I slid down against the wall, wrapping my arms around my legs as the chill seeped into my bones. Hours passed, maybe more. The hunger gnawed at my stomach, my limbs trembling from the cold. I closed my eyes, exhaustion pulling at me, my mind drifting somewhere between sleep and despair.
This was how I would die. The lock clicked.
My head snapped up as the heavy door creaked open, golden light spilling into the basement. I blinked against the sudden brightness, my breath catching as a shadowed figure stepped inside.
For a brief, foolish moment, I thought it was Luther. But then he spoke.
"Cheryl," the deep voice was unfamiliar, yet strangely warm.
Vander Skyler. Luther’s stepbrother.
He knelt beside me, his face barely visible in the dim light. "You’re freezing.”
My body trembled, too weak to move. Vander didn’t wait for an answer. He slipped his arms around me, lifting me with ease. I wanted to protest, to demand why he was helping me, but the warmth of his body against mine lulled me into a hazy silence.
"Stay awake," he murmured as he carried me outside. "You’re not dying today."