Chapter 19 · The Core's Hunger

"Get away from it, Lorne!"

Cade’s voice was a muffled roar, like he was screaming from underwater. I didn't move. I couldn't. I was pinned against the Gate-Mind, my palms flat against a surface that didn't feel like metal. It felt like skin. Living, humming skin that vibrated at a frequency that made my teeth ache.

"It's calling me," I whispered. My own voice sounded thin. Alien.

"It’s not calling you, it’s eating you!"

Cade slammed into me. His shoulder hit mine hard, trying to wrench me backward. I fought him. Not because I wanted to stay, but because the pull was magnetic—a physical hook buried in the center of my chest, right where the black lock sat.

The Gate-Mind wasn't just a door. It was a consciousness, a web of every lock and key in Greyhaven. And right now, it wanted a heart. It wanted mine.

"Let go!" Cade roared. He dug his fingers into my jacket, pulling with enough force to rip the seams.

I twisted, swinging a wild elbow that caught him square in the jaw. He didn't flinch.