Chapter 8 · The Cage Under His Skin

"Lena, get your hand off my chest."

Cade caught her wrist before her fingers could break through the red light burning beneath his shirt.

His grip locked down. His thumb pressed against her pulse, counting it like he expected her to die before he did.

"Let go," Lena snapped.

"You're reaching into me."

"Technically, I'm reaching into the core."

"It's in my chest."

"And if you keep interrupting me, it'll be in the whole city."

That shut him up.

For half a second.

Then Cade shoved her against the cracked execution pillar. His body blocked the glowing seal beneath them. His breath brushed her cheek—hot, fast, and nowhere near as controlled as he wanted her to believe.

"Try that answer again," he said. "Slowly."

Lena's shoulders hit stone. The fourth-lock brand on her palm flared, and pain ripped up her arm.

"Something is trying to reset the city," she said. "The core inside you is the trigger."

His eyes went flat. "You said the archive was wrong."

"I said the file was incomplete."

"You said the lock wanted to lie."

"It did."

"You also said you wouldn't use me like a key."

"I'm not using you.