Chapter 25 · The Blood Map

"Put the knife down, Mara." Calder's hand stayed pressed against the black door while the lock chewed through his blood.

The living seal had wrapped around his wrist like a strip of hot wire. Every time he tried to pull away, red lines crawled up his arm and tightened. His jaw locked. A drop of blood slid over his knuckles and vanished into the door.

Mara kept her blade under his chin. "You first."

"I'm the one being branded."

"You're also the one who brought us here."

"You followed me."

"You stole the map."

"You tried to arrest me."

"I still might."

Calder's mouth tilted, but his eyes stayed hard. "That would be a bad time to start caring about procedure."

The seal flared.

He sucked in a sharp breath. His shoulder slammed against the door, and the metal buckled under him. Mara felt the same burn flash across her palm. The bond between them pulled tight, invisible but vicious, yanking her one step closer.

Her knife pressed deeper against his throat.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

"Nothing. The lock recognized me."

"Locks don't recognize smugglers."

"This one does."

The door gave a deep, grinding shudder.