Skylar's POV
The air was a rubber band drawn too tight. Three days stuck inside that run-down cabin with him, and the tension between us grew heavier with each passing second. Julian sat at the window, his eyes keen and raptor-like as they scanned the treetops beyond the panes, while Jasper toyed with his knife-the bright glint of it flashing over and over in his palm.
I couldn't shake the unease curling in my gut. Something was off. Maybe it was the way Jasper avoided my gaze, or how he disappeared for hours at a time, claiming he needed "to check the perimeter." Whatever it was, it left a sour taste in my mouth.
I pushed off the creaky chair and stretched, the ache in my muscles reminding me how little sleep I'd had. "I'm going to grab some air," I said, the words sounding so much more casual than I did.
Julian glanced at me, his face unreadable. "Stay close. We don't know how far their reach extends.
