Salome’s POV
“Are you really just going to let that thing ring all night?”
I didn't move. I kept my back turned to Barnabas, my eyes pressed shut so tight they ached. On the nightstand, his phone was a frantic, glowing insect. It buzzed against the wood, the vibration rattling through the mattress and into my bones. The dark room flashed white with every new notification.
Then came the chime of a video call. The digital trill was loud, demanding an answer that Barnabas wasn’t giving. I felt the bed shift. He was awake. He was staring at it, just like I was, even if I was pretending to be dead to the world.
The texts started next. They arrived in a rapid-fire sequence, a stuttering rhythm of pings that sliced through the silence of the bedroom.
Barnabas finally moved. He lunged for the
