Chapter 21 · Get on the Convoy!

"Get on the convoy!" Carson shouted.

He lifted one hand.

Black light burst from the lines in his throat and raced down his arm. The air cracked. The machine froze inches from his face, its metal limbs locked in mid-strike.

Carson's jaw clenched.

"Carson!"

"Ivy, move!"

The second machine slammed into him.

His back hit the railcar hard enough to dent the panel. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

I ran to him and ripped his shirt open.

"What the hell are you doing?" he rasped.

"Checking the damage."

"With both hands?"

"Your shirt was in the way. Stop complaining."

My palms pressed against his bare chest. Heat soaked through my fingers. Beneath his ribs, the heart-mark blazed like a coal trapped under his skin.

Black lines spread from it in branching scars. They pulsed with every beat of his heart.

Carson caught my wrist.

"Don't touch it."

"It's eating you."

"I noticed."

"How long has this been happening?"

His eyes cut toward the machines.

"Long enough."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one you're getting.