The parking lot felt unnaturally quiet after the stranger disappeared. The night sounds slowly returned, along with the noise of the gathering still happening inside the community center.
Lilian stood where she was, wrapping her arms around herself. Her mind replayed the words over and over.
The threat, the casual mention of her family as collateral damage, the wrongness of everything that had just happened. Everyone she knew, she loved.
Her mother's face rose instantly in her thoughts.
"We can't leave her here," Lilian said suddenly, the realization hitting her all at once with absolute certainty. "Mom. We can't leave her in Millbrook with just guards watching. If The Collector knows about this town, about her, she's not safe."
The three princes exchanged loaded glances. It wasn't long, but it carried weight.
