登入“I’ll be okay,” she whispers.I wish I believed that.Instead of answering, I lean forward until our foreheads touch, and for a second, everything else fades away. It’s just her breathing against me and the warmth of her hands on my face.“What if this thing isn’t new?” she asks quietly. “What if it
** Leo’s POV **“It’s not staying silent anymore.”The words have been stuck in my head for the last two fucking hours since Jake explained what happened at the clinic.I tighten my grip on the strap of the knife sheath sitting across my chest harder than necessary, checking it for the third time si
Of course, the voice remains completely silent. Coward.“So what am I?” I ask.No one answers quickly enough. Jake steps closer, crouching in front of me so I have to look at him and not the horror show printed on the paper in my hands.“We don’t know yet,” he says. “But we will.”I want to believe
** Poppy’s POV **The room feels too small and too hot.I swallow. “Not the same how?”Jake exhales slowly, reaching for another sheet. “Paige’s blood showed abnormal energy markers, mostly consistent with what Ronnie later connected to Dawn energy, cleansing, regenerative and life-based.”“Sounds l
Rain… Headlights… Control it, Poppy. I push the thought down hard.Leo is already dressed by the time I sit up, pulling on his boots near the edge of the bed. His hair is damp from a shower, and his expression is locked into the serious mask he wears when he’s pretending not to be worried. It does n
** Poppy’s POV **Leo sets a glass down in front of me far more carefully than necessary. He’s slow, deliberate, as if he’s half expecting it to explode the second it leaves his hand. My eyes flick to Jake across the kitchen, only to catch him watching me too.The rest of the day passes in a strange
** Paige’s POV **Back at my rental house, I hold my breath as Ryder unlocks the door and pushes inside with Remy right behind him. My gaze drops automatically to the floor just inside the entryway. No ominous letters are waiting for me this time. I let out a relieved breath.We wait outside for the
Her fingers squeeze mine, firm, certain. “You already do.”The silence stretches, but it isn’t heavy, just full. I rest my head against Paige’s hair, just absorbing this moment. And as the small town comes into view, my grip tightens on Paige’s hand. Because Jaxon is waiting just beyond the trees, a
** Paige’s POV **The card looks so small compared to Ryder’s big hand, but the way he holds it like it’s as fragile and priceless as glass makes my chest ache. His whole world is right here, wrapped in the arms of a six-year-old who has no idea how much power he holds over us both.Ryder tucks the
She doesn’t answer, but she doesn’t pull away again.By the time the cabin comes into view, my legs ache with exhaustion from everything that’s happened tonight. Warm light spills from the windows, cutting through the dark. It looks like safety, even if I know better than to believe in something tha







