Chapter 28 · Blood Echoes

"Who the hell is Sarah?" Kane didn't just ask; he snarled it, his hand still clamped tight around Lyra’s wrist. He shoved her back against the rusted bulkhead of the safehouse, the metal screeching under the impact.

Lyra gasped, her eyes wide and darting. She didn't fight him, but she didn't soften. "I don't know! I've never heard that name in any of the Empire's encrypted files. Why are you looking at me like I'm the one who lied?"

"Because that thing—that mindless copy of me—spoke it like a prayer," Kane hissed. He leaned in, his chest nearly brushing hers. He could smell the ozone and stale coffee clinging to her, the scent of someone who hadn't slept in three days. "It didn't just say a name. It recognized me. Now tell me you didn't scrub that from the logs."

Lyra's breath hitched. She tried to twist her arm free, but he didn't budge. The power imbalance was thick in the air, a physical weight.