Chapter 262

Lily's Perspective The phone rang as I was staring into a stone-cold cup of coffee, my mind a tangled, useless knot. Ethan sat across from me, gripping a useless investigative report, his knuckles white. When the unfamiliar male voice came through the speaker, introducing himself as "Liam Thornton, of the Northwatch Sentinels," and stating, "Aurora is with me. She's safe and being returned," my ceramic mug slipped from my hand and thudded onto the thick carpet. Dark coffee bloomed into an ugly stain, but I barely registered it. *Safe? Aurora is safe?* A wave of dizzying, overwhelming relief crashed through the dam of anxiety I'd built over days. I shot to my feet, my voice sharp and trembling, unfamiliar even to me. "Where is she?! Let me talk to her! Now!" "She's right here. Tired, but physically okay. Just a moment, ma'am." The man, Liam, sounded infuriatingly calm, almost businesslike. Then, I heard her.