MAYA
The house was too quiet.
The kind of quiet that presses against your eardrums and makes the blood in your veins sound like a drumline. I lay on my back in the middle of my bed, sheets kicked to the floor and tank top twisted up under my arms. My skin felt like it had been dipped in molten glass.
First day of heat, and it’s already trying to kill me.
Nanny’s voice floated in from the hallway. “Will you be alright by yourself?”
I wanted to laugh. No, Nan. I’m a walking pheromone bomb, and the only thing keeping me from humping the furniture is sheer spite. Instead, I rolled onto my side, pressing my thighs together so hard my muscles trembled. “I’ll be fine,” I croaked. “Just… lock the door on your way out.”
She hovered. I could smell her anxiety. “Humans are working on suppressan
