BOUND BY CRIMSON FATE

Judith Harrison’s Pov I’ve always known when something bad was about to happen. Not in a dramatic, fortune-teller kind of way. I couldn’t predict lottery numbers or see the future. But sometimes a feeling would settle deep in my chest, heavy and cold, refusing to leave no matter how hard I ignored it. Most of the time, that feeling turned out to be right. And this morning, it woke me before my alarm. I stared at the ceiling of my apartment, breathing hard as fragments of another nightmare slipped through my fingers. Fog. Darkness. A forest. And someone watching me. Again. For seven nights straight, the same dream had chased me from sleep. Every night, I stood alone in a forest swallowed by silver mist. Every night, I felt someone’s eyes on me. Waiting. Watching. Searching. No matter how hard I tried, I could never see the person’s face. But I always woke with the same certainty. Whoever stood in that forest wasn’t a stranger. They knew me. The thought sent a chill through me. I groaned and rolled onto my side. “Fantastic,” I muttered. Another wonderful start to another wonderful day. The alarm rang a few seconds later. I threw a pillow at it. Unfortunately, technology survived. I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the shower. By the time I left for work, the nightmare had faded into the background. Or at least, I tried convincing myself it had. The morning passed slowly. I worked at a small bookstore in downtown Raven’s Hollow. The job wasn’t glamorous, but I loved it. Books made sense. People didn’t. Books had beginnings, middles, and endings. Real life rarely followed the same rules. Especially mine. The bell above the bookstore door chimed as another customer entered. Without looking up, I greeted them. “Welcome to Hollow Pages.” A strange sensation prickled across my skin. I froze. That feeling again. The customer approached the counter. Middle-aged. Business suit. Polite smile. Nothing unusual. Yet something twisted uncomfortably inside me. The man smiled. “I hope you’re having a good day.” I forced a smile back. “You too.” The moment he walked away, the feeling disappeared. I frowned. That happened more often than I liked to admit. Ever since childhood, I’d sensed things about people. Not thoughts. Not exactly. More like emotions hidden beneath the surface. Fear. Anger. Guilt. Sometimes I knew when someone was lying before they opened their mouth. It wasn’t something I talked about. People already thought I was weird enough. By five o’clock, I was more than ready to leave. The moment I stepped outside, my phone buzzed. Emily. I smiled immediately. EMILY: Coffee. Now. ME: Is that a request? EMILY: No. ME: A demand? EMILY: Exactly. I laughed. Some things never changed. Twenty minutes later, I pushed open the door of Hollow Grounds Café. Warm air greeted me instantly. The smell of coffee and cinnamon wrapped around me like a blanket. For the first time all day, I relaxed. “You’re late.” I looked toward the corner booth. Emily sat with her arms crossed dramatically. I slid into the seat opposite her. “I’m three minutes late.” “Seven.” “Three.” “Seven.” I pointed at her coffee. “How much sugar have you had?” “Not enough.” I couldn’t help laughing. Emily grinned triumphantly. For the next hour, she filled me in on every disaster currently happening in her life. A broken coffee machine. A terrible date. An argument with her landlord. Normally, I’d have been fully invested. Tonight, my attention kept drifting. Toward the window. Toward the street outside. Toward a feeling I couldn’t explain. “You did it again.” I blinked. “What?” Emily pointed. “You keep looking outside.” I followed her gaze. Rain had started falling. Tiny droplets slid down the glass. The street beyond looked distorted. Empty. Yet my chest tightened. Someone was watching me. I knew how crazy that sounded. But the feeling wouldn’t leave. “Judith.” Emily’s voice softened. “Talk to me.” I hesitated. Nobody knew about the dreams. Not even Emily. I opened my mouth. Then closed it again. How was I supposed to explain something I barely understood myself? “It’s nothing.” The lie tasted bitter. Emily didn’t believe me. Unfortunately, she let it go. By the time we left the café, night had fallen completely. The rain had stopped. Fog drifted between the buildings. The town looked different beneath the darkness. Older. Stranger. As if secrets hid within every shadow. Emily hugged me goodbye. “Text me when you get home.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m not twelve.” “Humor me.” “Fine.” Satisfied, she climbed into her car and drove away. The moment her taillights disappeared, silence settled around me. I started walking. My apartment wasn’t far. Ten minutes at most. At first, everything seemed normal. Then I noticed how quiet the street had become. No voices. No cars. No footsteps. Just silence. The hairs on the back of my neck rose. I stopped walking. A cold sensation slid down my spine. Slowly, I looked behind me. Nothing. The street was empty. I released a breath. You’re imagining things. I turned forward again. A footstep echoed behind me. My blood froze. I spun around. Nothing. The street remained deserted. My heart hammered painfully against my ribs. Another step. Closer. This time I heard it clearly. Someone was there. Someone was following me. Fear exploded through my chest. I started walking faster. The footsteps matched me. I sped up. So did they. Panic clawed at my throat. Then I ran. The sound behind me instantly grew louder. Closer. Closer. A hand seized my arm. I screamed. The world spun violently. My back slammed against brick. Pain shot through my body. Before I could react, a figure emerged from the darkness. At first, it looked human. Then it smiled. Sharp fangs glinted beneath the moonlight. My breath stopped. This couldn’t be happening. Monsters weren’t real. Yet the thing standing before me was definitely not human. Its eyes glowed an unnatural yellow. Predatory. Hungry. The creature inhaled deeply. A pleased expression crossed its face. “After all this time,” it whispered. Terror rooted me to the spot. “What are you?” The creature laughed. The sound was wrong. Too deep. Too cold. It took another step toward me. “You don’t know, do you?” My heart pounded. Know what? Before I could ask, the creature lunged. A dark blur crashed into it from nowhere. The impact shook the alley. Both figures slammed into a wall. A vicious growl echoed through the night. I stumbled backward. Shock stole my breath. The fight lasted only seconds. One moment the creature was attacking. The next, it lay motionless on the ground. Silence followed. Heavy. Unnatural. Then another figure straightened from the shadows. Tall. Powerful. Dressed entirely in black. Moonlight illuminated sharp cheekbones and dark hair. But it was his eyes that stole my breath. Silver. Not gray. Silver. His gaze locked onto mine. And suddenly, everything else disappeared. The fear. The alley. The dead creature. All of it. There was only him. A strange feeling swept through me. Recognition. As though some forgotten part of me had been waiting for this moment. Waiting for him. The stranger stared at me for a long second. Then something flickered across his face. Relief. As if finding me had ended a search that had lasted years. My pulse quickened. Who was he? And why did he look at me like he already knew the answer? Then he spoke. Three words. Three impossible words. “Judith Harrison.” My breath caught. I had never seen this man before. So how did he know my name?