Maria's Point of View
I stood there at the door, my eyes heavy with something dark and unsettling. I couldn't quite read him, and the tension between us-between all of us-felt like a rubber band stretched too tight, ready to snap.
Kairo's hand slid up my back, delicate yet strong, an unobtrusive reminder that he was there, that we did this thing together. And yet still, the weight of Fredrick's words hung there, leaving me with no choice but to succumb to that creeping dread.
"Fredrick," I said, my voice a little shaky, but I tried to keep myself together. "What are you talking about? What did you mean about Reina?"
He looked away, his eyes darting between Kairo and me, and I knew he was weighing how much to tell, how much to say. Then he sighed, straightened up a little, and took a s
