Chapter 20 · he breathed

He kissed me back.

Not gently. Not for the cameras.

His mouth moved against mine with all the anger he'd been choking down since the day he ruined my license. His thumb dug into my side. My fingers twisted into his coat and dragged him closer while the Tribunal guards crashed into the edge of the platform.

The marriage mark flared.

Pain shot from my palm to my shoulder. The black shard split down the middle, and a sharp gold line raced across my skin.

Adrian broke the kiss first. His forehead pressed to mine.

"Mara," he breathed. "What did you do?"

I could barely breathe. "I made a point."

The mark on my wrist opened like a thin golden eye.

Our old contract had been a chain. This was different. Gold wrapped around both our wrists, crossed our palms, and burned a new symbol into the center of each hand.

The guards stopped moving.

Marlow rose from his bench. For the first time, his face changed.

"Separate them," he ordered.

The guard captain swung her baton toward Adrian.

He shoved me behind him, but the new mark snapped tight between us.