Jasmine woke to the sound of her own heartbeat thrumming too loud inside her ears. It wasn’t the usual rhythm of exhaustion or nerves. This pulse felt doubled, layered, as if another cadence lived inside her. She pressed a hand to her stomach and froze. Heat swirled beneath her skin, not the harmless warmth of a body waking, but a crackling burn that shimmered with something alive.

Her breath caught. She wasn’t alone anymore.

The air around her shifted, pulling at the curtains as though an invisible wind had stirred. A low hum whispered across the walls, rattling the windowpane with unnatural insistence. She stumbled out of bed, clutching her...