Page 30 of Sleepless Beauties
He comes so close his hand lifts and that’s all the space that he allows between us. His shining attention flits across my features in an animalistic way. There’s a question in his sea glass colored eyes.
Something… bad.
“You look different,” he whispers curiously.
Fuck.
My pulse now feels like a mallet slamming into a spike, over and over again.
“Yes. And it’s unfortunate that you still look the same, Cardence.”
His mouth falls open with a half smirk of stunned shock. “Damnnn, Six,” he whispers with growing amusement.
I turn away from him with a flick of my hair and my hands want to tremble badly, but I hold them delicately in front of me instead.
“Prey,” I beckon as I stride to croft six.
I wait with blank boredom painted on my face, and I refuse to exhale the painful breath I’m holding within the tightness of my chest. Prey works quickly to push aside my coffin lid for me, and it’s morbid that I’d rather crawl into my tomb and die than continue to look at that all-knowing man a single second longer.
Prey offers me a hand. I slide my sweaty palm into his cold one and I instantly feel a little better. I feel a gentle squeeze there, and I know the two of them are watching me closely as I climb in. It feels like a trap to crawl into your own coffin. It feels like a lifetime of fearing death is washing into me with the intent of drowning me in a puddle of my own creation.
I slide in.
Smooth, cold stone kisses my flesh.
It’s hard to swallow as I accept my fate.
Then I lie down in my tomb, waiting for Prey to close the lid on my existence.
The light squeal of hinges sounds like an alarm as the lid is lowered over my body inch by inch. I watch the light fade away with wide eyes.
Panic slams against my chest. I lie immobile.
A dim crack of light is all that is left.
“Good night, Six,” Cardence whispers like a snake slithering in just before all the light is shut out.
And then I’m left all alone.
The darkness feels pressing. My fingers slide back and forth, touching my thighs before slipping the few inches to feel the smooth grain of the side of the sarcophagus. I do it again. I trace the space once more. Three inches. It can’t be more than three inches of space on either side of my body.
The shaking exhale I release blows right back into my face. It’s hot and stifling and gives the illusion that there’s not enough air in here.
There’s not enough air.
There’s not!
My palm collides with the top and I push so hard it flings open with a resounding slam. I’m sitting up so fast I nearly leap right out of the damn thing.
But Prey is right there. His hands are against my shoulders in an instant, cool along my damp skin as he stares down at me hard.
“I—I can’t stay in here. I—I need to get out!” The look I give him is too fragile, too scared, and I fucking hate it. I was doing so good at concealing that human side of me.
Until now.
“You,” his voice drops to a whisper and I realize Acessa is now watching us from across the room with a sparkle in her big brown eyes, “you need to lie down, mistress.” He lifts his brows rather sternly.
He’s politely saying one thing while threatening me with a lift of his eyebrows.
