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Alive.

Safe with me.

“What…” her voice barely reached me. “What does he want?”

My jaw tightened. Killian Armstrong’s blood flashed across my mind.

Then Lily.

Then the ribbon.

Then Nyssa.

“I wish I knew.”

Silence settled between us.

“I thought I was going to die.”

The words hollowed something inside me.

I closed my eyes. “You won’t.”

She drew a shaky breath against my chest.

I held her tighter until my phone vibrated. Not because I believed the words. But because I needed her to.

Then that sinking feeling of fear tore me away.

I lifted my head. Inhaled the scent of her once more and then reached for my phone.

Rafe:

You need to see this.

“Stay here.” I met her gaze. “I’ll lock the door behind me. No one will get to you, that’s my promise.”

She trembled, but gave a nod.

I hated leaving her.

But right now.

There was no choice.

I closed and locked the door behind me. My fingers moved across the screen:

I’m on my way.

The house had changed. Boots echoed through every hallway. Ghost stepped from the west wing, giving me a straight single shake of his head before disappearing again. Brick stood at the front entrance, weapon low, eyes fixed beyond the now shattered doorway.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody needed to.

The war had already begun.

I found Rafe in the security room. Knox stood over the monitors. His jaw was tight. One screen. Then an another. Then every camera in the house. Frozen.