LOGINMate.The word rolls through me, low and possessive, but tonight it doesn’t feel overwhelming. It feels certain. Poppy swallows hard.“You calm it too,” she whispers suddenly.I frown slightly. “Calm what?”“That feeling.” Her eyes lift back to mine. “The pressure. The noise in my head. It gets quie
** Jake’s POV **The second Leo leaves the cabin feels wrong.It’s quieter and colder, even though the fire still crackles softly in the corner. Rain still taps steadily against the roof, and Poppy is still standing only a few feet away from me.But something shifted when he left. I felt it immediat
“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
** Paige’s POV ** Parker is already up, sitting at the table, with a cup of coffee in his hands. He looks up as I enter, his jaw tight, but his expression softens when he sees me. “Did you sleep?” he asks. “A little,” I say honestly, grabbing one of the mugs from the shelf. I pour myself a
I take a breath and quietly step inside. The room is dim, blinds pulled halfway down against the morning sun. The light falls in a soft glow across the bed and the man lying in it. He looks pale and unusually still. There’s faint stubble across his jaw, and shadows under his eyes that wer
** Paige’s POV ** “I wasn’t fair to you,” I whisper. “Before it happened. I was scared and confused. I ran without explaining myself, and then I thought… God, I thought… what if the last thing you remembered from me was rejection?” His brow furrows, but his hand tightens around mine. “Are y
As we walk down the path that leads to the school, Ryder slips his fingers between mine. I let him. The contact is exactly what I need, and it sends butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I have imagined this moment for years. Walking down the street, hand in hand with Ryder, our son running ahead, l







