She blinked them back then let them fall anyway.
Biscuit hopped up beside her and rested his head on her thigh.
“I know,” she whispered, threading her fingers through his fur. “I’ve got to get ahead of these emotions.”
She lay back in bed and stared at the ceiling, the quiet settling around her.
That was when the feeling hit her.
It wasn’t a sound or movement.
It was . . . an awareness.
The fine hairs along the back of her neck lifted, sharp and unmistakable. Her pulse stuttered, then kicked hard.
She sat up slowly, scanning the dark room for any telltale signs of what had caused the feeling.
Best she could tell, nothing in the room had changed.
Still, the sense lingered. She felt as if she’d walked into a space someone else had just vacated. Like the air had been disturbed and hadn’t quite settled back into place.
She hadn’t noticed it when she first came in. She’d been too distracted by her emotions. But now . . . she wondered how she’d missed it.
Her hand slid to Biscuit’s collar. He didn’t growl. Didn’t move. Just watched her, ears tipped forward, calm but alert.
He sensed her fear, didn’t he?
“Okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay.”
She reached for the lamp and snapped it on.
Light flooded the room. Millie stood and checked the corners. Then the closet. The bathroom. Under the bed.
Her bag lay exactly where she’d left it, half-zipped. Her phone was on the nightstand.
Nothing was missing or out of place.
She exhaled slowly and forced her shoulders to drop.
Maybe she’d just been imagining things.
Who could blame her? Tonight had been a lot.
You’re safe,she told herself.This place is safe.
So why did she feel certain someone had been in her room? She had no proof—only gut instinct.
Just to be safe, she locked the door. Then she settled back onto the bed, and Biscuit jumped up beside her. His head settled on her lap, familiar and warm.
Millie rested her hand on him and let the quiet return.
Maybe it was nothing.
Maybe this feeling was simply the echo of everything she’d lived through. Maybe danger had taught her body to stay a step ahead of her mind.
Still, as she leaned back against her headboard and closed her eyes, the feeling didn’t fully fade.
There was someone here she couldn’t trust.
