Chapter 21 · Reset While Breathing

"Don't." Kael's hand closed around mine before the knife touched skin.

I looked up. His face was inches away, jaw tight, eyes locked on the blade I'd just pulled from my boot.

"Let go," I said.

"No."

"Kael, the rune needs blood. You know that."

"Not yours." His grip shifted, thumb pressing into my pulse point. "Not again."

I tried to twist free. He didn't budge.

"We don't have time for this," I said. "The third rune's failing. You saw it flicker."

"I saw you die twenty-three times." His voice dropped. "I'm not watching twenty-four."

Behind us, the Keep's east wall groaned. Stone cracked somewhere deep in the foundation. The rift was eating through the wards faster than Mira's team could patch them.

"Then what's your plan?" I said. "Wait until the whole place collapses?"

"My plan is you stay alive."

"Your plan sucks."

His mouth twitched. Not quite a smile. "Noted."

I shifted my weight, tested his hold. Still locked. "You're being an idiot."

"Probably."

"Definitely." I leaned in, close enough to feel the heat coming off him. "Let go, or I'll make you."

"Try."

I did.