All Chapters of Defy Me If You Can: Chapter 31 - Chapter 36

The hands fastening the buttons of her dress were so cold that Eva's back snapped straight in a jolt, a shiver racing down her spine. The chill wasn't like an ordinary draft—it was the kind of cold that bit into her skin, sharp and merciless, as though those fingers had been plunged into frozen water and left there far too long. It wasn't winter. There was no reason for such ice in a touch. Her breath hitched. Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted her head, peering through the veil of her blonde hair at the mirror before her. What she saw unsettled her more than the chill. The figure behind her was cloaked in shadow. Darkness seemed to cling to him, swallowing nearly all trace of his form, save for the faint shimmer of a vest embroidered with threads of gold. The details refused to come into focus, as though the glass itself recoiled from showing her more. But there was one undeniable truth: the hands

Giggling upon seeing her, Annie pushed herself to stand from the wooden table. Slowly, almost as if she owned the entire place and every person breathing within it, she stalked away from where she stood and towards Jane, who still lingered by the entrance of the dining room with her hand resting near the edge of the doorframe.The world around them seems to suddenly come into a stop. In such an odd situation, everyone really did drop whatever they had been doing and turned their eyes towards Annie, clearly signaling the amount of power that Annie has and the amount of trouble she had just fell into. Jane noticed immediately how Annie smelled like cinnamon and expensive oils, the scent clinging to her skin in a way that no ordinary servant could ever afford. It was not overpowering but refined, deliberate, the kind of fragrance meant to stay in people's memories long after one had already walked away. Even the fabric brushing against Annie's legs looked softer than the rough uniforms

"Get Away From Your Room Tonight."By now, it felt impossible that no one had heard about the sudden mess in her bedroom. The whispers had spread too quickly through the manor halls for it to remain a secret. Yet what truly unsettled her wasn't the ruined room itself, but the meaning behind those words.What exactly was this supposed to be?A warning?Or a threat?The girl who had slipped her the paper had already looked strange enough to make Jane uneasy. Her expression had been tense, almost nervous, like she regretted approaching her at all. Now Jane couldn't decide whether the girl truly feared for her safety or if she was merely another one of Annie's followers trying to frighten her for amusement.Either possibility made her stomach twist unpleasantly.Her fingers tightened around the paper before she crumpled it tightly and shoved it deep into her pocket. Anxiety prickled beneath her skin as she slowly rose from her seat, trying to ignore the growing sense of dread crawling up