What we were is gone.

This is who we are now.

—-

Lily’s POV

The moment we stepped into the warehouse, the stench hit me.

Dried blood, death and dirt clung to the air like a memory that refused to die. Metal, sweat and something else—something rotting. It curled inside my nose, and before I could stop myself, I tightened my grip around Alex’s hand.

He didn’t look at me, but his thumb swept over the back of my hand in a slow, grounding stroke.

We moved deeper.

A few people lingered near the entrance—men and women. They nodded as we passed, eyes sharp and unreadable. The men were giants,...