20

LENA

Mira’s apartment smelled like fresh linen and lavender—clean, safe.

The air was warm, humming with the quiet buzz of the city beyond the window.

The moment I stepped inside, I felt like I could finally breathe again.

"You’re sure you’re okay?" Mira asked, setting my bag down by the couch.

I nodded, though my hands were still trembling.

"Yeah. I just... I needed to get out of there."

Out of my apartment.

Out of the place where he touched me.

Mira didn’t ask any more questions.

She didn’t press me about the dark circles under my eyes or the way I flinched at shadows.

She only squeezed my shoulder and said, "You can stay as long as you need."

She was giving me an escape.

A chance to start over, even for a night.

I should have known better.

The first sign came in the bathroom.

The mirror was fogged from the hot shower, but as I wiped my hand across the glass, my reflection did not move.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

Then—a smile.

Not mine.

The woman in the mirror—the thing in the mirror—tilted her head.

Her lips curled into something sickly sweet, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

A whisper slithered through the steam-cloaked air, soft and cruel.

"Running won’t save you."

I stumbled back, nearly knocking over the toothbrush holder.

When I blinked, the reflection was normal.

My own wide, terrified eyes stared back at me.

My pulse roared in my ears.

I turned away from the mirror, forcing myself to breathe.

It’s stress.

It’s paranoia.

It’s the lack of sleep.

But I wasn’t paranoid.

I wasn’t imagining it.

Because when I turned to leave the bathroom, I felt him.

A breath against my ear.

A hand brushing down my arm.

Invisible.

Unseen.

But there.

"You taste better when you’re afraid."

My legs nearly gave out beneath me.

I bolted out of the bathroom and back into the living room, barely able to suppress the shudder tearing through me.

Mira sat cross-legged on the couch, scrolling through her phone.

She looked up when she saw my face.

"You okay?"

I wanted to tell her.

I wanted to grab her hands and scream,

He’s here.

He followed me.

But the words stuck to my throat like honey.

Cassian’s laughter echoed in my head, low and knowing.

I swallowed hard.

"Yeah. Just tired."

Mira didn’t look convinced, but she nodded.

"Try to get some sleep. I’ll be in my room if you need me."

She stood, ruffling my hair like I was a kid before disappearing down the hall.

I sat on the couch, knees drawn to my chest, willing myself to calm down.

It’s over.

He can’t hurt you here.

But as I reached for my phone on the coffee table, the screen flickered.

For a second—just a second—I saw him.

His face reflected in the glass, right behind me.

And he was smiling.

21

CASSIAN

She thought she could escape me.

How sweet.

How naïve.

She still didn’t understand.

There is no escape.

Not from me.

Not from what she is.

I watched her curl up on the couch, her body coiled tight with tension.

She was trying to be strong, trying to act like she wasn’t afraid.

But I could feel it.

The way her breath hitched.

The way her pulse thrummed wildly beneath her delicate skin.

I loved her like this—soft, trembling, mine.

"You’re adorable when you think you have control, little dove," I whispered.

She didn’t hear me.

Not yet.

But she felt me.

The air grew thick, heavy, humming with my presence.

The soft scent of Mira’s apartment—lavender and linen—was drowned in something darker.

Something rich, metallic, damp.

Fear.

She shuddered, curling in on herself.

"You can't run from me, Lena."

She let out a shaky breath, her fingers digging into her arms.

She didn’t answer.

Not out loud.

But she was listening.

And I wasn’t done.

22

LENA

I woke up gasping.

My body was burning.

I was tangled in the sheets, sweat dampening my skin.

The apartment was dark, but I felt a weight—an invisible pressure—against my chest.

A presence.