Page 237 of Bound By Crimson

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It was cold and slightly damp.

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against it, eyes cast down at the ground.

The earth smelled like moss and old rain.

She could feel her heart pounding in her throat.

“Hey. You’re late.”

Grayson’s voice cut through the quiet like light through fog.

She startled slightly. Swallowed hard.

“I wasn’t sure I was coming.”

“But you did,” Grayson said softly. “I’m glad.”

She stayed pressed to the wall.

She hadn’t even realized she was shaking until now.

Her fingers brushed along the ivy absently.

The cool leaves grounded her.

Now. Say it.

But the words stuck in her mouth like wet cotton.

Say it.

“Lyric?” Grayson’s voice softened. “Everything okay?”

She let the silence stretch—one second, then two, then five.

Then finally, she whispered:

“I need your help.”

There was a pause on the other side.

Stillness.

No movement. No sound. Just breath.

“Okay,” he said, voice lower now. “What do you need?”

She closed her eyes, pressed her cheek to the cold wall.

“To get out of here.”

Chapter Eighty-Eight

Two Days

There was a pause after she said it.

“To get out of here.”

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