Chapter 55 · The Lower Gate

"Don't let go of me!" I locked both hands around Kane's wrist as the floor split beneath us.

The breach had already swallowed my boots. Black light crawled up my legs, cold enough to burn.

Kane slammed one hand against the cracked stone and hooked his other arm around my waist. His fingers dug into my ribs.

"I'm not letting go." His voice stayed flat. "Stop fighting the pull."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one being dragged into a hole."

"You are not going into that hole."

"Then pull harder!"

He did.

The copy of our marriage contract hung between us, silver edges peeling loose from the air. Kane had cut the binding cord, but the paper refused to fall.

Black ink crawled across the page. Every line we'd signed blurred, then rewrote itself.

The breach yanked me down another inch.

Kane's jaw tightened. "Evelyn. Look at me."

"I'm looking. You're still annoyingly handsome. Now do something useful."

His eyes flashed. "You think I enjoy watching you disappear?"

"I think you enjoy ordering me around."

"I enjoy keeping you alive."

"You signed a contract that made my life your problem. That's not the same thing."

"No.