MATED TO THREE, DESPISED BY ALL.
For a heartbeat, I didn’t fully register what she was doing.
Then I saw it.
A knife, small, silver, wickedly sharp, glinting like a sliver of moonlight and doom.
My breath lodged in my throat. Panic shot through me like lightning.
She raised the blade, her eyes narrowing, and in a heartbeat she lunged, aiming straight for my face.
Reflex took over, I jerked my head to the side, but not fast enough.
The knife bit into my cheek.