Chapter 12 · The Hollow Cure - Chapter 12: The Hollow Cure

"One of us doesn't walk out of here, Kael. Let's be real about that."

Lyra’s voice was a jagged edge, barely audible over the humming of the crystal spires around us. She didn't move, but I could see the tremor in her hand—the one not holding the shard of glass to my carotid artery.

I didn't flinch. I couldn't afford to. I just looked at the way the crystalline growth on her collarbone was pulsing, a sickly violet glow that signaled the parasite was winning.

"You're shaking," I said. "Hard to make a clean cut when you're vibrating like a tuning fork."

"Shut up," she snapped, pressing the glass harder. A thin line of red bloomed against my skin. "You've been playing me since the ruins. You didn't want to save me. You wanted the data in my blood. You wanted the map to the cure."

I leaned in, ignoring the sting. The distance between us vanished until I could smell the metallic tang of her blood and the sharp, sterile scent of the suppressants I’d been pumping into her. My breath brushed her cheek.

"I wanted both," I admitted. "But here's the problem, Lyra. The cure isn't a pill.