Page 5 of Volik

My skin feels tight.

I stop breathing.

I just stop, trapping the air in my lungs.

The steps get closer.

Closer.

They’re on the other side of the door.

My body leans toward the sound, but the movement shifts my hand on the counter, and the edge of the map slices into the side of my finger, a small paper cut.

I release my hold on the counter and jerk my hand to my chest on instinct.

The footsteps stop.

All I can hear is my own thundering heartbeat as I stare at the door.

There’s nothing to see. No windowpane to look through. And the office is too bright to see any shadows of movement under the door.

But I can feel… him.

The word wraps around my throat.

It’s a him. I know it is.

I can feel it.

Something tugs against my chest.

It feels like a rope is laced through my rib cage, and whoever is on the other side of the door is using it to pull me forward.

Closer.

The apex of my thighs aches.

I need… something.

I need to open the door.

My weight shifts as my muscles prepare to cross the room.

But then the footsteps resume.

My heart protests. And the rope twined through my chest stretches tight between me and whatever it’s tethered to.

My lips part, and I… suck in air.

I blink.

The footsteps fade.

The tug on my bones slackens.

The vibrations dissipate.

I just needed to breathe.