Page 48 of Crucible
Heart pounding, I take off in the opposite direction, needing to flee whatever new terror made that sound. I rush through the woods and look for a way back to the plane.
All I find is more debris.
Lots of it.
There’s a trail that leads back the way I came—or at least I think it’s the way I came.
I’m clearly lost, so I follow the scattered detritus.
Foolishly, I allow myself to hope that I’ll find my way back until I see something ahead that makes me stop.
Crimson in the snow.
Blood.
An alarming amount.
I spot Cassie’s blue and purple striped scarf lying two feet away from it and suck in a breath.
“Cassie!” I yell again as I rush forward. “Cassie, where are you?” Reaching her scarf, I fall to my knees and slowly lift it from the ground. It hurts to move, but I stuff it inside Harrison’s pocket anyway. Cassie will need it when I find her. This cold is too unbearable, too unrelenting.
“Cassie!” I croak. “Cassie, please answer me!”
Yanked free of my nightmare, the disorientation when I wake feels familiar. The lingering exhaustion that clings to me is reminiscent of my days on tour. Living on the road for months on end is a hard life, even when you’re at the top, flying on private jets and staying in the best hotels.
Thinking of the day that must be ahead of me, I will my eyes open even though I can’t remember what my uncle has booked for me.
A flight?
No, that’s not right.
I’m supposed to be on set today for the first-ever live recording of the talent competition I’m judging—alongside Tania’s crumbing ass. I tell myself just a few more minutes and shift from my back to my side.
The bed I’m in is soft enough and warm, but the sheets are completely unacceptable. The fiber feels rough against my bare legs, as if it has a thread count of two.
I make a mental note to speak to Cassie.
Used to waking up in strange beds, I’m not alarmed in the slightest that the one I’m in isn’t mine. I snuggle a little deeper into the pillow with my eyes still firmly shut.
The scent that greets me, though, keeps me from falling back asleep.
Amber, with a hint of juniper, but the latter doesn’t feel like it belongs. Both scents stir memories that aren’t mine.
Or, at least, they shouldn’t be.
I add it to the growing list of things Cassie will need to fix if she wants to keep her job.
The memory of the last time I saw her pops into my head as I start to doze again. Her unseeing gaze staring up at me from the frozen ground where she’s lying in a pool of crimson. I hear the thunk of something hard and heavy falling to the ground, and when I look down, I see a bloody axe lying next to my feet.
No.
Sure, Cassie’s a shitty fucking assistant, but surely…
Lifting my hands, the white forest around me spins when I see that my palms are equally red, and then I hear that terrifying growl…
My eyes fly open, and I sit up with a gasp, my hands clutching the blanket and sheets covering me from the waist down as my gaze darts to every corner of the room. It’s day, so there are no shadows to taunt me, only the ones my mind creates.
It wasn’t a dream.
