THE SCREAM ripped out of Lily before she even realized she was screaming.
It tore through the night, raw and unhinged, echoing off the chain-link fences and abandoned bleachers of the old basketball court. Her throat burned with it. Her chest felt like it was splitting open.
Ayden collapsed fully against her.
His weight dragged her down, knees slamming into the asphalt as she caught him just in time. Her palms slid instantly slick with blood—too much blood—and the warmth of it seeped through her sleeves, staining her skin, her coat, her memories.
“No—no, no, no,” she choked, hands shaking violently as she tried to hold him upright. “Ayden, look at me. Look at me.”
His head lolled against her shoulder, breath coming in shallow, broken pulls. The faint light above them flickered, castin
