“Tessa, can you hear me?” I ask, hopeful. “Zed?” she barely whispers, and for a moment I swear the devil is messing with my mind. “No, baby, it’s Hardin. I’m Hardin, not Zed.” I can’t help the irritation that flares in me from hearing his name come so softly from her lips. “No Hardin.” Her eyebrows pull together in confusion, but her eyes stay closed. “Zed?” she repeats, and I drop my hand from her cheek.

