Nancy's POV

I felt every throb, every agonizingly slow twitch. It made my walls flutter around him, despite the raw fear choking me.

My heart raced, my breath coming in shallow pants against his palm. If she wakes up... if she sees us like this...

"Nothing, Mom," I managed. My voice trembled but held steady enough. I forced the words out, fighting to suppress the violent shaking in my limbs.

"I… just had a nightmare. Go back to sleep."

She mumbled something, shifting in her sleeping bag, but after a heart-stopping moment, her breathing evened out again.

The relief was dizzying, but so was the terror—a toxic cocktail mixing with...