Chapter 17 · Echo Under the Heart

Sloane’s hand locked around my wrist before I could touch the second door.

“Don’t.”

Her fingers were cold from the iron rail, but her palm was warm against my skin. The resonance mark at the back of my neck tightened anyway, a hot line crawling under my collar.

I looked at the sealed brass door in front of us. A black gear had been stamped into its center. Two narrow slots sat above it, both dark.

“You dragged me under the city,” I said. “You said we were here to find my father’s trail.”

“We are.”

“Then move your hand.”

“No.”

I pulled once. She didn’t let go.

Sloane stepped closer, forcing my shoulder against the curved wall of the Heart chamber. Her coat brushed my chest. The sharp scent of oil clung to her gloves, mixed with the faint metallic smell of blood from the cut across her knuckles.

“You’re not opening that door,” she said.

“You recognize it.”

“I recognize the lock.”

“That isn’t an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting while the mark is burning.”

The pain sharpened. I sucked in a breath through my teeth and shoved my free hand between us.