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
Ava.The minute Levi’s voice cut out, Maya pounced.“Are you really okay?” she asked checking me all over. Her eyes traced the side of my face, zeroing in on the bruised cheekbone from the bookstore brawl. “Did he hit you? Was it those guys from earlier? Did you pass out again?”I shook my head. “No
AvaThe engine’s hum was a second heartbeat, rattling up through the deck and into my shoes. I pressed myself against the far rail, arms crossed so tight it felt like I was hugging my own skeleton. I stared at the water, anywhere but at Levi. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Whether it was from lefto
AvaLevi’s yacht was moored at the furthest point of the private marina, a chrome-edged predator in a sea of lesser fish. The sun was low and harsh, slanting between the condos and casting everything in yellow bruises. Levi led me up the ramp, our fingers still laced, and for a second I thought he m
AvaThe instant Levi’s hand left my face, the rest of the store came unglued. The kids who’d been filming dropped their phones and scrambled backwards, knocking into shelves and toppling the cardboard display of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Jittery guy and beefy guy’s other friends grabb







