Elias’s POV

I did not sleep.

I tried. I closed my eyes and stayed pressed against Ronan, feeling his warmth, listening to his heartbeat, trying to let it calm me. But each time I drifted close to sleep, something would jolt me awake again. A sound in the hallway. A shift in shadows. My own thoughts.

That note stayed in my mind like it was breathing beside me; I know what he is.

I kept seeing those words even when I looked away. I kept hearing them inside my head.

Ronan stayed awake too. I ...