The room fell into a stillness so thick I thought the air itself might shatter.

The heavy oak door creaked open, and with it came a shadow that sent my heart plummeting to my stomach. A figure stepped through, cloaked in black, the faint gleam of steel strapped across his chest. But when the hood slipped back, I felt as though the ground beneath me caved in.

Rick.

My pulse skittered wildly, an impossible mixture of disbelief, dread, and confusion clawing through me. For a heartbeat, ...