Chapter 21 · A Signature Older Than Lia

"Lia—say the command now." Cael's fingers tightened around her throat. His voice shook, but his grip didn't. "I can't hold him much longer."

"You think I don't know that?" Lia clawed at his wrist. "Your hand is crushing my windpipe."

"Then stop fighting me."

"I'm fighting him, you idiot!"

His eyes flashed silver. The red crown on his wrist pulsed against her skin, hot enough to burn through both their sleeves. Rowan's voice slid through the cramped car, calm and polished and completely wrong for the situation.

"How touching," Rowan said. "She still insults you while you're killing her."

Cael's thumb shifted under Lia's jaw.

Her lungs hitched. The seat dug into her back. Sable swore from the driver's seat and jerked the wheel, sending the car hard against a concrete barrier. Cael's shoulder slammed into the window. His grip broke for half a second.

Lia drove her knee into his ribs.

He grunted and folded. She shoved him away, coughing as she crawled across the seat. Sable twisted around with one hand on the wheel and a pistol in the other.

"Do I shoot him?" Sable yelled.

"No!"

"That was fast.