Chapter 52 · The Replacement Bride

"Put the blade down, Kane."

Both men turned toward me.

That was the problem.

The Kane on my left had blood running from his mouth. His coat hung open, one hand clamped over his ribs. The Kane on my right looked untouched—clean, calm, and completely wrong.

The breach had copied his face.

"Evelyn," the clean one said. His voice matched Kane's. The warmth didn't. "Come here."

Real Kane tightened his grip on the silver blade. "Don't listen to him."

"I wasn't planning to listen to either of you."

The floor split under my boots. Black light crawled through the crack, licking at the old contract marks carved into the stone.

The copy smiled. "You always did hate choosing."

"I hate men who give me two bad options and call it a choice."

Kane's eyes cut to me. Even pale and bleeding, he still looked like the man who could seal an entire city with one command.

"Get behind me."

"No."

"Evelyn."

"You want me behind you because you think you can kill him before he kills you. He wants me beside him because he thinks the contract will recognize the prettier face." I pointed between them.