Marcus had filled three legal pads with notes. Callum had searched every room twice. Kai had paced a hole in the carpet while calling every supernatural contact he had.
And Samantha sat in Emma's room, holding the backup harmonica her daughter had left behind, trying very hard not to completely fall apart.
"We should have fought harder," she said when Marcus found her there. "We should have physically stopped her from taking them."
"And risked what?" Marcus said quietly, settling beside her on Emma's bed. "Did you see their faces? They were terrified—not just of her, but of what would happen if we interfered."
"But why?" Samantha's voice broke. "Why did they go so willingly? Like they didn't even have a choice?"
"I don't know," Marcus admitted. "But that's what we're going to find out. What does that woman have on them that makes disobedience impossible?"
