My finger is a second away from hitting ‘call’ when a gloved hand clamps over my mouth and I’m pulled back. My phone slips from my hand, hitting the concrete with a crack.
I scream, the sound muffled. My heart shudders in my chest, my pulse going a thousand miles an hour. I don’t stand a chance.
I’m too out of puff to breathe through my nose. I suck in as much air through my mouth as possible, but it’s not enough.
My lungs feel like they’re getting tighter.
A faint spell passes through me.
Then comes the hazy vision.
The dark walls of the alley are starting to close in around me, crushing me into a suffocating box. The only way to escape is to shut my eyes, but if I do that, I fear that will be the end.
It’s over, Lauren.
You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.
I hear footsteps echo, like they’re coming from another world.
Maybe I’m dreaming.
But then I see it. Another figure. This one is all black too, but taller.
Broader.
It moves like a nocturnal predator.
I’m not prepared for the sound that comes next. A sickening crack. A bone breaking.
The gloved hand drops from my mouth, the body it belongs to almost taking me with it as it crashes to the ground. It doesn’t even make a sound—just quietly collapses to the floor.
I gasp, air filling back into my airways now that I can make use of my mouth again. A second, bigger gasp escapes my mouth when I turn around to see my attacker unconscious on the floor, their neck misaligned with their shoulders.
That accelerates my breathing again.
I turn around, prepared to meet the same fate as the first guy, when I see a familiar face press a finger to his lips.
“Shh. No screaming,lapochka.”
Nikolai steps into the faint ray of sunlight between us, confirming that it is in fact him, not just a figment of my imagination. He adjusts his white linen sleeve, rolling it back down like this was nothing.
My knees feel like they’re about to give way.
It’s not fear, it’s something worse.
It’s realization.
Realization that he was right about everything.
And I hate that.
Chapter Sixteen
Nikolai
I want to wrap my arms around Lauren to stop her from shaking, but I restrain myself.
She looks petrified but I guess that’s the consequence of her own actions. I told her to stop what she’s doing. Not once. Maybe this is where she finally decides to be smart.
