**Ellis POV

I embraced familiar waves of loss and sadness as I walked around Nancy’s perfectly preserved room. At the piano, I picked up her sheet music and let my eyes flow over the notes. It was a very complex piece, but she’d always played it so perfectly.

Setting the pages back in their place, I went to Nancy’s portrait and looked her over.

“If only I’d been able to protect you from them,” I murmured, reaching out to touch her but stopped ...