Chapter 7 · The Blood Anchor

"Get your hand off me, Calder!"

I yanked my wrist, but he didn't budge. His grip was a vice, fingers digging deep into my skin. We were huddled in the shadow of the Gilded Vault’s entrance—a slab of obsidian and gold that looked more like a tomb than a bank.

"You're shaking," Calder snapped.

He didn't let go. He stepped closer, chest nearly brushing mine. I could smell ozone and cold rain clinging to his coat.

"And the ring is glowing. You feel it, don't you?"

I looked down. The black band wasn't just glowing; it was pulsing. A deep, rhythmic crimson that matched the thud of my heart.

"It's just the location," I whispered. "The bidder said this is where it happened. The twelfth time."

"Which is exactly why you're staying behind me."

He leaned in. His voice dropped to a low, dangerous vibration that sent a shiver straight down my spine. "If you trip a wire or catch a stray spell, I'm not spending another cycle digging your ghost out of the dirt."

"I can handle myself," I hissed, prying at his fingers. "I'm the one who knows the vents. You're just the muscle with a badge.