Isla POV

Tuesday morning arrived faster than I expected. And I still hadn't heard from Carmilla. Worse, I didn't even know where she lived – so I couldn't just drive over and check on her.

The worry sat in my chest like a weight, dampening the memory of the great time I'd had with Mr. Vale yesterday. I hadn't even had the chance to text Ronan with how worried I was.

I entered the office building, my eyes immediately scanning the space – and I froze. Carmilla was at her desk. I walked toward her quickly and hugged her.

She stiffened for a second, then relaxed when she saw it...