Chapter 31 · Those Aren't the Same Thing

"Those aren't the same thing to the woman trapped inside it."

Something rough crossed Kane's face. Gone before I could name it.

Then the door groaned.

The lock turned beneath both our hands.

Kane let go of me at once. Cold rushed over my wrist where his fingers had been.

"After you," he said.

I rubbed my wrist. "Scared?"

"Of the room? No."

"Of what you'll remember?"

His eyes cut to mine. "Keep walking."

"You could try saying please."

"You could try listening."

"I tried that. You kept ordering me around."

His jaw tightened, but he stepped through the doorway.

I followed.

The armory was packed with dead weapons. Spears with blackened tips. Axes split down the middle. Narrow blades sat behind glass, each tagged with a date and a name.

Most of the names had been scratched out.

Kane moved between the rows without touching anything. His back stayed straight, but his eyes kept snagging on small things—