The second Carter walks out and the door clicks shut behind him, the room feels too quiet again, too controlled, too watched, and I can feel Declan’s presence like a weight pressing down on my chest even though he is standing a few feet away.
I wait until his footsteps settle into stillness, and then I swing my legs slowly over the side of the bed.
The floor is cold under my bare feet.
“What are you doing,” Declan asks immediately, his voice sharp but not panicked, like he expected this.
“f**k off,” I mutter, because I do not have the patience for polite conversation right now.
My head throbs as soon as I straighten up, and the room tilts slightly before leveling out again, and I grip the edge of the mattress for a second until my balance steadies.
“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” he s
