Sophie was sitting upright in her bed, her small hands clutching her knees to her chest.

“Elena?” she whispered, her eyes wide in the dim light.

“It’s me, sweetheart,” I said, stepping inside and quickly sliding the brass bolt into place on the heavy wooden door. “Where are Emma and Lily?”

“They’re in the next room,” Sophie said, her voice trembling. “The power went off in our closet. Grace is scared.”

I walked over to the bed and knelt beside her, pulling her and her younger sister into a brief, tight hug.

“I need you both to be very quiet for me,” I said, looking Sophie in the eyes. “Can you do that?”

She nodded slowly, her lip quivering.

“Is the bad man coming?” she asked.

Before I could answer, the walkie-talkie in my pocket crackled with static.

I pulled it out, turning the volume down until it was a faint hiss.

“Elena,” Marcus’s voice came through, distorted by the interference of the storm. “We have a breach at the south terrace door. The glass is broken. He’s inside.”

My blood ran cold.