Cole’s POV

Two months, that was how long it took for my sister to speak again. Her words weren’t clear, or smooth, but they were an indication that she was in the world of the living.

I remember the exact moment because time had become strange inside the safe house. Days bled into nights without distinction. The underground lights mimicked dawn and dusk, but nothing about this place felt natural. Even breathing felt borrowed, like we were trespassers in a world that had already ended.

Rue ...