My stomach churned as the implications crashed over me. Every conversation I'd had with Giana—all of it had been calculated manipulation by someone whose existence was dedicated to destroying everything I cared about."She must have laughed at me," I said bitterly, remembering how I'd tried to be ki
Aurora's POVSince my mother's condition had stabilized, Kane had quietly returned to investigating the larger conspiracy threatening our world. With medical specialists monitoring her progress, he could dedicate his analytical mind to the intelligence patterns that had been nagging at him since we'
"Kane," I said softly during one of these nights, "thank you. For everything."He was quiet for a long time, and when I looked at him, I saw he was deeply asleep. I smiled and gently placed a blanket over him.During one of my mother's worst episodes, when her temperature spiked and she became delir
The days that followed became a strange rhythm of hope and despair, marked by the steady beep of monitors and the soft shuffle of nurses' shoes on linoleum. The medical facility became my world, reduced to the narrow space between my mother's bed and the uncomfortable chairs that Kane somehow kept r
Aurora's POVMy father arrived at the medical facility like a storm cloud, his rage preceding him through the corridors like a physical force. I heard his voice before I saw him—angry, demanding, focused on blame rather than concern for my mother's condition. The nursing staff scattered before his f
I turned to look at Kane, who was now approximately the color of a ripe tomato and seemed to be trying to disappear into the wall."Young man," my mother called directly to Kane, "would you come here please?"Kane approached with obvious reluctance, his military bearing intact but his nervousness vi