My soul fell from its holding place, time slowing completely. My chest roseand fell at three times the speed it had done a moment ago, and my ears grew hot. Fear blinded me as I looked around the room, every happy flutter in my stomach dying, ressurecting as deep rooted dread.
Who was this? What did this mean? Why the hell was this happening?
My thoughts were a never-ending list, piling up in my head as the groundseemed to fall from below me.
“You okay?” Rainie’s voice sounded distorted, as though someone was holdingmy head under water.
My chest grew heavy as my eyes darted around the room, frantically trying tosearch for someone in the shadows. Someone who was clearly watching me.
“Cora?”
Fear settled on my chest, pressing down as my hands gripped the back of mychair, my eyes still darting round the room that was only getting busier with every second that passed.
Before I knew it my fight or flight was kicking in and apparently my body waschoosing to fly. I stood up, ignoring the muffled calls from Rainie as I grabbed my clutch and weaved through the crowd. My shoulders barged past the blurry faces as my skin grew hot, a layer of sweat gathering on my forehead as I finally made it to the breezy lobby.
The thick carpet dragged beneath my feet, but I carried on, bolting towards thedoors and escaping through a side door. I didn’t care where it took me, so long as it took me away from this place, away from the fear and the stupid idea that I was ready to waltz back into this life again—
Hard pressure wrapped around my wrist.
My heart flatlined.
Then the world was pitch black as my body was yanked back, hittingsomething solid.
And… warm?
“What the hell happened? Are you okay?”
I knew that voice. But that was impossible. There was no way that he’d be—
I pulled my face back from the layers of black clothes I’d been tugged into,unraveling from the tangles of amber that wrapped around me and tilted my head back to find a ticking jaw, dark hair, and midnight eyes that were glossed with worry.
The fear that coursed through me settled a little when realised I was in the armsof Marcus and not whoever had texted me. But my racing mind couldn’t linger on that thought for much longer, not when eight thousand more important things were happening that I needed to get to the bottom of.
His hands tightened on my bare shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I…” All my words had vanished, it seemed. Swallowed by whatever fear wasstill pulsing through me. I stole a breath as I fell deeper into the black lagoons that made up his eyes. “I think so?”
I was still trying to figure it out, but what I did know was that there wassomeone in there watching me. Someone in there who wanted to frighten me.
A* for effort.
Marcus lifted his head, scanning the lobby before slipping his hand down myarms and walking me into a corner, away from the harsh spotlights that did nothing but encourage a migraine. His hands fell from me completely as we stopped, but his eyes roamed every inch of me that it felt like he was trailing a finger over every surface he looked at.
It was only when our eyes met that he spoke again. “Why were you in such ahurry to leave? The thing hasn’t started yet.”
I shook my head, my mind fogging, before clearing in an instant once Iremembered what happened, and remembered that he shouldn’t be here. I stepped as far into the corner of the room as I could, lifting my phone between us. “Was this you?”
His brows pulled inwards. “Was what me?”
Confusion masked my face, hardening my stare. “This.” I opened my phoneand showed him the notification without reading the words. I pushed the thing at him. “Was this you?”
He took the phone from my hands, his warm fingers grazing mine. I watchedhis eyes move as he read the text, his jaw ticking again when they went back over it a second time.
The way his features fell, as though the same dread that had drowned me wasalso drowning him didn’t fill me with much hope. None at all, actually. Pressure sank in my chest as he put his eyes back on me, his head shaking slightly. “This wasn’t me.”
His words did nothing but make my heart beat pick up it’s pace again. “Whatdo you mean it wasn’t you? If it wasn’t you then why are you here?” My head pulled back, my throat drying as my stare grew hot. “Whyareyou here?”
His bottom lip sank between his teeth, his head dropping as a sigh racked out ofhim. “I came just in case you needed—”
