Sandy's POV
"What proof?" The words escaped my throat, but they sounded foreign, as if spoken by a stranger inhabiting my body.
Zayden peeled himself away from the tree trunk and moved toward me with deliberate steps. Time stretched like molten glass, each second dragging into eternity.
My fists clenched and released, fingers trembling against my palms. Every instinct screamed at me to sprint back to Charles, to wake him from sleep and drag him here with me. I should never have faced this madman alone.
Zayden halted mere inches from where I stood frozen. His breath ghosted across my chilled skin, sending violent tremors down my spine as he retrieved something from his pocket and thrust it toward me.
My hand betrayed me, reaching out to snatch the paper from his grasp. He pressed closer, his chest barely grazing mine, but I couldn't spare attention for his proximity.
