us, rifles clicked into firing position.

Cael's hand locked around my wrist. His grip burned. His pulse jumped against my skin in ugly, uneven bursts.

"You heard her," he said. "Put me down."

"Shut up."

"That's not a plan."

"You don't get plans. You get dragged."

His knees buckled.

I hooked his arm over my shoulders before he hit the stairs. His full weight slammed into me. Metal buckles dug into my collarbone, and blood soaked through his shirt, hot against my ribs.

Three floors below, boots pounded upward.

"Tessa Rook!" the warden shouted. "The Shield Authority has cleared lethal force. Step away from the heir and surrender your hands!"

Cael laughed once. It came out thin and rough.

"See? They're asking nicely."

"They cleared lethal force."

"Wardens have a strange definition of nice."

I dragged him toward the service door at the end of the landing. The lockdown had sealed every public exit. Red bars crawled over the walls, scanning for heart signatures.

Every few seconds, the city shield groaned beneath our feet.

Cael's head dropped against my temple.