Lyra’s POV
The timber was thick, shrouded in darkness as I ran, my bare feet scraping against the cold earth, branches clawing at my skin like twisted hands reaching out to pull me back. My breaths were shallow, sharp, the familiar terror curling around my heart, tensing with every step.
also, I heard it — a laugh, low and cold, cutting through the silence.
“Did you really think you could escape me, little rabbit? ”
I felt, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from my rib. Colin’s voice. My heart pounded, each beat was a barrel in the concave of my chest as I turned, finding him standing just beyond the murk, his smile twisted with cruel recreation.
I took a step back, my hands pulsing. “You’re not real,” I muttered, my voice shaking. “You’re not here.”
But he only l
