I woke with a start, the echo of Jesse’s words still burning in my mind. “We’re the same now.” His voice wouldn’t leave me. Even trapped behind the Door, I could feel him. His presence coiling inside me like a shadow that wouldn’t let go.
The Door hummed faintly around me, pulsing like it had a heartbeat. I pressed my hands to the cold floor of my prison, trying to steady myself, to calm the panic that had shot through me when I saw him. My magic throbbed like a live wire under my skin. Pieces of me were missing, bleeding into him somehow.
I couldn’t deny it. He had part of me.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe. My head spun with possibilities, but one thing was clear. If I didn’t act, Jesse would only grow stronger. He wouldn’t stop until he had everything. My power, the Door
