Chapter 23 · Before Number Seven

"You don't get to pull that shit twice."

Kael's hand closed around my wrist before I reached the door. His grip was warm, tight enough to stop me but not enough to hurt. I didn't turn around.

"Let go," I said.

"You just burned half your blood to wake her up. You're not walking into a combat zone."

I twisted my arm free and faced him. The command room was empty except for us. Mira was still down in medical, sedated after what I'd done to flush the poison. The file sat on the table between us like a loaded gun.

"There's smoke coming from the east wall," I said. "That's your men out there."

"I have captains for that."

"And I'm a medic. So either you let me do my job, or you explain to your captains why their soldiers bled out waiting for orders."

His jaw tightened. He was still in full armor, the kind he wore when he expected to kill someone today. The black plates caught the dim light from the single lantern on the table. I could see the edge of a bandage under his collar, the one I'd put there two loops ago.