Amara’s POV

The ride back to my grandmother’s place was quiet at first, the hum of the engine filling the silence between us. Eli sat in the back, unusually calm, still holding onto the small toy car he had clutched in the supermarket. Every few seconds I glanced at him in the rearview mirror, just to reassure myself he was really there, safe. My heart was still not steady after the attack, the echo of the gunshot replaying in my ears.

Cassian sat beside me, his broad frame filling the ...