Elena’s POV

The door clicked shut behind me and the silence of my bedroom pressed against my skin like a second set of clothes. I stood with my back against the wood for a long moment, eyes closed, and finally released the breath I had been holding since Mr. Nik stepped into the kitchen. It left me in a shaky rush. My lungs felt scraped raw. The ring on my finger still carried the residual warmth of the morning light, and every time I flexed my hand the band shifted, reminding me that nothing about the last hour had been ordinary.

Footsteps followed almost immediately. Soft, familiar, determined. Samantha did...