panicked recesses of her mind it hit her. She was awake. Her eyes were wide open. She just couldn’t see anything. She could feel the mattress beneath her, the sheets around her, far more sharply than she had in the dream.
This wasn’t a dream. It was real. She was choking, suffocating. Something was on her face, pressing down, cutting off the air.
The pillow. The pillow was over her face.
She threw out her hands, clawing at whatever was forcing the pillow down. Her fingers made contact, gripping whatever they encountered.
Wrists. Arms. They began to thrash, resist, as hard as she was. The pressure on her face increased.
A person. It was a person. Someone was holding the pillow down, trying to suffocate her, trying to kill her.
She fought harder, even as she felt her body weakening from the lack of air, her lungs seizing, her limbs tensing—
She lashed out with her arms and legs, her hands beating against the ones holding the pillow, her feet flailing to make contact with any part of the attacker. She threw her full weight from side to side, twisting her neck, trying to break away from the pillow just enough for one precious breath of air.
And then it happened.
An instant later, the pillow disappeared. Cool, fresh air wafted over her face.
She sucked in a breath with a loud, ragged gasp that filled her ears. Her lungs were so tight she could barely get any of that precious air into them. Jerking upright, she breathed in again, and again. Even as she did it, she peered into the darkness, willing her vision to clear, so she could see who—
The light. She needed the light.
Lunging for the bedside table, she fumbled for the lamp, her fingertips searching the darkness as desperately as her eyes did. Finally, thankfully, her fingers made contact with the knob. She gave it a furious twist, automatically jerking her head from side to side as a pale pool of light flared to life, revealing the room, and—
She froze, her heart in her throat, shock rocketing through her.
There was no one there.
She gaped in disbelief, jerking her head to take in the room, seeking out every inch of the space. The result was the same.
The room was empty, as peaceful and undisturbed as it had been when she’d gone to bed, the door firmly closed.
She was alone.
No. She almost shook her head in denial. It wasn’t possible. Whoever it was had to be hiding, maybe waiting for her to lower her guard so they could burst out and attack again.
The thought instantly spurred her into motion. She shoved the covers aside and jumped to her feet. Scanning the space for the nearest possible weapon, she spotted a fireplace poker on a stand next to the hearth. She raced for it, fully expecting to be intercepted at any moment. When she finally had it in hand, she gripped it in front of her with both fists and considered the room, looking for anyplace someone could be hiding.
Her gaze fell on the bathroom door.
The bathroom.
The door was slightly ajar. Had she left it like that? She didn’t remember. The attacker could be in there, might not have been able to shut the door.
She wasted no time second-guessing herself. Crossing to the door in two strides, she raised the poker in her arms, drew back her leg and kicked the door in.
It flew inward with a bang, crashing against the inside wall. She waited for a cry of surprise, of someone lurching out of the way, for any hint someone was in there.
Nothing.
Inching forward, she reached in carefully with one hand and flipped on the light.
The room was empty.
The discovery only stoked the agitation burning in her gut, her chest tightening until it felt as though she was running out of air again. It wasn’t possible. The intruder had to be here somewhere. Unless they’d somehow managed to get out the door...
Turning on her heel, she marched over to the entrance to the suite.
The door was still locked.
She really was alone.
But she hadn’t been. It didn’t matter that she didn’t see anyone now. She knew it, certainty pounding through her veins as hard as the adrenaline still filling her body.
Someone had been in the room with her, attacked her in her sleep and escaped before she could turn on the light. She didn’t know how, but somehow they’d managed to do it, vanishing into thin air.
Almost, she thought as a whisper of unease crawled along her skin, like