The door slammed shut with a heavy thud, sealing Samantha inside the room with Theodore. The echo of it rattled her bones. Her whole body shook as she stumbled backward until her back brushed against the cold wall. Theodore’s grip on her arms was firm—too firm—his nails nearly digging into her skin. She dared not raise her head. Hot tears spilled over her lashes, blinding her vision. She was terrified, trembling not just from his anger but from the weight of the secret she had carried for too long.
Theodore’s breath was ragged, his chest rising and falling as though he had sprinted across the whole territory. “Samantha,” he hissed, his voice tight with fury. “Tell me the truth. Is what Freya said true? Did you know she went into the human world?”
Her lips parted, but no sound came. She c
