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I could take my shot

But ould his death accomplish? Dead men could tell no secrets…like the way out of here

But if he tried to force hiular

I stepped inside the cabin, the white Christhts on above my bed

He was seated in the chair at the bedside, in the sah-backed throne

I’d been alone with hi when it was inBeatrice and Claire froht, not that they could help me if it came to that anyway

I shut the door behind me and approached the bed, unsure what to do

He ht up next to my bed, like a therapist that expected a patient to lie down and share their pain

I was frozen in place, afraid to lie down, afraid to putposition

He watchedon the surface of his eyes as if there were a Christmas tree in the room

“What do you want from me?” I pierced the silence with the question, afraid of the answer

“Sleep”

Sleep? He expected uy really was psycho

“I want to watch el sleep”

Not gonna happen

He gestured to the bed

I was sick of playing along with this ridiculous gahts, to say that he was a freak that deserved to burn in hell But I had to placate hiive in over and over, because my life was always on the line

So, I sucked it up and lay there on s behind me, my face toward him

He settled comfortably in the chair and stared

Even if I closed my eyes, I couldn’t sleep

I couldn’t sleep until he was out of the room—and far away from me

11

Constance

Rebecca stepped into the room

But not mine

“Your demon awaits”

I looked through the open doorway to see Beatrice sitting on the bed, her daughter on the floor playing with her toys

Beatrice shifted her eyes to me, like she didn’t knohat to do

Rebecca followed her gaze, and when her sight settled on me, she instantly looked furious She closed the panels between us, an audible lock clicking into place “Grab your wings, Angel”

There was silent shuffling as Beatrice got dressed