I gave a soft knock, and then the door flew open, revealing Kessler. He left the door ajar as I walked in.

He moved closer to me, and my heart almost jumped out of my chest in anxiety. He tugged my hair behind my ear, and I shivered just feeling him on my skin. I stumbled back, and sweat trickled down my neck.

I swallowed hard, trying to quell the rising panic clawing at my throat. Every fiber of my being screamed to run, to escape the suffocating atmosphere enveloping us. But I was frozen, ...