Page 13 of Requiem
My hand lifts to press lightly against the tender, sore skin on my throat. My fingertips hover for a second before pressing just enough to feel the bruising. As much as I want to, I can’t fight the image from last night. His hands, tightening, the pressure cutting off my air, the sound of my own pulseroaringin my ears as I tried to get him tosee me. My body was desperate not to die. He was...killing me.
Would he have succeeded had it not been for Micah?
I sit up so fast that Heather stirs beside me.
“Hey…” Her voice is thick with sleep as she pushes herself up onto one elbow. It takes less than a second for her expression to change when she sees my hand at my throat. Her face twists in recognition. “Em…”
“And that fuckingbitchis here,” I hiss before I can think about it. Heather doesn’t say anything to that as I clench and I unclench my fists.My throat hurts, and my eyes burn. I blink quickly, trying to push it back down before it spills over, but it’s already there. “He...he tried to—”
Heather’s gaze doesn’t leave mine. “I know.” Her hand finds my arm. “But he didn’t.”
“Only because Micah stopped him.” My hand drops from my throat, gripping the blanket instead as I draw in a slow breath, trying to steady myself. Trying to push past the image of him looking at me like I was hisenemy.I swing my legs over the side of the bed. “I need to see him. He could be awake.” The words are out before I’ve fully thought them through. But I need to see him. I need to—
“Emma.”Heather’s voice stops me, not harsh, but firm enough that I pause.
I glance back at her.
“Just…wait a second,” she says carefully. “Maybe we should talk to Rafe first. Or Adela. They might—”
“No,” I cut in. “I just…”
I don’t finish the sentence. I push myself to my feet anyway, ignoring the way my legs feel unsteady for a second as I move toward the door. My hand wraps around the handle, and I pull it open.
And stop.
Micah is already standing there.
My body jolts as our eyes meet. He looks drained. I can tell by the tension in his jaw, and how his gaze flicks over me quickly before settling back on my face.
“I was just coming to talk to you,” he says.
I incline my chin. “I was going to see him.”
His expression doesn’t change, but something shifts behind his eyes. “I want to go down first,” he says.
I stare at him, annoyance flaring. “Micah—”
“Just give me a minute,” he adds, tone serious enough that it has me clamping my mouth shut. “I need to see where he’s at. He woke up in the middle of the night, and…” he trails off.
He’s already seen something. He must have. My chest squeezes, but I force myself to breathe through it. “Fine,” I say quietly, even though it doesn’t feel fine at all.
Relief flickers across his expression. “I’m going to talk to Adriana first,” he adds. “Last night was…a lot. For all of us.”
Adriana.
My stomach twists at the name. I don’t say anything, but he must see it in my face.
“She’s the only one who knows exactly what happened,” he continues.
I nod again, because I don’t trust myself to do anything else.
Micah glances past me toward Heather, offering a kind smile and a tired wink.
Heather snorts softly. “Sorry I left you alone again.”
He shakes his head. “It’s okay, blondie. Thank you for being there for me.” And then he’s gone.
I stand there for a moment longer, staring at the empty hallway. Behind me, the bed shifts as Heather moves.
