Chapter 11 · The Seal He Signed

“Don’t touch that page.”

Cade’s hand closed around my wrist before I could reach the projection.

The black ring burned between us. A thin red line crawled from its edge, climbed over my knuckles, and vanished beneath his glove. His grip was hard enough to hurt.

“Let go,” I said.

“Step away from the image.”

“You’re giving orders in a tunnel that’s trying to bury us.”

“I’m still giving them.”

Mira made a weak sound behind us. Cade’s head snapped toward her, but he didn’t release me. He kept his body between the girl and the glowing rail map, one hand on my wrist and the other near the execution blade at his hip.

That was the problem with Cade Rourke. Even half-poisoned by the black fire, he still looked ready to kill someone.

Maybe me.

The projection widened across the brick wall. Buried tracks turned silver. The line ran beneath Grayharbor, past the old railway stations, past the court district, and straight into the royal compound.

Then words appeared over the map.

AUTHORIZED ROUTE: COURT ARCHIVE TO CLOCK VAULT.

Cade went still.

I watched his thumb press against my pulse.

“Tell me you didn’t know about this,” I said.