Chapter 31 · The Other Evira

The girl in the mirror had my face. Same scar on the jaw. Same crooked incisor. But the marks running down her arms weren't mine an hour ago.

I touched the glass. Cold. Real. The marks on my reflection's skin moved, black lines writhing like they were still being carved. I looked down at my own forearms. Clean. Nothing.

"Evira."

I spun. Marcus stood in the doorway, knife already drawn. His eyes went to the mirror, then to me, then back. He didn't lower the blade.

"It's me," I said. My voice came out thin.

"Prove it."

"What?"

"Prove it's you." He stepped inside, slow. The kind of slow you use on a wounded animal. "What did you ask me last night? Behind the door."

My throat tightened. "Would you leave me too."

He stopped. The knife stayed up. "What did I say?"

"You didn't answer."

Something in his face shifted. Not relief. More like he'd confirmed a suspicion he didn't want confirmed. He lowered the knife halfway. "Turn around."

"Why?"

"Because if you're you, you'll have a burn scar on your left shoulder blade. Two inches. Shaped like a crescent."

I froze.