Page 128 of On Edge

“And if you make it to the top before me, I won’t punish you.”

“B-But I have no clothes on.”

“Wet clothes will give you a cold. Best to run.”

My heart stutters. I drop the dress and bolt for the stairs. I’ve no idea what he means by punishment, but I don’t want to wait to find out.

I only get to the first few steps.

He grabs for my ankle and drags me back down. I kick him and he hisses, letting me go. And then I’m running up and up and round as the tower stretches around in tight curves, one hand trailing along the wall for support. All I can hear is my fast breaths and feet pounding against the stone. Behind me, his footsteps echo, sounding close.

So very close.

But the steps are narrow, uneven, and some are crumbling at the edges. My foot slips on one. He grabs for me again, but I catch myself against the wall, scraping my palm, and drag myself up.

“Almost, little finch,” he taunts.

I force myself to keep moving, as my lungs burn, and my muscles scream. The tower seems endless, spiralling into darkness. But I push harder, knowing he’s right behind me, taking the steps two at a time.

Finally, I reach the top.

I burst through the doorway, stumbling onto the roof. Wind and rain slam into me immediately, stealing what little warmth I have left. Right in front of me, the parapet is low, barely waist-high; beyond it, the lake spreads out below, black and churning. At least sixty feet down.

I falter to a stop.

But then Troy is there, catching me from behind, one arm banding around my waist as he pulls me to him. Every nerve in my body is on fire, especially where he touches, searing through my bare wet skin. “Nowhere left to run,” he breathes in my ear.

“You said if I made it to the top first, you’d let me go!”

“I said I wouldn’t punish you. I didn’t say I’d let you go.”

The wind whips harder up here, like it could snatch us over the edge at any moment. The rain actually hurts.

“Please, Troy!”

“What were you hoping to find up here?” He moves me closer to the edge. “A way out?”

“Don’t—”

“Don’t what?”

I dig my heels in. “Don’t you dare.”

His fingers tighten, pushing me forward, his voice grating in my ear. “Don’t I dare? You think I’m going to throw you off? Or are you just so desperate to believe I’m a villain that you actually want me to?”

“Please don’t hurt me.” I squeeze my eyes closed because this can’t be happening.

“Look.” When we get to the edge, his fingers curl around my jaw, making me look down.

“No.” I try to turn away, but he’s too strong.

“Look at the water, Sage. How deep is it?”

“I don’t know.”

“How deep is it? Tell me.”

“I said, I don’t know!”