Chapter 54
**Evangeline's POV**
Monday arrived like a storm cloud. I'd barely slept after finding the black rose on my windowsill, and my nerves felt raw and exposed. Every shadow in my apartment had looked like a threat. Every creak of the old building had made my heart race.
The silver pendant Maeve had given me hung heavy around my neck, hidden beneath my shirt. It had grown warm during the night, pulsing with an energy that felt protective. Whatever was hunting me, the charm was working overtime to keep me safe.
I grabbed my bag and headed for school, my feet dragging with exhaustion. The hallways of Blackclaw Academy buzzed with the usual Monday morning chaos. Students rushed to lockers, teachers called out reminders about assignments, and somewhere in this maze of normalcy, someo
