Nala
“It can’t be,” Annabel murmured again, almost like she was trying to convince herself more than she was denying me. Her words were soft, but the confusion and disbelief behind them felt heavy, almost suffocating. I sighed, feeling a pang of sympathy for her.
“Well, you’re handling it a lot better than I did,” I said, trying to lighten the mood with a shaky laugh. But she didn’t respond. Her gaze went distant, as if she was looking right through me and into some place only she could see.
Xander’s arm slipped around my shoulders, pulling me gently but firmly towards him. The gesture seemed protective, and I noticed the subtle shift in his posture.
He was on edge, alert. He knew something I didn’t, something that made him tense up like a coiled spring. I opened my mouth to ask what
