Justin’s POV:
"Baby, you gotta fight them," I rasped, voice hoarse.
"You rember? You used to tell they’d whisper, but you could choose not to listen. You fought them, June."
She stopped rocking, just for a second.
Her eyes lifted, and for a heartbeat, sothing flickered there.
Recognition?
Hope?
A ghost?
Then it was gone, swallowed by a shiver that wracked her whole body.
She muttered sothing under her breath.
My heart slamd against my ribs. "What? What are they saying?"
She looked at , lips parting.
"They... they want blood," she whispered, voice small as ashes.
"And they’re hungry."
A chill knifed through .
"Fuck the voices, June. Look at . It’s Justin. Your Justin. You rember? You called your monster. Your fucked-up prince, rember?"
Her lips moved again, but it wasn’t my na.
Just a low, broken sound, like a prayer to sothing cruel.
I shuffled closer, until I could see the raw skin around her wrists where the cuffs had bitten deep.
I’m going to kill them for this, I swore silently.
Every last one.
But that wouldn’t bring her back.
And right now, she needed .
"Baby, I need you to co back," I whispered, voice breaking.
"I need you to rember. Rember the night you ca to my apartnt? The night I first kissed you? You called an arrogant bastard. Rember?"
She rocked again, faster now, her breath hitching.
She’s slipping further.
Fuck.
"June, please!" The word ripped out of , raw and panicked.
"Don’t leave ! You promised you’d never leave!"
Her head snapped up, eyes wild, teeth bared.
Like an animal.
For a second, I thought she might attack .
Then she collapsed back into herself, wrapping her arms tighter around her knees, trembling.
I was shaking too.
My chest felt like it was caving in.
I wanted to touch her, to pull her into my arms.
But they’d warned : don’t open her cuffs until you get through to her.
Because she might try to kill .
"June, listen to ," I rasped, my voice almost gone.
"I don’t care what they did. I don’t care what the voices say. You’re not just Number Twelve. You’re June. You’re mine."
Her breath stuttered. Her gaze lifted, hovering over my face.
And again — that flicker.
So brief it might have been my imagination.
But it was enough.
"That’s it," I whispered. "Co on, baby. Just one step back to . That’s all I need."
My voice cracked.
"I love you, June. Always. Even now. Especially now."
She stared at , breathing shallow, chest trembling.
No words. No smile.
But she hadn’t looked away.
And right now?
That was the only fucking miracle I had left.
********
I didn’t know whether close contact would push her over the edge or bring her back.
That was the gamble.
That was why they wanted here in the first place.
They hadn’t contracted because they needed . Hell, they hated — I was unstable, uncooperative, a fucking liability.
But her? She was their masterpiece.
They’d gone too far and now she was slipping from them, drowning in the abyss they’d carved into her mind.
And they needed to pull her back before she was lost forever.
They didn’t care about love. Or rcy.
They just didn’t want to lose their prize.
I inched closer to her, breath held so tight it burned.
She flinched.
God, every ti she flinched it felt like a thousand needles stabbing through my chest.
Because I knew that flinch.
The instinct born of years thinking that every step closer, every shadow that leaned over you, ant cold tal, sharp needles, the sting of chemicals burning your veins.
I had lived that too. But for her, it had been worse.
Because they’d made her special.
"June," I whispered, voice cracking.
"It’s . It’s Justin."
She kept her head down, arms locked around her knees, rocking, her shoulders twitching like she was trying to fold herself into nothing.
I wanted to reach out so bad my fingers actually ached.
But I didn’t. Not yet.
"They can’t hurt you right now," I lied — or maybe prayed. "They can’t. I’m here."
She mumbled sothing under her breath.
A whisper I barely caught.
"Voices... won’t stop... blood..."
My stomach clenched so tight I tasted bile.
The fucking voices.
They were winning.
"You don’t have to listen to them," I murmured, moving another inch closer.
"You don’t. You used to fight them, rember? Rember how proud you were, every ti you told you’d ignored them for an hour... two hours... a whole day."
Her breath caught. Just for a second.
I felt that flicker — tiny as a candle in a hurricane — of recognition.
"They hurt you, didn’t they?" My voice dropped to a growl I barely contained. "They kept you here. Alone. Needles. Straps. The chair... the table..."
She whimpered.
A raw, ragged sound.
My heart broke all over again.
"They can’t hurt you now," I rasped, chest shaking.
"I won’t let them."
Another inch closer.
I could almost touch her now.
She stiffened, trembling so hard it looked painful.
"I know, baby," I whispered.
"I know what it feels like to think every hand is gonna hurt you. That every touch ans pain. But it’s . Just ."
The caras humd in the corners of the room.
I knew they were watching, waiting, pens scratching on clipboards outside.
Not because they cared about us.
But because they wanted to see if I could fix what they broke.
My throat burned.
My vision blurred.
"June..."
My voice cracked.
"They turned you into this. Not because you’re weak. But because you’re strong. Too strong for them to control any other way."
