Chapter 62

Katja

A violin, paced and furious, plays a melody of fear through my bones. It's awakening my senses and making me see black. John's lush lips are so close, and there isn't a sign of his kind soul within those dark eyes.

Yet I have to reach him.

I can't give up.

His tongue flicks out, ready to devour me, and I move while held by his tentacle, fighting my better judgment. I know my idea is stupid, yet I do it—I grab hold of his upper lip. He is trying to throw me into his mouth, but I lean in, giving him a peck of a kiss.

My eyes close on instinct, and I try to convey everything: love, hope, despair, and the will to be with him through my lips. I know I'm smaller than him and that he probably can't physically feel me, but the emotions within my heart feel so large.

I love John, and he needs to know.

I think back to the times we bickered in the kitchen and the lustful glances we sent each other. Tears prickle behind my eyelids, a