Chapter 25 · The Blood-Keyed Seal

"Move!" Lucas shoved me through the maintenance hatch as the corridor behind us blew apart.

Heat slapped my back. Metal screamed. I hit the shaft wall shoulder-first, and Lucas climbed in after me with one hand clamped over his ribs.

"You call that an exit?" I snapped.

"I call it the only one without Wardens waiting behind it. Keep crawling."

"You said the tunnel was clear."

"I said I had a route. I never said it would stay intact."

The hatch slammed shut beneath his boot. A second later, the blast door buckled inward, showering sparks across the narrow shaft.

Lucas grabbed the back of my coat and dragged me deeper before the smoke could choke us.

His palm struck my waist. Hard. Hot through the fabric.

I twisted and knocked his hand away. "Touch me again without warning, and I'll break the fingers you use to sign arrest orders."

"Good. Threaten me while you crawl. It means you're still breathing."

"Don't make this sound like a favor. You put me in this shaft."

"I kept you from getting shot in the head."

"You also blew up the exit."

"That wasn't me."

"Your family owns half the explosives in Rookhaven."