The grip on my chest tightens, pulling me towards the void by some invisible thread.
No.
It’s nothing more than a fleeting thought, but the tension vanishes, leaving my chest aching.
A tendril breaks from the darkness and slithers up my reflection—a snake made of shadow. Unlike the ones before, this one has presence as it twines between my legs, around my stomach, and across my breasts to circle my throat.
I don’t know if this is real.
It could be all in my head.
It probablyisall in my head.
There’s no reason why this should feel…
Familiar.
Iknowthis thing in the darkness.
It knows me.
And it’s beenwaiting.
I feel the shadow snake brush across my lips even as I stare into the darkness of my reflection. It retreats down my body, tracing my shoulders, my spine, and running between my legs again. Slowly, the ache in my chest eases, yet I remain captive in this infinite moment, gaze locked on the mirror. The black fabric of the hood ripples when I feel the warmth of a soft exhale on my skin, as if whatever’s looking back at me has finished some great task.
Beneath the glittering cape, that ancient thing lurking in the depths of endless night… smiles.
I can’t see it.
I canfeelit.
And I smile back.
The thunder of my heartbeat pulsing once more shatters the silence in my mind.
But here in this room, the silence is deafening.
Everyone’s looking at me, I realize.
“Girl,” Brynne gasps in awe. Lisette’s smug as fuck. Tori and Evie are wearing identical maniacal smiles.
I suddenly feel very, very uncomfortable. Exposed. “What?”
“If you don’t wear that dress, I’ll never forgive you,” Evie states.
“Seconded,” Tori chimes in.
Brynne chuckles, running her hand down the glittering cape. “Fuck, I’ll wear it if you don’t.”
“Absolutely not,” Lisette bats her hand away. “I chose these dresses specifically for each of you, and they are perfect, no?”
Mollified, Brynne steps back and joins the other two.
“I can’t wear this.” But the protest feels empty as it falls from my lips. I run my fingers over the beaded fabric, tracing the linesof fabric that wrap around my stomach and hips. Following the echos of the shadow snake’s trail as it wound around my body, its weight imprinted in my skin.
“Why not?” Tori asks, reminding me that I’m practically feeling myself up in front of them.
“Well, I’m not going, for one.”
