Chapter 79.

STACY.

The night air bites into my skin, cold and relentless, as I sit on the porch steps, staring into the pitch-black streets. My arms are wrapped tightly around myself, but it does little to stave off the chill—or the fear inside me. Liam is out there somewhere, and every second that passes feels like another cut to my heart.

Is he safe? Is he scared? Has he eaten anything since the kidnapers took him? The questions torment me, each one worse than the last.

Suddenly, a noise behind me—a car pulling up—snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts. I turn quickly, hope flaring and then twisting into something darker when I see Daniel stepping out. But he’s not alone. My heart skips a beat when I notice Jason, slumped over and unconscious, being helped out of the car by another man I don’t recognize.

“What happened to him?” I’m on my feet in an instant, rushing toward them.

Daniel’s expression is grim. “My warriors found him like this at the boarder while patrolling, barely conscio