The night was loud with panic.

Boots hit the ground again and again. Voices called her name from every direction. Torches cut through the dark, shaking as hands trembled.

“Ivy!”

“She’s not here!”

“Check the east side!”

Damien moved faster than the others, his chest tight, his breath uneven. His eyes scanned the trees, the paths, the open grounds beyond the house.

“She wouldn’t leave alone,” he said sharply. “She wouldn’t.”

Cassien did not answer. His jaw was tight, his ...