Chapter 16 · Calder stayed on one knee

She pulled hard.

His body rose. The bond burned through her shoulder. Calder hooked his boot against a jutting stone and rolled onto solid ground, taking Mara with him.

They landed together. His arm caught her under the shoulders. Her palm struck his chest, right over the violent beat of his heart.

For one second, neither of them moved.

His breath dragged across her hair. Her fingers curled in his coat. The heat of him pushed through the dust and cold stone, and the bond carried his relief into her like a stolen breath.

Mara hated how much she needed him alive.

She shoved away first. "Get up."

Calder stayed on one knee. "You could say thank you."

"Thank you for almost falling?"

"For giving you someone to save. You looked bored before."

"I was considering breaking the case without you."

"And now?"

"Now I'm considering breaking you instead."

"There she is."

The iron case clicked.

Both of them turned.

The lock had opened.

Inside lay a folded sheet of black vellum. It wasn't paper. Thin silver lines moved beneath its surface, shifting like veins under skin.