Chapter 33 · The Burned Seal

"Get your hands off me, Ronan. I can walk."

His grip tightened around my wrist as the council guards dragged the iron barrier across the core chamber entrance.

"You can walk straight into a sealed gate," he snapped. "That isn't the same as knowing where you're going."

"I know exactly where I'm going. The seventh gate is waking up, and your council's about to lock me outside it."

The floor jumped beneath our boots.

A deep pulse slammed through the stone, hard enough to rattle my teeth. Red light flashed between the chamber doors. One guard stumbled back and nearly dropped his spear.

Ronan stepped in front of me.

Not beside me. In front.

His shoulders blocked the gate. His black coat brushed my knuckles. The bond under my skin pulled tight, hot and furious.

It still knew him.

It still leaned toward him, even after he'd rejected me in front of half the city.

"Move," I said.

"No."

"You rejected me once. You don't get to make a habit of deciding where I stand."

His jaw flexed. "If you cross that threshold without me, the gate can take your mind before it takes your blood.