She twitched, a tiny spasm of her shoulders.
I pressed on, my words spilling out faster, desperate.
"They took everything from us. Years. mories. Even your na. But you’re still here, June. You’re still here."
Another inch closer.
Now I was so close I could see every raw scrape on her wrists, every tiny tremor in her fingers.
God, she was so thin.
They’d starved her, drained her. Turned her into sothing they could study.
"I know you’re scared," I whispered, voice breaking on the words.
"And I’m scared too. But please, baby... look at . Just look at ."
For a mont — the smallest mont — her head lifted.
Her gaze t mine.
Empty. Shattered. But hers.
My chest constricted until it hurt to breathe.
"I love you," I whispered, so soft it barely reached the air between us.
"I never stopped. Not for a second."
Her lips parted.
No words.
Just breath.
Another inch.
I could have reached out. Could have touched her cheek.
But my hand hovered, shaking.
Don’t scare her. Don’t push her back under.
"They wanted to bring you back," I murmured, the truth scraping my throat raw.
"They don’t care about us. They only care about their fucking project. But I don’t care why they brought here. I’m here. And I’m not leaving without you."
She blinked.
And for a heartbeat, I saw sothing flicker — pain, recognition, fear.
Fear of losing sothing. Maybe .
My breath shuddered.
"June, it’s okay to be scared. I’m scared too. But I need you to fight. Please. Just a little longer."
She rocked again, but slower now.
"I know what they did," I rasped. "Needles. Shocks. Drugs. Voices whispering that you’re nothing but Number Twelve."
My hand lowered, almost touching the cold ground.
"But you’re not Number Twelve to ," I whispered.
"You’re June. My June."
She drew in a shaky breath.
For the first ti, she didn’t flinch when I leaned a little closer.
My heart cracked — a painful, hopeful crack.
"They can’t have you," I promised, voice so low it was almost a growl.
"Not while I’m still breathing. They can never have you again."
I didn’t know if she heard.
But for the first ti, she stopped rocking.
Just for a heartbeat.
And it was enough to keep from breaking completely.
********
And then I made my final move.
Fuck caution. Fuck fear.
If gentle words weren’t enough, maybe my arms would remind her of who I was — of us.
I crossed those last inches between us, heart pounding so hard it roared in my ears.
And I wrapped my arms around her — around that shaking, broken body I loved more than anything on this fucked-up earth.
She scread.
A raw, animal sound that shredded inside.
She squird, thrashed like sothing cornered. Her nails clawed at my arms, wild and blind.
And then she bit .
Hard.
Pain flared white-hot in my shoulder, sharp enough to make my vision blur.
But I didn’t let go.
Not even for a heartbeat.
"Shh... baby, it’s . It’s ," I whispered into her hair, voice breaking.
"June, please... it’s Justin. It’s just ."
She bucked in my grip again, teeth sinking deeper, the copper tang of blood rising hot between us.
It hurt like hell.
But it was her.
Alive. Fighting. Not gone.
And I’d take that pain over her empty silence any day.
"I know it hurts. I know you’re scared," I murmured, words tumbling out, desperate.
"But I’m here. I’m here. And I’m not letting go."
She whimpered against my skin, the bite loosening — just for a second — before tightening again.
Tears burned hot behind my eyes.
"I love you. You’re safe. You’re safe now."
Her breath ca ragged, sharp and panicked, chest heaving like she couldn’t get enough air.
Still, my arms stayed locked around her. Gentle, but unyielding.
I felt her nails rake across my back, felt warm blood trickle where she bit.
Every flinch, every tremor, every sound of her panic carved another scar into .
But I held on.
"It’s okay, baby. Scream. Fight. Bite all you want," I rasped against her temple, voice shaking.
"I’m not letting go. Not this ti. Not ever."
Her scream turned hoarse, breaking into sobs that tore right through .
God, I wanted to tear this whole place down brick by fucking brick.
"You’re mine, June," I whispered, my own tears falling into her hair.
"They can’t have you. I won’t let them. Never again."
She sagged for half a heartbeat, body trembling violently — then tensed, ready to fight again.
It was instinct. The terror they’d carved so deep it overrode thought.
And still... I didn’t let go.
"Shh... baby. It’s ," I kept repeating, a broken chant.
"You’re not alone. You’re never alone now. I’ve got you."
I rocked her gently, my own body shaking, my shoulder burning where her teeth pierced skin.
I didn’t care.
Pain ant she was still here.
That sowhere under all that terror, June still existed.
Slowly — painfully slowly — the iron bite of her teeth loosened.
Her sobs didn’t stop, but they changed.
Less feral.
More human.
And for the first ti in what felt like years, she didn’t try to push away.
I pressed my forehead to hers, breath ragged.
"You can hate later for this," I whispered. "But right now, I need you to co back to . Just a little. Please..."
She shuddered so hard it felt like she might break apart in my arms.
But she didn’t fight.
And for now — for this bleeding, burning heartbeat — that was enough.
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