Justin's POV:
"Baby, you gotta fight them," I rasped, voice hoarse.
"You remember? You used to tell me they'd whisper, but you could choose not to listen. You fought them, June."
She stopped rocking, just for a second.
Her eyes lifted, and for a heartbeat, something flickered there.
Recognition?
Hope?
A ghost?
Then it was gone, swallowed by a shiver that wracked her whole body.
She muttered something under her breath.
My heart slammed against my ribs. "What? What are they saying?"
She looked at me, lips parting.
"They… they want blood," she whispered, voice small as ashes.
"And they're hungry."
A chill knifed through me.
"Fuck the voices, June. Look at me. It's Justin. Your Justin. You remember? You called me your monster. Your fucked-up prince, remember?"
Her lips moved again, but it wasn't my name.
Just a low, broken sound, like a prayer to something cruel.
I shuffled closer, until I could see the raw skin around her wrists where the cuffs had bitten deep.
