Lilith jolted awake, gasping.
Her chest heaved, sweat clinging to her skin.
She clutched her heart, feeling it pound violently against her ribs.
Her room was silent but her mind was screaming.
Ray…
Her hands trembled as she ran them through her hair.
It was just a dream.
Wasn't it?
But the pain in her chest felt too real. A raw ache she couldn't shake.
***
Ray staggered backward, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he stared at the unfamiliar hotel room. The very air around him felt like it was collapsing inward, suffocating him.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears, drowning out every other sound except the voice screaming inside his head...
Alexander is trying to erase us.
A shiver ran down his spine, cold and sharp, cutting through his chest like a blade.
No.
No, no, no.
He couldn't stay here.
If he stayed..if he let his guard down...he would disappear.