Chapter 28 · Key to the Forbidden Gate

"Stay still, or I'll make sure you never walk again."

Silas's voice was a low vibration against my ear. His hand clamped like a vice around my wrist, pinning me hard against the cold stone of the archive wall. He was too close. I could feel the heat radiating through his black coat, a sharp contrast to the damp chill of the city's underbelly.

"You're awfully clingy for a man who's supposed to be hunting me," I spat. I tried to twist my arm. Nothing. He didn't just have me pinned; he had me locked.

"I'm not hunting you, Alice. I'm monitoring a disaster," he murmured. He shifted, his thigh pressing firmly against mine to kill any chance of a kick. The air between us felt thick, charged with that same dangerous electricity from the ballroom. But here in the dark, it wasn't a dance. It was a trap.

"Now, tell me why you're breaking into the High Inquisitor's private vault," he whispered. "Be honest, or I might actually start enjoying your screams."

I rolled my eyes, though my heart was hammering against my ribs. "I need the key. The one for the Forbidden Gate.