Chapter 21 · The Door Under Her Skin

"Don't let him touch you." Elise's palm slammed against my chest before I could take another step. Her fingers were cold through my shirt. "Mara, listen to me. Kells doesn't want to open the door. He wants to turn you into one."

"What the hell does that mean?" I tried to shove her back, but her hand stayed planted over my heart. Behind her, the sealed doors began to hum.

"The shard Kieran gave you isn't a key." Her eyes were too bright, too tired. "It's a seed."

My heartbeat tripped. Heat flashed through my palm, the same heat I'd felt when I first touched the shard. It had seemed alive then. Like it was listening.

"You're lying."

"I wish I was." She pulled her hand away.

A black mark had spread across my shirt, right over my heart. It crawled beneath the fabric in thin, branching lines.

I grabbed her wrist. "Fix it."

"I can't."

"Then tell me who can."

Elise's mouth tightened. "Kells has been hunting for someone with my blood for years. Someone who could carry a living door without knowing it. He let Kieran steal the shard because he knew Kieran would bring it to you."