Alyssa’s POV
The sound comes out of the blue—low, deep, dragging against the floor of the earth.
I jolt awake, heart pounding in my chest like war drums.
My mouth is dry. My limbs feel heavy like I haven’t moved in days. I push myself up, blinking the sleep out of my eyes, and I see him.
Zev.
He’s standing at the window, peering through a narrow c***k in the wooden frame, his body stiff, shoulders tense.
“What was that?” I whisper, rushing to his side.
“Be quiet,” he hisses without looking at me. “Keep still. Maybe it’ll leave.”
“Maybe what will leave?” I ask, and my voice cracks. There’s fear threading into my words, and I can feel it rising in my chest. “Zev?”
“I told you,” he mutters, eyes never leaving the shadows outside. “There are worse things out here, Alyssa. Things tha
