Page 47 of Wraith

I swallowed hard, my pulse thudding against my skull. Think. I had to think. I had to find a way out of this. She had targeted all of us, but for some reason, tonight, she was ignoring me. She wasn’t teasing me, wasn’t punishing me, wasn’t making my life a waking nightmare.

She was ignoring me.

That meant something.

I ran a hand through my hair, yanking at the strands as I paced the room. Maybe she had gotten bored of me. Maybe she was focusing on someone else now.

Or maybe she was waiting.

My stomach twisted. What if this was just the calm before the storm? What if this was part of it—letting me stew in my own paranoia until I broke under the pressure? What if she wanted me to destroy myself before she ever had to lift a finger?

I moved to my closet, yanking open the door and pulling out a duffel bag. I shoved clothes inside, my hands shaking. I didn’t have a plan, but I had to get out.

It didn’t matter where. It didn’t matter how. I just had to leave before she decided to turn her attention back on me.

The dorm door creaked open.

I froze.

My blood ran ice cold as I turned slowly, my heart hammering against my ribs.

The door was open, but there was no one there.

No footsteps. No shadows. No whisper of movement.

Just the still, yawning blackness of the empty hallway.

My breath came in shallow gasps. My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag. I took a slow step forward, muscles coiled tight, every nerve in my body screaming at me to run.

I reached out. Grabbed the door. Slammed it shut.

The lock clicked into place. The deadbolt followed.

I braced my hands against the wood, my forehead pressing against the cool surface as I tried to calm my racing pulse.

A sharp knock rattled the door.

I sucked in a breath, stepping back so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet.

The knock came again. Slow. Deliberate. Too light to be human.

My stomach twisted. I clenched my jaw, gripping the duffel bag tighter, my pulse hammering. I wouldn’t open it. No matter what.

The knocking stopped.

A beat of silence.

Then—a voice.

"Aeron."

My breath hitched. My fingers went numb.

It wasn’t Lilith’s voice.

It was Kael’s.

I swallowed hard, my body trembling. No. That wasn’t right. Something was wrong. Kael never came to my dorm. Never.

---