Page 25 of Kat Bethel

“I am tired, though. I need to get some sleep.”

“Call me if you need me.”There was a long pregnant pause.“Instead of setting your house on fire or something crazy.”

My shadow tilted its head to the side even though I hadn’t moved. As if it was curious about what I’d done.

Heat filled my face. “You had cameras in my house?”

“Of course, I did.”She scoffed.

“Before or after?” Shame wove through me. What did she know?

“I didn’t tell Willow. I’ll let you do that,” she answered my unspoken question without the judgement that I expected. I pulled a memory from those hazy moments.

When I tried to call nine-one-one, but I’d been struggling, because the tea had already taken effect. I thought I’d succeeded with pure luck. “You called the ambulance.”

That was why they’d gotten there so fast.

“I love you.” Every word was laced with a reassuring truth I needed.

Esme had lied to Willow, pretending to search for me when she knew where I was the whole time. My other ride or die.

“I love you.” I sniffled and hung up.

With that, I went to bed, elevating my leg. Tomorrow would be a big day.

Chapter 10:

Achillranoverme that settled into my bones. I reached to pull the blanket up around me, but my hands refused to cooperate. I was too tired. My fingers went limp on the sheet. I peeled one eyelid back to confirm that it was too much effort to get it.

I glanced at the ceiling, already on the edge of sinking back to sleep when something dark and small blurred in the crease where the ceiling and wall met.

My sleep-fogged brain struggled to make sense of what it was.It’s just a shadow. Go back to bed.

Then why was my heart suddenly racing out of my chest?

Something wasn’t right.

My eyelid threatened to collapse, but I held it open with sheer force of will. The shadow was the size of a bug. The possibility that it would fall on my face woke my brain up a sliver more, but not enough to move.

What is that?

The shape blurred and grew, moving with thin long legs. A spider? No.

My pulse pounded in my ear as adrenaline surged through me. I tried to move my fingers, but I couldn’t command the muscles and tendons. Every digit weighed a thousand pounds.

The shape grew from the shadow as tendrils pulled from the darkness. Definitely not a bug.

Move. Damn it.

Shadows billowed down like a cloud toward me, growing by the second. I quivered, but was locked inside my body.

Damn it.

Helplessness slinked through me like tar. The realization that I couldn’t do a damn thing to stop what happened next made tears prick my eyes.

The shadow continued filling the room with its presence getting closer to me. The lamp on the nightstand popped as the bulb burst in a rain of glass.

It spread out until it was a blanket hovering over me.