JASMINE POV
By the time I reached the top, my chest was so tight I could barely pull in the air.
Alaric's door stood just a few feet away.
I hesitated. My fingers curled into fists at my sides as I leaned in, pressing my ear against the wood.
Nothing.
No sound. No movement.
The silence should have comforted me, but instead, it sent a fresh wave of unease through me.
"He's asleep," I told myself. Or maybe... maybe he wasn't even at Cory's place to begin with. Perhaps I really did imagine it.
I straightened, swallowing against the tightness in my throat. Just get to your room. Lock the door. Don't think. Just sleep. I kept chanting to myself.
The hallway was empty, but it felt as if eyes were crawling over me.
I walked on numb legs to my bedroom door, my fingers shaking as I turned the knob and slipped inside.
The darkness swallowed me.
