“Step away from her!”
Vorde’s voice cracked through the silence just as my body moved without me. My fingers lifted slowly, deliberately, like strings were pulling them. I felt it happen. Every second. Every motion. And I couldn’t stop it. No, no, this isn’t happening. “I told you,” my voice said, but it wasn’t mine anymore. It was smoother. Colder. Detached. “You should have never let me in.”
Viole gasped behind me. “Veronica?” Her voice shook, fragile, hopeful. That hope sliced through me. I’m still here. I’m right here.
I tried to speak, to force even one word out, but nothing came. My lips curved instead, wrong, unfamiliar. “Don’t look at me like that,” my voice continued, softer now, almost amused. “It’s insulting.”
Vorde stepped forward anyway. Careful. Measured. His eyes locked
