Cassandra leaned back slightly, her weight shifting with casual grace. Her expression gave away nothing.
"Come."
I hesitated. Then I started forward, each step deliberate, measured, like approaching a sleeping predator you weren't entirely sure wouldn't wake.
"Sit," she said when I was a few feet away.
I moved toward the edge of the bed beside her, but—
"Where do you think you're going?"
Her voice cracked through the air like a whip, sharp enough to freeze me mid-motion.
"Sit."
Understanding settled over me like cold water.
You can't be serious.
But the look in her eyes left no room for argument.
I lowered myself to the floor in front of her, settled cross-legged, positioned directly below her line of sight. She sat above me on the bed, spine straight, posture perfect.
She studied my face.
"Where were you?" she asked again.
I kept my voice light, casual. "Just feeling suffocated. Needed to clear my head. Get some air."
"Where?"
