NINE
With sunrise on the horizon, I stare at the gilded ceiling. I lie awake in a bed too big for one person, reliving the nightmare repeatedly as the remnants of whatever he put in the drink filter through my blood. And I'm alone. My sleep was disturbed the second Kade's side of the bed cooled. I don't know where he went. To Charlotte? Elizabeth? The thought turns my stomach, so I push it from my mind. The manor creaks and groans as the wind batters it, and the shadows of Kade's belongings wreak havoc on my imagination, taking it to scary places.