Heather's POV
☆☆☆☆☆
Heather
The night air was thick with silence, heavy and watchful.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the shadows above me crawling like restless thoughts I couldn't quiet. The sheets tangled around my legs, warm despite the chill in the room. Sleep had danced just beyond reach all night, taunting me, slipping through my fingers like smoke every time I closed my eyes.
Then I heard it.
A sound-soft, distant, but distinct.
It wasn't the wind. It wasn't footsteps. It was... muffled. Rhythmic.
At first, I thought I was imagining things. This place was safe, I told myself. Safer than Marcus's territory. Darrian had made that clear.
But there it was again. A faint thump. Then another.
Followed by a soft, feminine gasp.
I sat up, heart beginning to race. My insti
