NICKOLAS

We leave the hotel, my steps heavy with a sense of urgency that has become my constant companion these past few days. The pre-dawn air is cool against my skin as we fan out, beginning our search of the areas the witch tracked her to before the trail went dead.

I pause, closing my eyes and drawing in a deep breath through my nose, hoping against hope to catch even the faintest trace of Amelia's sweet, intoxicating scent on the breeze. The scent that never fails to soothe the turmoil in my soul, a balm against the ever-present worries that plague me.

Unconsciously, my mind conjures her image so...