“Yes, ma’am,” he said, turning back toward the rain.

I took a deep breath, my fingers brushing against the cold brass key in my pocket.

This was the only way out.

I began to walk down the stairs, each step heavy with the weight of what I was about to do.

But as my foot hit the marble floor of the foyer, the lights in the entire house suddenly flickered.

Then, they went completely black.

Only the red blinking light on Elias’s device remained, pulsing in the dark.

From the darkness near the kitchen, a floorboard creaked.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

“Mara?” I whispered, reaching out behind me.

There was no answer.

The silence in the dark house was absolute, except for the drumming rain outside.

Then, the red light on Elias’s device stopped blinking.

It turned solid green.

A soft hum vibrated through the floorboards as the backup generators failed to kick in.

A heavy metallic click sounded from the front double doors, locking us inside.

I pressed my back against the wall, my hand searching the darkness.