Chapter Eleven – The Trap
Sleep didn’t come.
I lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling, every creak of the building making my heart jolt. Alexander’s words echoed in my head like a storm that wouldn’t pass:
> It ends when one of us is gone.
When I finally closed my eyes, it wasn’t rest that claimed me—it was a half-conscious drift filled with flashes of shadows and whispers I couldn’t quite hear.
The sharp vibration of my phone pulled me back.
I fumbled for it on the nightstand.
Unknown Number.
I hesitated, thumb hovering over the green button. Something in me knew it wasn’t a wrong number. I shouldn’t answer.
But I did.
“Hello?”
A familiar voice slid through the line, smooth as silk and twice as dangerous.
“Good evening, dove.”
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My blood ran cold. “Adrian—”
“Shhh. You
