Chapter 33 · Price of Forbidden Blood

"Move. Now!"

Silas didn't ask. He shoved me toward the door, his palm flat against my shoulder blade. The heat of his hand burned through the thin fabric of my dress, a sharp contrast to the freezing dread pooling in my gut.

"I can't see!" I snapped, stumbling as my heels caught on the plush carpet. "You know I'm blind right now, you idiot!"

Silas gripped my wrist. His fingers were iron bands. No apology, no gentleness—just a violent yank forward. He leaned in, his voice a low, dangerous rasp against my ear.

"Then feel the air. Follow my lead or get trampled. Caine is sixty seconds away from becoming something that doesn't have a name."

*CRITICAL ALERT: FORBIDDEN BLOOD MERGER AT 92%.*

The system screamed in my skull. It wasn't just a warning; it was a vibration, a rhythmic thumping that matched the frantic beat of my heart.

"How did he even get the catalyst?" I hissed, tripping again.

Silas caught me, slamming me back against the marble wall of the corridor. The impact knocked the wind out of me, but he didn't let go. He pinned me there, his body pressing mine firmly into the stone.