CHAPTER 229
KATYA POV
The first thing I noticed was the cold. Not the room.....me. It crept up my spine and settled in my bones, like my body had forgotten how to stay warm on its own.
The second thing was the pain. It pulsed behind my eyes and back, deep and heavy, every beat slow and unforgiving.
I lifted my hand without thinking and immediately hissed. Wet. Sticky. My fingers came away red.
Blood.
That explained the dizziness. The way the room tilted slightly, like it couldn't decide where it wanted to stay.
I swallowed and tried to breathe normally. In through my nose. Out through my mouth. It didn't quite work.
My chest still stuttered, breaths catching halfway like my lungs hadn't gotten the message that it was over.
It's over, I told myself. I wasn't sure what it was. Just that the feeling lingered, thick and suffocating, like smoke after a fire.
I realized then that I wasn't alone. He was still there Too close.
