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,” I murmur against her skin. “I can feel your power; it’s reacting to this. To us.”“Then don’t stop,” she whispers the command, and everything in me wants to obey.I lift her top slowly, giving her time to stop me if she wants. She doesn’t. Instead, she lifts her arms for me, letting me pull
And then there’s Jaxon. He runs straight at me the second he sees me.“Mummy!”I kneel just in time to catch him, lifting him into my arms. He squeezes my neck so tight I nearly lose my breath.“You look shiny again!” he announces proudly.I blush. “Do I?”“Uh-huh! Like a Christmas fairy.”Ryder lau
I do not understand it, but I guess I don’t have to. I just know that whatever instinct is guiding her… it is stronger than all of us combined.Ronnie nods slightly, completely ignoring the standoff between Ryder and me. “Paige isn’t losing her strength. She’s gaining clarity. Gods don’t see the wor
** Paige’s POV **I move toward the kitchen, not waiting for anyone to guide me or usher me. I want to get this over with, to feel like we are actively taking steps to put an end to this rather than waiting for the hunters to make their next move.As we enter, Ronnie steps through the back door. Beh







