LORI
My eyes snapped open like someone had poured ice water on my face. My body jerked up, heart thudding so hard I actually checked my shirt to see if it had torn open.
The room was still dark, the corners stretched out in shadows that looked sharper than usual, like they were waiting for something to crawl out. I sat up, gulping air like I’d been underwater, hair sticking to my neck, my pillow soaked, the sheets twisted around my legs like they were trying to trap me in the dream I’d barely escaped from.
I breathed, hard and loud, gripping the edge of the mattress so I wouldn’t float off. It was the same dream again, but worse. My hands were covered in something glowing, silvery, almost alive, and my voice—Goddess, my voice—had sounded like someone else’s.
I stumbled to the bathroo
