I stared at the monitor again. The intruders were moving deeper into the house now. One laughed about something. The casualness of it horrified me most.
The children were upstairs asleep in their rooms while strangers walked through their home. Weren’t the children at home? Or were they at school? My thoughts were still fuzzy as I floated halfway in a dreamlike state.
My home.
The thought hit before I could stop it.
Mine.
These children. This family. This place. They were all mine to protect.
I swung my legs out of the casket and nearly collapsed the second my feet touched the ground.
God. Everything felt wrong. Like my entire body had been woken before it finished charging. My thoughts lagged behind reality. My vision blurred at the edges. Even standing upright required concentration.
Move.
MOVE.
I gripped the edge of the casket until the wood groaned beneath my fingers.
Upstairs were three children who trusted me. Three children who had hugged me goodbye this morning. Or was that yesterday? I rubbed my face, trying to wake up.
Either way, the Lawrence home was under attack. Panic flooded through me so violently that my body finally obeyed. I stumbled toward the vehicle door and shoved it open.
Daylight hit immediately. Agony flared across my exposed skin. My head swam so hard I nearly blacked out right there beside the car.
The storm clouds helped.
Thank God for the storm clouds.
Gray skies muted the sunlight enough that I could function if I was quick and careful, though every exposed inch of skin that I normally would have had time to re-cover was hot and raw.
I staggered toward the side entrance of the house, breathing hard from pure instinct despite not needing air.
Think.
The children’s rooms.
Conrad was at work. Amethyst had taken the children yesterday. No—today? God, my thoughts would not settle properly.
Another crash sounded faintly from inside the house. Fear cut straight through the haze.
What if theywereinside? What if Billie woke up and wandered downstairs, because her curious nature wouldn’t allow her not to? What if CJ tried to investigate? What if Bianca thought she could reason with grown men carrying weapons?
“No, no, no…”
I hit the side door hard enough that it slammed open against the wall.
Cool darkness wrapped around me immediately as I entered the mudroom.
Better. Not enough relief, but better. Steam rose from my hands. It burned like hell, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except saving the children. I braced one shaking hand against the wall, desperately trying to force myself awake.
The house felt off. Violated.
Billie’s rain boots sat beside the mat. One of Bianca’s library books sat abandoned on the console table. Evidence of ordinary life.
And inside there were strangers. I listened carefully to their footsteps. The two men were in the kitchen, opening drawers and muttering something about silver.
