Chapter 30 · The Lock He Left

"Step away from the gate, Nora." My father's voice hit harder than the blood seal had.

I froze with one hand still pressed to the cut in my palm. Elias caught my elbow before my knees gave out. His fingers were hot against my skin, but the pain running through our bond made every touch feel like a live wire.

"You know him?" I asked.

Elias didn't answer.

That was answer enough.

The man behind the gate wore a Council warden's coat, silver insignia and all. His hair had gone gray at the temples, but I knew the scar beside his left eyebrow. I knew the crooked set of his shoulders. I knew the voice that had told me, over and over, Never trust anyone who asks you to forget.

My father.

"Dad?"

His jaw tightened. "Don't call me that here."

Elias pulled me back. "Nora, don't cross the threshold."

I twisted toward him. "You recognized him the second you saw him."

"I recognized the trap."

"That's not what I asked."

The blood gate shuddered. Red lines crawled across the opening, searching for the mark burned into my palm. Behind my father, the magic grid stretched into darkness.