Sebastian~
5:40 AM
The shadows in my home stretched and danced like ghosts across the floor. I'd walked every corner, torn through every drawer, checked and rechecked every door, closet, rooftop—hell, even the chimney. Nothing. Not a single hair. Not a footprint. No scent. Just… absence.
Cassandra was gone.
My mind spiraled. I sat on the edge of the couch one second, paced the kitchen the next, then found myself standing in my now-empty room again. My fingers brushed the corner of the dresser she always leaned on when she smirked at me. The jacket she loved so much—gone. The boots I used to tease her about—gone. Even her damn silver dagger was gone.
I was unraveling. Completely. Utterly.
Then, twenty-five minutes later—though it felt like hours—I heard the faint thudding sound of rotor blades in the distance. My head snapped toward the noise like a hound scenting blood. It grew louder, sharper, until the air itself vibrated.
The chopper.
