Iris
I bolt upright, drenched in a cold sweat with a scream dying in my throat.
Veronica. A serpent’s tail. Invisible hands pulling me down into an ocean of crimson blood.
I reach for Arthur beside me, but my hand finds only rumpled sheets, still warm from his body heat but empty. Panic flares in my chest, made worse by my half-asleep and half-frantic state. Where is he? Did he—
No. It was just a dream. Arthur would never—
Before I can come to my senses, I throw off the covers and grab my robe from the hook on the bathroom door, cinching it tight around my waist as I hurry out of the bedroom. The apartment is quiet except for the faint sounds coming from the kitchen—the clatter of dishes, Miles’s high-pitched giggles, and Arthur’s low voice.
I follow the sounds, pra
