Chapter 22 · Mom's Voice, Wrong Mouth

Evelyn couldn't breathe.

Callum sat three feet away, knees pulled to his chest, and smiled at her with their mother's face. Not his face wearing Mom's expression. Mom's actual face, smoothed over his like a mask that didn't fit right. The edges flickered.

"Stay back." Nolan's hand locked around her wrist. His grip burned where the pact mark twisted under her skin. "That's not him."

"I know that." Her voice came out flat. She didn't pull away. Couldn't. The van lurched left and Mara swore from the driver's seat, something about checkpoint guns and a thirty-second window. Evelyn didn't look. She kept her eyes on Callum's wrong smile.

"Evie." The voice was perfect. Warm and tired, the way Mom sounded when she came home after double shifts and still checked their homework. "You were always so stubborn."

Evelyn's stomach turned over. "Shut up."

"I waited years." The thing inside Callum tilted his head, and the movement was all wrong, too smooth, like someone had practiced being human and got it half-right. "You hid so well. But you came back for him. I knew you would."

Nolan's grip tightened. "Evelyn. We need to move.