Chapter 20 · The Devil's Deal

"Take your hand off my throat, Kael." His fingers tightened instead.

My back hit the basement wall hard enough to rattle the pipes. Dust shook loose above us. His forearm pressed across my collarbones, pinning me in place while his other hand held a silver knife beside my ear.

"You used my power," he said.

His voice was low. Too calm. That was always worse than shouting with him.

I smiled through the pressure. "You invited it."

"I told you to stay behind me."

"And I told you your plan was stupid. We were both ignored."

The last of the cathedral guards had stopped moving upstairs. Their boots had gone silent. So had the screaming. All that remained was the hard drip of water through the ceiling and Kael's breathing against my cheek.

He smelled like wet leather, iron, and the sharp smoke from his burned warding charms. His body blocked the only stairway out. His knee pressed between mine, not enough to hurt, more than enough to make the point.

He had me trapped.

I hated that I noticed how warm he was.

"You reached into me," he said. "You pulled the curse through my blood.