Nicholas had left to bring someone back to meet me. Not knowing what else to do, I remained seated on his bed, revisiting my anxious thoughts from earlier. It was stressful not to know what to expect when I got home. Raven had never disappointed me before, but what if she decided to tell my dad and Dakota I disappeared?

The front door slammed, followed by a stampede of footsteps on the creaking floorboards. Had Nicholas brought the whole village back with him?

...