Page 18 of Spinner's Luck

No one could protect her from me.

Not The Devil’s House. Not anyone.

CHAPTER NINE

DARKNESS WRAPPED AROUNDme like a suffocatingblanket, the air thick and heavy. I was back there again. I always ended up here.

The park was quieter than it should have been, the swing swaying in the breeze with a creak that had me shivering. My little sister’s laugh rang out, bright and pure, cutting through the eerie silence.

“Aria!” I called, my voice trembling even though I didn’t know why.

She stood by the merry-go-round, her tiny hands gripping the chipped metal bars as she spun herself in slow, wobbly circles. Her curls bounced with every movement, and she giggled, oblivious to the unease growing in my chest.

“Aria,” I called again, my feet refusing to move.

Her laughter faded, and she turned to look at me, her big blue eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, everything was still. Then her gaze shifted, and her face crumpled with fear.

“Lucy!” she cried, her voice high-pitched and panicked.

My feet were moving before I even realized it, the gravel beneath me crunching as I ran toward her. But no matter how fast I moved, the distance between us didn’t shrink.

“Aria, hold on!” I screamed, reaching out for her, my fingers brushing the empty air where her hand should have been.

A shadow loomed behind her, tall and menacing, its edges shifting like smoke. It reached for her, and she screamed, the sound piercing and raw.

“No!” I shouted, my voice breaking. “Let her go!”

But the shadow didn’t stop. It swallowed her whole, her cries echoing into nothingness.

I fell to my knees, the ground beneath me cold and unyielding. My hands clawed at the dirt where she’d been, but there was nothing there—no sign she’d ever existed.

The shadow turned toward me, and I froze. Its hollow, empty eyes bore into me, and its mouth twisted into a mocking smile.

“This is your fault,” it said, its voice like gravel scraping against glass.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I tried—I tried to save her.”

“You didn’t try hard enough.”

The words hit like a punch, and I doubled over, gasping for air. The darkness grew thicker, pulling me under, and Aria’s cries still screaming in my ears.

“Lucy!”

“Lucy, wake up!”

The voice snapped me back, and I jolted upright, my chest heaving, the remnants of the nightmare still clinging to me.

The room was still dark and my hands were shaking, my skin slick with sweat. I pressed my palms to my face, willing my breathing to slow, but the weight in my chest wouldn’t lift.

Spinner was standing by the bed, staring down at me, his brows knitted together in concern.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice concerned.

I nodded quickly, not trusting my voice.

“You were screamin’,” he said, touching my arm.

“Sorry,” I croaked, my throat raw.

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