Always within reach.
I sat on the bed, pulled the blanket around me, and tried to relax.I almost did, until I heard something.
I froze.
It wasn’t loud.It wasn’t violent.It wasn’t dramatic.
It was a… tap.
At the window.
A soft, deliberate tap.
Then another.
And another.
My heart slammed into my ribs so hard I might’ve rattled the bed frame.I clutched the blanket like it was body armor.I held my breath.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
It wasn’t wind.
It wasn’t rain.
It was something intentional.
My voice scraped out of my throat, small and panicked.“Prime?”
The door flew open so fast it bounced off the wall.Prime stormed inside, hand already at the knife on his hip, eyes snapping straight to the window.
“What?”he demanded.“What happened?”
I pointed with a shaking hand.“There was… something.Someone.At the window.Tapping.”
He didn’t question it.He didn’t tell me I imagined it.He just moved.
Fast.
He pulled the curtain back.Nothing.
The window glass reflected the dim hallway light.
But Prime wasn’t satisfied.
He unlocked the window, slid it open silently, and stuck his head outside, scanning the trees.
“Stay behind me,” he said, voice low and deadly.
I was already pressed against his back before he finished the sentence.
He stepped closer to the window, leaned out further, muscles tense.
“Do you see anything?”I whispered.
