I awoke with a start in bed and immediately started to sob. She was so close, and then, just as quickly as Courtney had appeared, she had gone. My heart shattered, and I felt a loss of something I hadn't truly realized I had. Courtney had always been an enigma in my life. A piece of me spoken of but never understood. A missing piece that I had finally, for a moment, had.
I heard Rafe and Seraphina before I saw them. The cats jumped up on the bed and immediately lay down near me. They didn't say anything, only cast me worried looks. Tears cascaded down my cheeks, and internally, I collapsed from the emotional storm raging inside me. I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs, and gently rocked myself back and forth.
"Would you like us to get Alaric or another famil
