Willow's POV

The night stretched long and merciless, dragging me through a haze of worry and restlessness. My children’s faces haunted me, shadows of their smiles flickering in the corners of my mind. Every thought was a question, where were they? Were they safe? My heart thudded heavily, filling the silence as I lay in bed, tangled in sheets that only reminded me of their absence.

I must have fallen asleep eventually, but only barely, because it felt like mere seconds before Ruby was at ...