Odette's POV
For a second, I thought I'd imagined it.
That low, smooth voice that seemed to roll through the dark like velvet smoke.
But then—
"Hello, beautiful."
I froze, every muscle locking tight. My lungs forgot how to work. The air in my room thickened, heavy and strange, like even it was listening.
I was sitting on the bed, still in my clean clothes from my bath, hair damp and clinging to my neck. The sheets were cool beneath my palms. My heart gave a violent kick.
There was no one supposed to be here. No one ever came in without knocking.
I hadn't heard the door open. Not even a click. And yet—there he was.
My hands scrambled across the bed, searching for something—anything—to hold, but all I found was the edge of the blanket. I crawled backward, pressing myself against the headboard until my shoulders hit the wall.
"Who—who are you?" My voice trembled. "Who is there?"
Silence.
Then, the faintest sound—a step.
