MasukAvaThe 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
MargaretThe maggots started at my toes.I could feel each one. Tiny mouths working their way through dead flesh that used to be my feet. Except I wasn't dead. I was awake, aware, feeling every bite as they ate their way up my ankles. The cave walls pressed in, slick with moisture that dripped onto
"Evelyn fit in well enough when she arrived," Maya's voice went smaller. "That was good. Really good. She needed it. Needed somewhere that wouldn't ask questions about why she showed up half-dead with—" She stopped. "Well. You probably know that story."I didn't, but I wasn't going to ask.Maya look
She let me pull her back, but her eyes stayed on the bull. Professional curiosity overriding caution."I've seen this before," I repeated, and the words felt like glass in my throat. My chest went tight. I turned, coughing. "Fuck. I've been so stupid. If I hadn't ignored it..."Robin's hand found my
Robin kept his eyes forward. I did too, and now I could see what waited for us. Three men standing around something covered with a blue tarp. The chemical smell was stronger here. Sweet. Almost pleasant if you didn't know better."Damon probably gave up and ran," Robin said quietly. “I wouldn’t blam







