Chapter 11 · The Door Under Her Skin

"Get your damn hand off me or I'll break it."

Julian doesn't budge. His thumb digs deep into the scar on my forearm, and the skin starts to burn. Not a sting. A white-hot, searing heat crawling up toward my elbow.

"You think this is just a scar?" His voice is low. Too calm. "Evelyn, this is a door. And you just knocked."

"I didn't knock on anything!" I yank my arm, but he's got a grip like a vice. "Let go. Now!"

Movement. A blur. One second Carson is across the room, the next his hand is heavy on Julian's wrist. He doesn't grab—he just looms. A warning.

"She said let go," Carson says.

Julian releases me. Slow. Like he's doing us a favor. My skin is pulsing red, and the scar... it's not a scar anymore. It's a circle. A keyhole etched into my flesh that wasn't there five minutes ago.

Mara steps between us, hands up. "Okay, everyone calm down. Julian, back off. Evelyn, breathe."

"Breathe?" I let out a cracked laugh. "He just told me there's a door under my skin.