Chapter 34 · And if you try to lock me out—

"Deal."

"And if you try to lock me out—"

"You'll break my nose?"

"I'll break more than that."

For half a second, Ronan's mouth almost curved.

"There she is."

I grabbed his coat and dragged him through the gap.

The door slammed shut behind us.

The core chamber hit me like a fist. Pressure crushed my lungs. Seven channels cut through the floor, each ringed with old silver marks. Six lay dead and dark.

The seventh pulsed beneath our boots.

Red light beat through the stone in time with my blood.

Ronan kept hold of my hand, but he didn't pull me forward.

He was really letting me choose.

That scared me worse than his orders ever had.

"The center," I said.

"You're sure?"

"No. But the gate's calling me, so unless you've learned how to argue with a door—"

"I've argued with worse."

"Good for you. Move."

We crossed the chamber.

With every step, the seventh channel brightened. The old silver marks lifted from the stone like thin strips of skin. One by one, they turned toward me.

Ronan's grip changed.

Not tighter. Careful.

"Mara, stop."

I took another step. "You said I choose.