Jude's breath hitched. Because he did feel it. The weight in his chest wasn't just fear. It was something else , something that whispered in the back of his mind, urging him to step forward, to let go of the part of himself that was still resisting. The knowledge terrified him in a way nothing else ever had.
"I don't want this," he said through clenched teeth.
The man's expression didn't change. "That doesn't matter."
The entity pulsed again, its shape shifting in and out of reality, and Jude could feel the pull intensify. He clenched his fists tighter, nails biting into his palms, forcing himself to resist the whisper that was curling around the edges of his thoughts.
"What does it want from me?" he demanded.
The man's gaze darkened slightly. "What all sleeping things want when they wake."
Jude's stomach twisted. "Freedom."
