Page 248 of Midnights
A slow chill creeps over my skin. “How? By making people uncomfortable?”
His lips press into a thin line. “By waking things that were meant to stay buried.”
I inhale slowly, feeling my frustration simmer. “We’re getting off track,” I mutter, shaking my head. “But let me guess, no one knows where she is still?”
“Exactly. When they find out, she’ll be easier to hunt.” He nods, looking around. “And because I know you’ll just keep asking, the fear isn’t just about what she could do.”
His words are cold and suffocating.
“So, they want her gone because they’re afraid of what shemightdo?” I scoff. “Shocker.”
He pauses, letting his mask slip back into place. “When you asked us to help with your family, I tried to dig deeper.”
A pit forms in my stomach, but he keeps going.
“I couldn't find anything. It was like they vanished without a trace.” He stops, staring right at me. “And that’s saying something, becauseIcan find anything.”
“Not just because of, you know…” He trails off, letting the implication hang in the air before adding with that familiar cocky swagger of his, “But because I’m really fucking good at what I do.”
Despite myself, I let out a nervous laugh. “Modest, too.”
He starts walking again, not missing a beat. “I cameherebecause your grandparents were royalty.” His tone shifts, and the teasing edge is gone. “Over here, we have people who deal exclusively with royal bloodlines. Bartering goods, managing alliances, maintaining the balance, that sort of thing. If anyone knows who your grandparents really were, they’ll be inthisrealm.”
My stomach knots. There is so much going through my head right now, I'm not even sure where to start. “Okay,” I reply cautiously. “Let’s say all of that lines up. What does any of this have to do with me?”
Cam stops abruptly. His expression tightens like he’s at war with himself. His chest rises with a slow, measured breath before his eyes find mine.
“You fit the description.”
I blink, holding back a giggle. “Except for one tiny little flaw in that theory, buddy. Idon’thave magic.”
The air shifts, and a gust of wind tears through the trees, rustling the leaves at our feet. They swirl in an unnatural dance around us, and I can hear thunder rumbling in the distance.
I look up at the stars that had been so vivid moments ago, but are now swallowed by thick, rolling clouds.
A deep foreign pull hums under my skin, threading through my veins. The hairs on the back of my neck rise as heat prickles at my fingertips. And for the first time, I wonder if maybe he’s right?
I don’t realize I’ve stopped walking until I feel Cam’s eyes on me, his expression hesitant.
“Raven.” His voice is laced with concern. “Hey, stay with me.”
I nod faintly, but my gaze stays locked on the sky. The distant flashes of light pulse through the darkness and I can feel a thickness around us. I canfeelit getting closer.
“Raven!” Cam’s voice sharpens, sounding more urgent now. He moves into my line of sight, cutting through the haze. “Look at me.” His tone dips into something close to panic. “I need you to calm down.Right now.”
“I’m notdoinganything!” I snap. I can feel the crack in my voice as the panic rises, clawing at my throat.
I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing air into my lungs.
One, two, three…but it’s useless.
Four, five, six…It feels like it's pressing in tighter.
Seven… eight… nine…the numbers tumble through my mind, but they aren’t working.
My hands tremble at my sides, and I'm holding onto the dagger so tight, I can feel it digging into my palm. I force my eyes open, locking onto Cam’s.
“This isn’t me, Cam,” I say again.
