Sera’s POV
I yanked open the kitchen drawer so hard it slammed against the counter, silverware rattling like bones. My heart was pounding so violently I could feel it in my throat, in my wrists, in my teeth.
“Aria!” I called again, my voice already fraying. “Aria, baby, answer Mommy!”
Still, there was nothing.
The living room was empty. Her shoes were gone from beside the door. The blanket she liked to drag around was abandoned on the couch like shed skin.
Panic clawed its way up my spine.
I ran down the hall, throwing open doors, my breath coming out in sharp, shallow bursts. Bathroom—empty. Guest room—empty. Her room—
My chest seized.
The bed was untouched. No tangled sheets. No stuffed animals scattered from sleep. Just absence.
Cassian moved behind me, fast and controlled, but
