Sunlight filtered across the ceiling in soft stripes when Sabrina opened her eyes. For a blissful second, she forgot the world outside existed. She was wrapped in warm blankets, still curled near the indentation where Brace had slept on the couch across the room. She heard birds, a faint sound of breakfast plates downstairs—like any peaceful morning.
Then came the distant noise.
Shouting.
Muffled, but unmistakable.
Like a crowd.
She sat up slowly, heart already thudding.
Brace appeared a moment later, his jaw tight, phone in hand. “You’re awake.”
“What’s going on?” she asked, the uneasy feeling crawling back in.
He moved to the window and pulled back the curtains.
Sabrina followed—and her stomach dropped.
Outside the wrought-iron gates of the Donovan property waited a swarm of ne
