The moment his eyes met mine, my body froze.
I didn't choose it.
It happened before thought.
In my last life, when the blade slid into my back, pain hadn't come first. Shock had. Disbelief. The kind that makes your mind go blank while your body understands everything.
Now, standing here, that same feeling slammed into me again.
Those eyes.
Cold. Empty. Sharp.
I knew them.
Even though his face was different, even though everything about him looked ordinary, my heart began to race like it was about to burst through my ribs. Fear rushed through me so fast it left me dizzy, like being dragged straight to the top of a drop with no time to brace.
My mind told me to look away.
My body screamed danger.
Then someone stepped in front of me.
The pressure eased instantly.
"Mrs. Riley," a calm voice said, "would you like some water?"
Theo.
