Chapter 154

OLIVIA’S POV I blinked the last traces of the nightmare from my eyes, my skin still tingling from the phantom claws that had tried to touch me in that dream—no, that vision. But the burning slap on my cheek brought me crashing back into reality. Not the dream-world of shadowy threats, but the cruel, twisted world Evelyn had dragged me into. And there she stood. Evelyn. Perfectly coiffed hair, lips curled in that familiar venomous sneer, and eyes glowing with the sick satisfaction of thinking she had won. But I didn’t panic. I smiled. Her eyes narrowed at once. That wasn’t the reaction she expected, and I could see her mentally trying to recalibrate. “Oh Evelyn,” I drawled, my voice a little hoarse but laced with mockery, “of course I missed you. These rusty old walls needed a face like yours to match their aesthetic.” That did it. The smile she wore faltered. Her jaw twitched, and I saw her fists curl slightly at her sides. For a moment, her bravado cracked, and that brief flicker of i