Naomi’s Pov

The girls finally drifted off to sleep on the small mattresses Mara had laid out in the safehouse living room. The room smelled faintly of dust and warm air, the kind that sticks to your clothes. One of the girls whimpered quietly in her sleep; Mara knelt beside her and stroked her hair until she settled again.

I stood near the doorway, watching.

Watching them breathe.

Watching the rise and fall of three tiny chests.

Watching the way safety looked at them for the first time.

Cassian wasn’t in the room with us.

I could hear him down the hall, pacing again.

Rubio leaned against the kitchen counter,...