Piper
My chest tightens, the air in my lungs refusing to move as if an invisible hand is squeezing the life out of me. Pain lances through me, sharp and unrelenting, like a knife twisting deeper with every breath I can’t take.
I lurch forward instinctively, my hand grasping his wrist before he can step away.
“No!” I cry, my voice cracking. Sparks dance up my arm at the contact, igniting something I can’t name, but I shove the feeling aside. “Please, don’t go.”
Elijah freezes under my touch. His muscles stiff beneath my hand, but he doesn’t turn around.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I’m just—my head is all over the place. A mess. I’m scared, Elijah.” My words come out shaky and fast, tumbling over each other. “My ex-boyfriend is making my life miserable, an
