Juliette’s POV
The presence behind me is so close I feel the air shift. My body stiffens instinctively, every muscle tightening despite the chains cutting into my skin. The intruder in front of me notices the change in my breathing and turns his head slightly, but he does not move. He does not panic. He only watches me, studying the way my eyes widen, the way my shoulders tense, the way my senses spike with terror.
He knows something is behind me.
He expected it.
He planned it.
The shadows ripple as if something alive is passing through them. My heartbeat is no longer steady. It crashes against my ribs like a trapped animal. I want to twist around and look but the chain holds me in place. The intruder lifts one finger to his mask, as if silencing me even though I have not spoken.
“Do
