Chloe’s pov
Later that night, I was sleeping in my room when the urge to drink pulled me out of it. My throat felt scraped dry, a thirst that wouldn't let me fall back asleep no matter how many times I turned over, so I gave up and padded barefoot out into the hall, heading for the kitchen instead of ringing for Ray at an hour this unreasonable.
The manor had gone unnaturally quiet by the time I reached the stairs, a silence that pressed against my ears instead of comforting me, no wind through the trees, no distant murmur of the night guard's rounds, no scrape of a chair from the kitchens below where the staff usually stayed up late gossiping over the last of the evening's dishes. I told myself it was just the hour, exhaustion making me jumpy after everything the last few days had throw
