Mag-log in“Hey,” Callen says, moving in fast, one hand wrapping around her arm. “Easy.”“I’m fine,” Paige brushes it off quickly, but her voice isn’t as steady as it was a second ago.Ryder’s already there on her other side, his hand settling at her back without hesitation.“You’re not fine,” he says, calm bu
** Leo’s POV **Something else is off. I feel it the second Paige touches her. It’s not obvious. Probably not even something anyone else would notice. To anyone watching, it looks normal. Two sisters hugging. But through the bond, there’s a jolt. Like two currents brushing the wrong way.My shoulder
We step out into the corridor together, heading towards the room we’d seen him go into. “Hey,” I call as we spot Jake’s assistant leaving the room opposite. “Have you seen Jake?”She looks up, relief flickering across her face as if she’s glad it’s not another emergency.“Yeah,” she says. “He stepp
**Poppy’s POV **After the tree of death tried to kill me, we head back into the clinic for breakfast. Jake leaves to check on his patients, promising to catch up with us soon. I want to tell him no, that I need him with me, but that will only worry him and Leo. I feel fine; the chill I had last ni
His mouth twitches slightly, but he doesn’t quite smile.“Good,” he says.Good? I stare at him.“That’s not an answer.”“No,” he agrees. “It isn’t, but you also didn’t ask a question.”My hands clench at my sides, which is more Leo’s style than mine. I force them to relax.“Ronnie…”“When something
** Jake’s POV **That baby should have died. The thought swirls in my mind, no matter how many times I try to push it aside. I’ve seen enough births to know the difference between a close call and a miracle. That wasn’t a close call; it was impossible.I stand at the end of the bed, watching as the
The pages are old, discoloured, cracked parchment; the ink faded to near-invisible brown. The lighting in the scans is also not great. But it’s all I have.I zoom in on one section, squinting at the looping script. It’s written in a mix of Latin and something even older that is apparently a dialect
“She’d call it a hobby,” I say with mock seriousness. “One that doesn’t come with private healthcare.”That earns another round of laughter until we’re both wiping tears from our eyes. It feels good, like letting sunlight into a dark room.When we finally calm down, I lean my elbows on the counter a
** Paige’s POV **Through the glass, I see them… Ryder and Remy. Their bodies tense, eyes glowing faintly gold in the darkness. Even from here, I can feel their energy, wild and alive, humming through the air like static before a storm.Relief slams through me so hard my knees almost give way. They’
** Ryder’s POV **For a heartbeat, no one speaks.Then I look up at Callen. “Say that again.”He meets my eyes, jaw tight. “I think I just worked out who our traitor is.”The words hang there like a live wire.Jake straightens from where he’s been crouched beside Paige, his expression flickering bet







