Kael dropped to one knee with both hands at his throat.
The collar had locked shut so fast it looked like the shrine had snapped its jaw around him.
Lyria froze for half a second, then rushed forward on instinct.
"Kael."
He was breathing hard. His eyes flashed gold, then went dark again. One hand clawed at the metal around his neck, but the collar didn't budge. It sat there flat and cold, silver lines running through it like veins.
Ronan lunged to help. "Get it off him."
Darian grabbed Ronan's wrist before he could just rip at it. "Don't."
Ronan glared. "Move."
"If you yank it," Darian snapped, "you'll trigger the host lock."
Mira's face went hard. "That's not helpful. At all."
Kael gritted his teeth and lifted his head a little. He looked like the collar was already fighting him from the inside.
Lyria dropped beside him and grabbed the edge of the metal with both hands. It was cold. Too cold. Her fingers slid on it.
"Can you breathe?" she asked.
