Silence.
He was probably curled up somewhere, fast asleep with Drithan and Spear.
I shifted closer to the fire, whispering more to myself than to Laney, “I think we just need to imagine our happy place.”
“What’d ya say?” Laney murmured, her gaze fixed on the flickering flames. The firelight kissed the edges of her features, but she didn’t turn to look at me.
“Happy place,” I repeated, a little louder. “If we just close our eyes and imagine being there, maybe we’d forget how anxious we feel right now.”
Laney pulled the stick from the fire, twirling it between her fingers as its tip glowed with a stubborn flame.
Finally, she muttered, “I don’t think picturing my happy place is gonna save me from my grave.”
Bang, bang, bang.
I opened my eyes and rolled over on the bed, sucking in a shaky breath as I fought against the nausea twisting in my gut.
Bang, bang, bang.
“Leave me alone!” I croaked out.
The door to my hut burst open, sunlight flooding the space and stabbing at my eyes. I winced, covering my face with my hands to shield myself from the glare. A figure stood in the doorway, shrouded in the harsh light. Definitely not Rhodes—this one was shorter.
As she stepped closer, the shade receded, and I saw her features.
My features.
My hazel eyes stared back at me with hatred. Within three determined strides, Fallon stood over me, her shadow casting me in darkness.
And then, without so much as a warning, she grabbed the edge of my mattress and flipped it.
I hit the floor with a thud, landing awkwardly against the wall. “What the fuck!” I shrieked, my voice echoing off the cramped walls.
“Sulking time is over,” Fallon said, her tone sharp and commanding, as though she had just declared war.
Scrambling to my feet, I glared at her. “And who in the elements are you to tell me what to do?”
“Do you think this is a vacation?” Fallon snapped, sweeping her arm toward the door for emphasis. “There’s a fucking war brewing out there, and you’re just lying in bed, eating our food, using our plumbing.” Her eyes flicked over me, up and down, with a sneer that cut deeper than I expected. “Well. Obviously not to bathe.”
Heat flushed my face as I quickly glanced down—oily hair sticking to my neck, the same nightgown I’d been wearing for at least five days. My hands instinctively tugged at the fabric, but when I met Fallon’s gaze again, her lips were curved into a smile. Not warm, not kind—razor sharp, designed to wound.
“As I said,” she continued, venom dripping from her voice, “sulking time is over. Time to move on and get started.”
“Move on?” My voice cracked as I threw the words back at her. “You may shut off your humanity with a snap of your fingers, but I can’t! You have no idea what I’ve been through!”
“That’s where you’re wrong—on both counts,” she shot back, her eyes narrowing. “I’ve been following you through themarekemever since I learned of your existence.”
My stomach twisted. “Which was when?”
“You want answers? Stop hiding, and I’ll tell you.”
“I’m not hiding!” I snarled, clenching my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.
Fallon barked a humorless laugh. “What do you call this, then?” She gestured wide, her arms sweeping over the messy confines of my hut. “I broke you out of that pathetic excuse for a shed—”
My breath caught. “What?” I whispered, barely able to force the question out.
She hesitated for the first time, her jaw tightening as if weighing her words. “You just locked yourself back into one. May not be a shed, but it looks like a personal prison to me. Except this time, someone is waiting for you on the other side. Worrying himself sick about your well-being. And you choose to stay chained up in here.”
