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
The blood cells just... stopped. Froze mid-motion. I was fascinating to watch."But they're not dead," she said, switching slides. Added blood to the dark sediment instead. This time the cells fell apart, edges going black. "One part preserves. One part destroys.""That makes no sense.""No, wait."
CatherineAva's body had that particular smell—not overwhelming yet, but there. Day-old death starting to set in. The others in the room were pretending not to notice, or maybe they were just avoiding setting Evelyn off.After that scene in the hallway, I understood why. My daughter was close to bre
Catherine"Are you ready to talk now?" I asked, keeping my voice light as I watched Yrsa struggle to regain her breath.She lay sprawled on the damp cave floor, her thin chest heaving. Frost's illusion had been effective—he'd made her experience being hanged from a tree, feeling the rope cutting int
CatherineThe noise started before we reached the hall. Screaming. Not regular screaming—the kind that comes from somewhere deeper than the throat. I walked through the doorway and stopped.The corridor was packed."Let me go! Let me go!" A woman on her knees slammed her head against the wall. Thud.







