Clouds. That had to be it. Except… Clouds didn’t smell like this.
My brows pulled together as I forced my eyes open. The world snapped into focus too quickly.
I shot upright, my body moving before my thoughts caught up, breath dragged out of me as I looked around. The room blurred for a split-second, unfamiliar and familiar all at once, like I should know it but couldn’t quite place it.
My hands dragged down my body, catching on an oversized shirt and sweats, none of it mine.
Darting my gaze around, I searched for something solid, something that would anchor me, and that was when my eyes landed on a bookshelf, right where a matte black humvee sat perched between the rows.
Everything hit at once.
Calix. His room. Asking about the car, explaining what I would do to improve.
My breathing stuttered before slowly evening out, the frantic edge fading just enough for me to think. I knew where I was.
But something still felt… wrong. Too sharp.
My eyes adjusted again, and I realized it wasn’t the room that had changed, it was how I was seeing it. Every edge was clearer, every detail sharper, like the world had been dialed into focus.
A faint scent drifted through the air, leather and old books, something warm and clean. It hit me all at once, stronger than anything I’d ever experienced. It filled my lungs and wrapped around my senses, overwhelming me.
I turned toward it instinctively, needing to find the source, then froze.
Rack.
He was right there beside me, shirtless, close enough that I could see the rise and fall of his chest.
A startled sound tore out of me before I could stop it, and I scrambled backward, my body reacting faster than I could think. I twisted as I fell, catching myself at the last second instead of slamming into the ground, my hands bracing easily against the floor.
Rack jerked upright, his own movements sharp and eyes wide. He immediately held out his hands, palms out.
“Olivia. Wait.” The words came out quickly, carrying an urgency with them. “No one’s going to hurt you. I swear. You’re safe.”
His hand dragged over the back of his neck, gaze flicking away for a second before coming back to me, something tight and uncertain lingering there.
“More than safe,” he added, quieter this time. “Depending on how you look at it.”
That didn’t help. Not even a little.
I glanced down at my hands, slowly turning them over. All the callouses I’d built over years were gone. Replaced with smooth, silky skin that didn’t belong to me.
My fingers traced along my arms, my sides, my stomach. Everything felt… fine. Better than fine, actually. A knot twisted in my chest.
“Do you remember how you got here?”
Rack’s voice pulled my attention back to him, and I frowned, trying to follow the thread of his question.
Think.I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to go back.
A crack. Loud. Violent.
My body jerked, a sharp tremor running through me as I clutched at my stomach instinctively. Expecting to feel blood, my hands pressed down.
My eyes flew open, frantically looking down to see nothing. Clean. Not a single drop.
“I got shot,” I whispered, the words coming out hollow. A sharp ache pulsed through my head. Something was missing, something important, but the more I tried to grab it, the further it slipped.
“Yes.” Rack’s voice was softer now. “Lark and Nathan brought you here.”
