-transfixed- Kenna James- Lauren Phillips- Jade... Info

Kenma’s eyes fluttered shut for just a second. When she opened them, Jade was on her other side, boxing her in with warmth and shadow.

“The question,” Lauren whispered, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Kenma’s ear, her knuckles brushing the shell of it, “is not whether you want to leave.” -Transfixed- Kenna James- Lauren Phillips- Jade...

And Kenma realized she was right. Not because they were holding her. Not because the doors were locked. But because she had stopped wanting to escape. The scarf slipped from her fingers and puddled on the floor like a surrender. Kenma’s eyes fluttered shut for just a second

Lauren smiled. It was a slow, dangerous curve of lips that didn’t reach her eyes—eyes that were fixed on Kenma with the intensity of a predator who had already calculated every possible escape route and found them lacking. “Neither are you,” she said, her voice a low, smooth resonance. “And yet. Here we are.” Not because they were holding her

Lauren’s smile finally reached her eyes. “Good girl,” she breathed.

The gallery was closed. The lights were dimmed to a soft, amber glow that dripped from the sconces like honey. She’d only stayed behind to retrieve her forgotten scarf—a thin, silken thing now twisted around her fingers. But as she turned to leave, her heel clicked on the marble floor, and the sound echoed into a side corridor she’d never noticed before.