Chapter 16 · Echoes of Betrayal

“Tell me you’re lying,” Kael snarled, his hand tightening around my wrist so hard I could feel the bone straining. He slammed me back against the peeling wallpaper of the hallway, the impact knocking the wind out of my lungs. “Tell me you didn’t just hand a map to the Council’s most guarded vault to a freelance killer.”

I gasped, my chest heaving, but I didn’t flinch. I let my head thud against the wall and looked up at him with a smirk that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “I didn’t hand it to a killer, Kael. I handed it to someone who actually knows how to get things done. You’re too... *principled*.”

“Principled?” He leaned in, his face inches from mine. I could smell the metallic scent of his gear and the faint, sharp tang of adrenaline. His eyes were like flint, scouring my face for a lie. “You’re playing a game where the prize is a shallow grave, Sera. Do you think the person who took those shards is going to thank you? They’re coming for you next.”

“I know that,” I spat, trying to wrench my arm away. He didn’t budge. His grip was an iron cuff.