Chapter 11 · The Next Order

"Give me the key, Mara. Now."

Dorian caught my wrist before I could shove the iron case behind my back. His glove pressed over my pulse as the armored train bucked beneath us.

I slammed into the steel wall. So did he.

I yanked free. "You want the key? Ask your wife nicely."

His jaw tightened. "Our marriage contract doesn't make this funny."

"No. It makes you legally responsible for keeping me alive." I shoved the case behind me. "Get your hand off me and start earning the title."

The train screamed around another bend. Chains snapped across the floor. Behind us, soldiers shouted as the rear cars slammed together.

Dorian braced one hand beside my head. He was close. Too close. His breath brushed my cheek, hot against the cold steel and the sharp bite of smoke in the air.

"We're three miles from the descent into Judgment City," he said. "The remote lock is sealing the line. If we don't reach the manual cab, this train hits the city gates at full speed."

"Then stop wasting time arguing with me."

"You cut the main power."

"Because your men were dragging me off this train.