Maybe all this was about The Crater. He warned me not to go further the other day. Then he saved me from the Pylath. But before that, he’d been watching me from my own window like some kind of twisted creep.
Was this how he kept people away from The Crater? Maybe this wasn’t his first time. Maybe he moved in to ensure that I didn’t go back there. Maybe he did it for other people to protect them, too. Maybe I wasn’t the first person.
But why invade my space?
I paused by a closed bakery to catch my breath, leaning and pressing the cool brick against my spine.
A few minutes later, I ducked into a little shop that sold tools, kitchenware, random home goods, and—tucked behind the counter—pocket knives. The woman behind the register didn’t ask questions when I picked one out and paid in cash. She just slid it into a paper bag and handed it over.
By the time I stopped in front of my house, the knife was tucked deep in my pocket, my fingers wrapped around it. I reached out for the door knob and hesitated. Just long enough to let my breath calm.
I had thought he’d still be in the room, so I didn’t prepare myself for the view I was struck with when I opened the door.
Standing in the kitchen was him, his back to me.
My hand was still wrapped around the doorknob. My other remained buried in my coat pocket, clutching the knife like a lifeline. I didn’t move, didn’t speak.
I just watched him.
He turned slowly and our eyes met.
And there it was again—that awful, gut-deep pull. Like someone had gripped my lungs from the inside and twisted them hard. My chest clenched, my vision narrowed, and for a second, I thought I might actually drop to my knees just to breathe properly.
His gaze dropped to my chest, and I saw something shift in his expression. Like he knew exactly what was going on inside me.
What was happening to me?
I had to get checked by a doctor. It could be a heart issue. But I’d worry about that later.
I dragged in a breath and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me. Three steps was all I could take before the air changed as if I’d crossed some invisible line.
He ran his thick fingers through his dark hair, sweeping the long strands back from his face. His expression returned to the usual quiet calm again before he spoke up.
“Good morning.”
I scoffed. “And what is good about it?”
He tilted his head. “That you’re alive?”
My heart stuttered and I blinked. “Is that…a threat?”
Something flickered across his face, so quick it was almost a trick of the light. It was a smile. But it was gone before it fully formed.
He returned his attention to the tea he was making.
“I’m saying…sleep,” he murmured. “If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve.”
I narrowed my eyes, his words threading under my skin. Would he really have slept if he were in my shoes?
“I’m sorry I’m not used to having someone invade my privacy,” I said tightly, trying not to show how rattled I still was. “Not just anyone.Someonewho doesn’t possess a shadow and has probably been harbouring bad intentions towards me since the day I got here. Who the hell are you?”
There was a slight shift in his expression again, like a smile struggling to crawl out but never quite making it. And then, he reached behind him and brought out a second cup. He placed it beside the one he’d already prepared.
“Tea?” he asked.
I was so gagged, I let out a breath that came out more like a scoff. “Are you serious right now? Why are you in my house? Why did you choose to—did you fucking book every place in Nimorran? Why? Is this about The Crater? Is this like your job? Do you do this to everyone?”
“I don’t care about anyone.”
