Reese POV
The hallway feels dangerous now — the tension deadly like it’s pressing down on me from all sides.
Maya’s words are still ringing in my ears. *You weren’t meant to survive.*
My heartbeat pounds in my throat as I watch her dip her hand slowly into her dress pocket—maybe perhaps to bring out a dagger again. Something shifts inside me, an instinct that screams *run*.
The image flashes behind my eyelids — her hand gripping Jade's shoulder with a smile that day, Jade’s hand gripping the dagger, the voice murmuring low, and then pain, blinding, spreading like wildfire in my belly.
No. Not again.
Before I know it, I’m moving back, stumbling over my own feet. My heel catches the edge of the tiles and I hit the ground hard, my palms scraping against the floor. The cold from the marb
