Chapter 60 · The Spouse-Killer Clause

"Don't touch the blade, Kane."

His fingers closed around the black metal anyway.

Blood ran between our hands. The contract core screamed under our feet, and the sound punched straight through my teeth. I shoved my palm against Kane's chest, trying to stop him from pulling the knife free.

"Let go," he said.

"No."

"Evelyn."

"You already tried dying for this city. Pick a new hobby."

His mouth tightened. Even with a blade buried in his chest, he still looked annoyed that I was arguing.

The knife had gone deep. Every beat of his heart shoved heat through the wound and into my palm. His pulse slammed against me—fast, uneven.

Still there.

"The clause is wrong," I said. "We break it before Oscar finishes whatever the hell he started."

"You saw the line."

"I saw enough. The spouse who survives has to kill the other one. That's not a clause. That's a murder order."

"It's a seal."

"Don't make it sound respectable."

Kane's eyes dropped to my mouth.

Only for half a second. Long enough for his ragged breath to brush my cheek.