Lisa’s POVMy throat was tight, like I’d swallowed glass. I couldn’t move, not really, not when that weight pressed the men down. It wasn’t mine, wasn’t me, and still it was here—thick, suffocating.Heri pressed closer, her fur brushing my leg, trembling. Then—crack. Her bones started snapping again, sharp, awful sounds. I gasped, stepping back.“Wha—Heri, wait—”Her small wolf form twisted, stretched, and within seconds she was back. A little girl again, kneeling in the dirt, hair a mess, sweat sticking to her temples. She was breathing hard, clutching her chest.Her eyes—confused. Too confused.She looked around, wild, blinking like she’d just woken up. Her gaze darted from the groaning men to the forest shadows, then landed on me.“Li…sa?” Her voice cracked. Small. Trembling. “W-what’s… wh-where are we? Whaaaat’s happening? Why are we… in the… forest?”Her confusion hit me like a slap.“What—” I croaked, then clamped my mouth shut. My lips trembled. “You… you don’t… you don’t know?
Lisa's POVBy midnight.I tossed a little in bed. My lips were dry, sticking. Ugh, thirsty. My hand fumbled toward the side table, searching for the jug. Fingers tapped the wood. Empty. No glass, no cool water. Just… nothing.“Ahhh, come on,” I muttered under my breath, rolling over. For a moment I thought maybe I’d just wait until morning. Sleep it off. But the scratch in my throat made that impossible. I sighed, dragged myself up, feet hitting the floor with a dull thump.The hall was quiet, dark, shadows long on the wall. Everyone should be asleep. My steps were light, almost guilty, as I made my way toward the kitchen. The floor was too cold as I walked barefoot, which sent shivers down my spine, and I winced.I passed Heri’s room on the way.The door.Open.I froze mid-step, my throat suddenly drier than before. The blanket was tossed back, the bed empty, the faint smell of her lingering. My chest gave a quick squeeze.“Heri?” I whispered softly into the dark, peering in.Nothing
Lisa’s POVThe ride home felt like one of those half-dreams, you know? Where everything’s quiet and soft and you’re floating but also heavy. Heri was knocked out in the back seat, fox plush mashed up under her chin, mouth just barely open like a little kid who’d played too hard.I kept twisting around to look at her, just… just to make sure. That she was really sleeping. That she was breathing. That she was there.Ronan kept one hand steady on the wheel, the other on the gear. Focused. The hum of the road filled up the silence. Damon’s bike headlights blinked in the rearview, steady as a shadow tailing us.By the time we pulled up to the villa, my neck was stiff from watching Heri. “Ah, crap,” I whispered when I tried to move. “Ow—why do I do this to myself—”Ronan killed the engine. “You don’t have to crane around every five seconds.”“Yes, I do,” I snapped softly. “She’s—she’s little. She’s tired. She’s—”He just gave me that look. The quiet one. The one that says I’m not arguing bu
Lisa’s POVOkay. So.You know how you think you’ve seen everything? Like—you’re convinced, convinced nothing could possibly surprise you anymore?Yeah. No. Wrong. Because right now I was staring at Damon—Mr. Broody, Mr. “I Wear Darkness Like A Cloak”—standing there with a balloon dog in one hand and three kids literally yelling, “Throw it here! Come on, mister!”I… I couldn’t breathe. I was doubled over, my ice cream almost falling straight out of my hand. “Ahhh—no—stop—my ribs—oh my god—”Ronan, of course, was trying very hard not to laugh. Which only made it worse because his whole face was twitching, jaw tight, mouth pressed flat, and I could see it, I could see it trying to break out.And Heri. Sweet, sweet Heri? She was just standing there with her little fox plush squished to her chest, head tilted, watching Damon like he was some puzzle she finally figured out. Then she whispered, almost to herself, “He looks… funny.”That did it. I lost it. Full-on ugly laugh, snorting, tears-
Lisa’s POVThe ride out of the villa felt… weirdly normal. Like we weren’t three mismatched pieces stitched together by accident and fate. Like we weren’t lugging around secrets, scars, and unspoken promises. Just a man, a woman, and a kid in the backseat of a car.Ronan drove with that steady, sure-handed way he always did—calm, like nothing outside the glass could touch us. My elbow leaned on the door, chin propped in my hand, watching the city slowly unfurl. New Haven was… confusing. Streets that curved and folded into each other like puzzles, shop signs I didn’t recognize, people dressed in colors and cuts I couldn’t place.And yet—traffic lights. Crosswalks. Cafés with tables spilling onto sidewalks. A busker with a guitar.“Is this…” I leaned forward, squinting as a family crossed the street ahead of us, laughing. “Is this a normal city?”“It’s New Haven,” Ronan said simply, eyes flicking to the mirror before changing lanes.“Yeah but…” I gestured at the window. “This is, like,
Lisa’s POVMy hands were still buzzing from the phone call. “Breathing space,” I muttered under my breath, mocking him just enough to make myself grin. “Okay, Mr. Serious.”Ronan shot me a look like he was going to argue, but Heri cut between us, hugging her book to her chest like a shield. “Where?” she asked. Just that one word. Small, clipped. But her eyes… there was something underneath it. Wary, but also… maybe curious?“Town,” I said. “Oh—damn—sorry. Uh, yeah, New Haven. Shops. People. Ice cream, maybe? Do you know ice cream?” My words kept spilling because her stare made me nervous for no reason at all.She tilted her head, silent. Ronan sighed. “She’ll know it when she tastes it.”I pointed at him. “Exactly. See? Adventure and education.”He grunted. Which was basically Ronan-speak for, Fine, you win one tiny round, don’t rub it in.I grabbed Heri’s free hand before I could overthink it. Cold. Small. But she didn’t pull away. That tiny detail made something soft flicker in my c