Chapter 24 · Every Contract Says Her Name

The ledger page crumbled in Evelyn's hand. Black ash, not paper. The kind that didn't come off when you brushed it.

She stared at the residue on her palm. Three nights. Kill the bride. Her name and Nolan's burned into the page like they'd been waiting for years.

"Move." Mara grabbed her shoulder and shoved her toward the door. "Guards heard that. We're out."

Evelyn didn't move. She looked at Nolan.

He was still kneeling inside the marriage circle, one hand pressed to his chest where the black fire had burrowed in. His face was gray. Sweat dripped off his jaw. But his eyes were open and he was looking right back at her.

"Can you walk?" she asked.

He didn't answer. Just pushed himself up, slow, like his legs weren't sure they'd hold. The fire-line under his skin pulsed once. He hissed through his teeth but stayed upright.

"Good enough." Evelyn turned to Callum.

The boy was slumped against the wall, head tilted back, eyes half-closed. Whoever was riding him had gone quiet. She couldn't tell if he was unconscious or just done talking.

Mara was already at the door, one hand on the frame, listening. "Two floors down.