LOGINAvaThe first thing I heard was a low, tired voice, reading words I couldn't quite catch yet. My body felt heavy under the sheets, pinning me to the bed. I could hear the steady rasp of my own breathing. My open eyes blinked dryly in the dim light.I opened my eyes wider. A small, pale room with a c
AvaDad let go of the shackle and sat back, his face relaxing from the concentration. He was quiet for a long moment. Then his eyes met mine."Baby," he said gently, "do you want to know what happened?"Something in his tone made my chest tighten. I had a feeling that this was a truth I wasn't ready
AvaHe stepped out of the blackness, edging closer, until I could finally see him. Unbelievable. He was so young, the age he was when...when he died. His warm brown eyes, both of them, looked at me with a fond smile.I stared, my mouth hanging open, unable to make a sound. My dad. Standing in front
LeviI settled into the chair by her bed and took her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb over the back of it. "Hey, Ava. It's Levi," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I just talked to Sofia. We had some things to say to each other."I sat there, rubbing her hand, trying to find the words Maya and
LeviI sat with my father in his room, a week after Hilda's funeral. Some families had already packed up and left the pack after becoming human. Others had stayed, unsure of where else to go.My father wheezed beside me, the hiss of his oxygen tank an ever-present sound now. He was thinner, frail, h
MayaI zipped Sofia's dress as best I could with my good hand. The collar was tricky. I fiddled clumsily with the small metal fastening. "There, perfect," I said, releasing the dress and stepping back.Sofia blinked hard at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun. The dr
CatherineThe only way to save the children was by performing another ritual that cancels out the one made earlier. But it had to happen willingly. Who decides to take their life for no special reason?I stared at Yrsa, still trembling on the cave floor. Her revelation settled in my mind like a ston
"You did well," I said, buttoning the top of my blouse.He looked up, grinning like a dog who just figured out the trick. "Thank you, Dr. Winters. Really. This was…" He broke off, at a loss for words."Don't get sentimental." I bent to retrieve his glasses and tossed them at him. He caught them, sli
The shaman smiled, clearly pleased to have caused trouble. I didn't answer Frost's question, just held his gaze."You are human?" he repeated, his voice lower, more dangerous.I sighed hurriedly. "That's not the point of discussion right now. We need to know more from the hag."Frost continued to st
I stopped. Realized what I'd said."What?" She said it again. Quieter this time. Like she hadn't heard right."Evelyn—""No." She shook her head. "No, you didn't just say—Dad's not—""Evelyn, listen—""He's not dead." She kept shaking her head. "He's with you. He left with you. He's—""He died years







