Chapter 20 · Bought a Whole Street

"You stupid, broke little bastard—you actually ate it!"

Varric’s howl hadn't even finished when the black smoke punched through my chest.

It wasn't smoke. It was cold wire. It ripped through my ribs, hooked behind my heart, and yanked.

I hit my knees. Hard. Teeth slammed together. Lungs locked.

"Silas!"

Kaela dropped with me. Her hands clamped onto my face, her forehead crashing into mine. "Silas, breathe! Breathe for me!"

"Get off him!" Joren shoved between us and Varric, his blade half-drawn and shaking. "Boss, you don't have to—"

"Oh, he did," Varric grinned, cradling his bleeding wrist like a trophy. "He bought the curse. The blood-lock. You feel it, boy? That little hook in your chest? That's Lila's leash. Ten years of a girl screaming in a debt cell. All yours now."

"Don't listen to him," Kaela hissed. Her hands were freezing. Her breath hit my mouth, fast and shallow. "You idiot. You absolute idiot. I told you not to—"

"Told me not to save you?" I choked out. My voice sounded like I'd swallowed glass. "Yeah. You were real convincing while you were grabbing my shirt like you wanted to crawl inside my jacket.