Chapter 42

"When you’re surrounded by a world of constant lies, manipulation, and deceit, that dark energy is bound to seep into you eventually." – Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman

MELODY POV

A cold whisper washed down my spine as Jordan picked me up from where I was curled on the floor. Without breaking a sweat, he spun me around, and butterflies floated in my belly with an echo when his eyes connected with mine. With the back of his hand, he wiped the bitter, salty rivulets off my cheeks and the pool underneath my chin.

A familiar presence burned my back, and I tilted my head to find Laylah with a white leather coat clutched in her hands. She held it up for me and I silently slipped my hands into it before tying a suffocating knot on my front, then eased a stilling breath into my lungs.

Silence stretched on the tide of time, fear screaming louder than the rapid breathing that surrounded the room. There was a foreign coldness that lurked and hung on the ceiling like a dark cloud. Like a presence from ano