The three of them had talked, laughed, and argued during the entire drive, but the instant the car parked in front of the pack house, any trace of ease dissolved like vapor in the cold afternoon air. Talia turned off the engine, and for a second nobody moved. Mila observed the front door with raised eyebrows, Luara inhaled deep as if trying to gather courage, and only when Talia opened the door and got out did the other two follow her.

Their mood plummeted in the same ...