Though her hand hovered over the doorknob, something inside her whispered that she wasn’t finished yet. It was that same quiet voice that had guided her through every moment of doubt and fear since she’d come back—a voice that always seemed to know what she didn’t.

She closed her eyes, took a breath, and turned back toward him.

Soren was still there—standing near the desk, his back half-turned to her, the light from the tall windows casting long shadows across the floor. The air ...