Chapter 35 · Unlocking the Forbidden

"Get out of my head." Zero drove her fist through Victor's face.

The punch landed. Victor did not move.

He only smiled.

"You don't get to give orders here," he said. "This is my system. My blood. My weapon."

Zero pulled her arm back, but the black floor clamped around her boots. Thin red lines crawled up her legs and locked around her knees.

Behind Victor, Kael was on one knee with both hands pressed to his temples. Blood ran from his nose. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped near his ear.

"Kael!" Zero shouted.

His head snapped up. "Don't listen to him."

"I wasn't planning to."

"Then stop looking at me like you're about to tear the whole place apart."

"He put you on the floor."

"And you put yourself in my mind. Pick a complaint."

Victor lifted one finger.

The red lines around Zero's knees tightened. Pain flashed through her body so fast her teeth clicked together. Her vision split into three versions of the same room—