Chapter 39 · It’s open

They descended.

The stairs narrowed until Cael had to turn sideways to keep his shoulders from scraping the walls. Lia stayed in front of him, one hand trailing across the carved contracts. Every mark gave a tiny sting against her fingertips.

At the bottom, a circular vault waited behind a gate of black iron.

No guards stood there. No locks showed.

That made Lia’s stomach tighten.

"It’s open," Sable whispered.

"It shouldn’t be," Lia said.

Cael’s voice dropped. "Who got here first?"

A wet scrape came from inside the vault.

Sable raised her seal. "Not who. What."

The gate swung inward.

A swarm of silver threads burst through the opening. They snapped around Cael’s arms and throat before he could move. Lia grabbed his coat and was pulled forward with him, the bond yanking at her chest.

"Lia, get back!"

"I’m trying!"

Cael’s claws punched through his gloves.

They were long, dark, and sharp enough to cut the silver threads. He swung once. The air cracked. Three bindings fell apart.

The rest tightened.

His knees hit the stone.

"Don’t come near me," he growled.

Lia stepped over the broken threads. "You’re tied to the vault."

"I said stay back.