Chapter 17 · The Hound Bites Back

"Stop lying to me, Sera! Just for one damn second, stop playing the victim!"

Kael’s voice cracked the silence of the cramped apartment like a gunshot. Before I could even blink, he lunged. His hand clamped around my wrist, twisting it behind my back, and slammed me hard against the peeling wallpaper. The impact knocked the breath out of me, leaving me gasping, my cheek pressed cold against the wall.

"Let go," I spat, though it sounded more like a wheeze. "You're shaking, Kael. Is the big, bad Holy Knight actually scared of a powerless girl?"

"Shut up!" he roared. He pressed his body flush against mine, pinning me so tight I could feel the frantic thrum of his heart through his leather chest piece. It was beating too fast—not from anger, but from something that felt like panic.

"I saw the report. I saw what you did to the priests in the Lower Ward. You didn't just fight them; you butchered them. Why is it that every time I think I can trust you, you remind me why the whole city wants you dead?"

I twisted my head, trying to catch his eye. He was close—dangerously close.