Nineteen
I don’t know how long it is before I finally feel the pull of the waking world. I rub my eyes and blink several times, trying to orient myself in this room that seems familiar and yet not familiar. Why is there a fireplace?
I think about sitting up, but the memory of what happened inside the mountain comes slamming back, enough to pin me down to the bed. I imagine Nate standing in the shadows of the cave, and it feels like something is pressing down on my chest. I can’t breathe properly.
Don’t think about him. Don’t think, don’t think, don’t—
Ryn’s face appears in front of mine. I jerk away. “What—what are you doing here?” My voice is croaky.
He raises an eyebrow. “I live here.”
My mouth forms a confused O, but then I realize that’s why everything looks so familiar-but-not-f
