Chapter 142

“Keller, can you hear me?” A familiar voice shines a light on a path and leads me from the infinite void I have been existing in. “Open your eyes, honey. Come on, it’s time to come back to us.”

A rush of stimuli crashes into me all at once. Scents, sounds, emotions, gravity, lights, dizziness, nausea. I try to sit up, but something is holding me down.

“Easy, my boy.” Dad’s voice permeates the darkness I’m emerging from. He sounds somber and restless.

I wrestle with feeling everything at once inside me, but one thought prevails. “Zara Zhade.”

My voice is hoarse, and my throat is scratchy. Maybe they didn’t hear me. Maybe I didn’t say it out loud. “I need Zara.”

The words absorb into the crevices of my soul until the concept becomes tangible. I need her in my arms. I need to smell her and stroke her hair. She needs to hear me tell her I love her. She needs me to protect her.

I force my eyes open in the bright room. I can barely make them squint. Mom’s silhouette comes into view,