Page 156 of Scavenger's Oath
“Before you get comfortable, go tell Myles and Ivy that breakfast is ready,” Zane says, as if I didn’tjustsit down.
“Where is she?” I murmur, sleep still fogging my brain but something fluttering in my chest at the mention of her name.
“Out front, with Myles.” He gestures with his chin before turning back to the frying eggs.
This is her routine now. I hated it at first, but then I saw her, knelt there with her hands buried in soil, face tilted to the sun like it was whispering secrets she was finally allowed to hear.
And I didn’t feel angry anymore.
Just… tired.
The last threat we faced still hasn’t come back. No one’s been stupid enough to try again. So I’m trying my best not to be overbearing.
But then I process what Zane said. Staring at his back, I wait for him to say he’s kidding.
“Thought Myles was gonna work on the truck,” I huff, annoyed.
Zane chuckles. “Probably will soon. They’ve been out there a while already.”
My brows knit.That can’t be right.
“He was upstairs just a minute ago,” I recall, hairs on my neck prickling as something clamps around my lungs.
He doesn’t answer but the silence is louder than any alarm.
Zane turns slowly, eyes finding mine, brow creased, but there’s a flicker—he’s doing the same math I am. My fingers tighten around the coffee mug. A million unsaid things shoot between us as we stand there, frozen.
We come to the same conclusion.
Ivy lied.
But she’s notonlyIvy now… she’s pregnant.
Adrenaline slams into me. We move at the same time, spatula clattering to the floor, my chair scraping back.
The hallway is too long. Every step, a second too late.
How could she be so reckless!?
My eyes scan the window as we burst into the front room, but the angle is wrong.I can’t see anything!
Before we reach the door, my ears pick up on something else. Something that shouldn’t be there.
The low growl of an engine.
No. No, no, no…
Then a second sound follows—sharper, high-pitched, ricocheting through the air. The echo stops my heart as I register it.
A scream, raw, andcut short.
Chapter 51
Ivy
A sparrow drops onto the sagging fencepost, flicking dust from its wings.
The soil is warm, crumbling between my fingers. Dry, but soft—just enough give to dig my fingers in and press the seeds into the earth. They’ll each grow into something beautiful. Something safe and loved and cared for.
