_Leah’s POV_
The night was heavy. Silence wrapped around the mansion, but inside me there was no rest. My body lay on the bed but my mind was a mess. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to breathe slowly, to convince myself that I was safe.
But safety was only a shadow. The Seer’s words lingered like smoke in my chest. Tariq will come. Susan is a witch. He will not stop until he has you.
Athena paced restlessly in my mind. Her claws scraped the inside of my skull.
You shouldn’t close your eyes, she warned. He waits for us in the dark. Don’t let him in.
“I have to sleep,” I whispered to her. My voice trembled even in my own head. “I need strength.”
Athena growled but she eventually got quiet.
Sleep came suddenly like a rope around my neck.
I opened my eyes and I was no longer in the p
