Chapter 11 · Blood-Stained Bargain

"Move your ass or get flattened!" Lyra screamed, her voice barely cutting through the roar of collapsing steel.

Kane didn't move. He was staring at his hands. Black veins were still pulsing under his skin, humming with the stolen energy of the hunter he'd just torn apart. The hunger was still there—a jagged, screaming void in his gut that wanted more.

"Are you deaf?" Lyra grabbed his collar, yanking him backward just as a three-ton support beam slammed into the spot where he'd been standing. The impact shook the entire floor. Dust exploded into the air, tasting like copper and ancient rust.

Kane looked down at her. She was small, trembling, and smelled like ozone and desperation. Her fingers were locked onto his jacket, knuckles white. She was terrified of him, and yet she was the only thing keeping him from walking straight into a death trap.

"You're shaking," Kane said. His voice sounded wrong—too deep, vibrating with a metallic edge that wasn't human.

"I'm shaking because the ceiling is falling, you idiot!" Lyra snapped, though she didn't let go. She shoved him toward the exit, her boots sliding on the grit.