I stare back at the ceiling, the weight of it finally settling.
“It does feel personal,” I admit. “Doesn’t it?”
She shifts, then sits up and takes my hand. “Maybe letting the guys move in wouldn’t be the worst thing. More people around. People you trust.”
I hesitate. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”
“You are,” she says gently. “You don’t shrink around them. You talk. You push back. You say no, and they listen.”
She squeezes my fingers. “Let Erik bring in some furniture. Start there.”
I bite my lip, thinking of how easy it is to hold his hand. To draw boundaries. To be heard by them.
Maybe I’ve recovered more than I let myself believe.
Chapter ninety-seven
Christianna
Track down the stalker. He must be found.
Hunt out the voyeur who runs to ground.
Too long he’s watched her. Now revealed,
A phantom predator, unmasked, unsealed.
Who is this monster, this watching beast,
Lurking in shadow, waiting to feast?
This ravening thing will be brought to its final rest.
I breathe deeply as the lyrics wrap around me, the cadence blurring into a low, relentless chant.
Treble’s head moves to my hip, and Bass moves to press into the back of my legs.
Somewhere beyond the walls, the hunt continues.
It isn’t mine.
I fall asleep knowing I don’t have to stay awake to be safe.
Chapter ninety-eight
Remy
I look up at the soft rap on the outside of my office door. Tianna. I smile as I rise and cross to her.
“You never need to knock, Tianna. You’re welcome wherever we are.”
She flushes, flashing me a quick smile as I take her hand and press a kiss to her palm.
“I wanted to ask if you were going to be at the performance,” she says. “The one at Noah’s Second Ark?”
“I had planned to,” I reply. “It’s philanthropic work tied to one of our patrons.”
“Oh. Coulson is a patron?” she asks, clearly perplexed.
