Chapter 27 · The Thirteenth Choice

"Don't touch the rope."

Ivy slapped Cade's hand away from the black cord.

"Pull that, and the whole city dies."

His fingers stopped an inch from the knot.

Behind the doorway, a girl smiled with Ivy's mouth.

"Then tell me what I should touch," Cade said.

His voice stayed calm. His boots were already planted between Ivy and the opening.

"That thing is wearing your face."

"I know."

"Do you? You keep staring at it like it's got all your answers."

The copy tilted her head.

The black bell rope slid through her hand without her fingers moving. Behind her, the first lock burned across the door in red lines.

IVY MORN.

The letters pulsed with Ivy's heartbeat.

"She isn't a copy," Ivy said. "Not exactly."

Cade glanced at her. "Great. That clears up nothing."

"She has my memories."

"So does the bell."

"No."

Ivy stepped toward the door.

Cade caught her wrist.

His palm was hot against her skin. The life-link between them snapped tight beneath her ribs, bright and painful. He'd already given her the last piece of himself he could spare—