Page 55 of Wraith

Lilith was gone.

I let out a ragged breath, stunned.

It worked. It actually worked.

I sat up, chest heaving, scanning the room for any sign of her. The cold was gone. The oppressive presence. The whispers.

I laughed, a shaky, disbelieving sound. "Holy shit." I let my head fall back against the floor, sucking in lungfuls of air. I was free.

A minute passed. Then another.

Silence.

I stood, my knees weak, and grabbed my phone to text Thorne. He had to know. He had to know that I did it.

I opened my messages, my fingers shaking as I typed. My hands felt lighter, my head clearer.

Thorne, it worked. I actually did it.

I stared at the words, my heartbeat slowing, relief flooding through me. I could breathe again. I could finally sleep.

I pressed send.

No errors. No flickering screen.

Lilith was gone.

I closed my eyes, exhaustion dragging me under. For the first time in weeks, I felt at peace.

I never saw the ghostly fingers that trailed over my cheek.

Never heard the soft, breathy giggle as I drifted off.

Never felt the weight of her presence still lingering.

The room was too still, too perfect in its silence, like it had been placed there for me to believe.

A dream of normalcy wrapped around me like a blanket, whispering, You did it. You won. It’s over.

My muscles finally relaxed, my breathing evening out as I sank deeper into sleep.

And just before unconsciousness claimed me, a soft voice echoed in my mind.

Good boy.

Because Lilith was patient.

And she had all the time in the world.

Thirty-Five

The laughter was loud,the drinks were strong, and for once, I felt normal.

I leaned back against the couch, letting the energy of the party wash over me like a tide pulling me away from everything I’d left behind. The music pulsed through the walls, the bass shaking the floor beneath my feet, a constant rhythm that reminded me I was here, in this moment, and not somewhere else. Someone across the room was telling a story—something stupid about sneaking into a faculty lounge—but I wasn’t really listening. The sound of voices blended together, an easy, meaningless hum of noise that filled the spaces in my head where thoughts tried to creep in.

I had new friends now.

People who weren’t drowning in the past. People who didn’t look at me and only see her. People who didn’t whisper about what happened, or cast anxious glances my way.

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