(Elara)
I whispered the promise again, because saying it out loud steadied me in a way thinking did not. “Even if it kills me.”
The words were small and fragile in the humming room, but they anchored something fierce beneath my ribs. I slid off the bed with as little sound as possible, my legs trembling but obedient. Camila’s hand stayed warm in mine for a beat longer before I eased it free, tucking her palm against my heart as if the heat might pass between us.
The phone in my pocket felt heavier than it had any right to be. I remember when Damon had given it to me.…..new contacts and numbers like a leash every outgoing line monitored for my safety. He’d told me not to use it unless absolutely necessary. I’d been careful; but necessity had teeth now. I had to be clever, not loud. I had
