Chapter 4 · The Shield Room

"Tell me where you put the evidence."

Dorian caught my marked wrist before the guards could shove me toward the cuffs waiting on the table.

His fingers burned against my skin. Mine felt cold enough to crack.

I looked past his shoulder at the council members pretending they weren't listening.

"You rejected me in front of all of them," I said. "Now you want my help?"

His jaw locked. "You broke into a restricted archive. Three people are missing. The city shield is failing. Give me the black-box record, Mara."

"I had it when your guards dragged me in here."

"Then tell me who took it."

"Your council."

Three councilors shifted in their seats.

Dorian's grip tightened. The moon mark on my wrist flared white beneath his hand.

"Careful," he warned.

"You want careful? Fine." I jerked my chin toward the council table. "Your precious shield didn't fail on its own. Someone fed it a false disaster report, pulled power from the east wall, and erased the civilian evacuation logs. I had proof.