A giggle. Light. Cruel. “Not even close. I didn’t know Magnus loved me so much he’d lock you away… even though he knows it’s your biggest fear.”
My jaw clenched. I refused to give her the satisfaction of hearing me panic.
“If you have nothing real to say, leave,” I snapped.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she purred. “I’m just getting started. But for now… I’ll let you rot in there.”
Her heels clicked away, slow and satisfied.
I let out a shaky breath.
Darkness crept deeper into the closet. I reached up, fingers brushing my hair. The small pin was still there, holding it in place.
A hairpin.
“Better than nothing,” I muttered.
I dropped to my knees and started working it into the lock. My hands shook too badly at first, but I forced them steady.
Seconds passed.
Minutes.
Then—
Voices.
Outside.
Two familiar voices, low and gleeful.
“Let’s teach her a real lesson,” Ian hissed.
Vale snickered. “Yes. Let’s.”
My blood ran cold.
Before I could move, something scraped against the tiny back window of the closet.
Then the nightmare began.
A buzzing roar filled the air.
Bees.
A hive—shoved through the opening.