Chapter 33 · The Two Keys

"Take that damn thing off me."

The archive guard drove a silver pin through my coat and into the skin above my collarbone.

I slapped his wrist.

The pin stayed buried, humming against my mate mark. Heat tore down my arm. My teeth clenched hard enough to ache.

"Hold her still," another guard ordered.

His hand clamped around my elbow.

Dorian moved.

His shoulder slammed into the guard and sent him crashing into the stone wall. Before the man could recover, Dorian had one hand around his throat.

Not tight enough to crush.

Close enough to promise it.

"Touch her again," Dorian said, "and you'll spend the night explaining why you tried to force open a commander's mate bond without permission."

The guard's face drained. "She's carrying stolen council records."

"I'm carrying records your people tried to burn," I snapped. "There's a difference."

Dorian's fingers tightened.

His eyes stayed on me.

Dark. Furious. Too close.

"Mara. Back up."

"No."

His jaw locked. "That wasn't a request.