His breath was shallow, barely audible, and for the briefest of seconds, I thought I might hear the beat of his heart.

He let out a breath through his nose, then leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. “A concussion, a broken leg, a few cracked ribs, and ten stitches later, I called it even.”

A shiver ran through me, but it wasn’t from fear. It was from something else entirely; something I dared not name.

“If he ever touches you like that again,” he continued, his voice lethal, “I’ll kill him next time.”

Shaking my head, I breathed, “You don’t need to worry,” though it sounded more like a plea.

“You think I’m joking, don’t you?”

My lips twitched. “I hope you are.”

“I wish I were. But I’m not. If he dares to hurt you again, Beverly, I won’t stop until he’s not moving anymore.”

Before I could respond, footsteps rang out from behind us. I gasped and jerked my hand away just as Dad and Alaric rounded the corner.

“Get out of the halls,” Dad muttered, reaching out to tug lightly on my hair. “There’s an entire house you can take up the next time you decide to block it.”

I nodded, stepping back, but my eyes never left Blake.

“There won’t be a next time.”

* * *

That night, I tossed and turned, yanking the covers over me only to kick them off moments later. I turned onto my side, then my back, then my stomach, but the restlessness wouldn’t leave. My mind was too awake, spinning in circles.

Blake’s words from the hallway echoed in my head, pressing against my ribs. I won’t stop until he’s not moving anymore.

His voice had been so sure, like a promise carved into stone.

With a sigh, I flipped my pillow to the cooler side. I needed a distraction. Something to silence the chaos in my head, to drown out the thoughts that kept clawing their way back in.

I needed something to focus on. A book. But I didn’t have one.

My eyes flickered toward the door.

Blake had plenty. He always had books lying around, stacked on his desk, shoved under his bed, forgotten on his nightstand. If I borrowed one, he probably wouldn’t even notice.

Before I could let my mind spiral into a million reasons why I shouldn’t, I slipped out of bed and tiptoed down the hallway. Blake’s door was shut, but no light seeped from beneath it.

I paused, straining to listen, but there was no sound from inside.

He was asleep.