Shattered Window

It was still pouring outside, and the rain was hitting the windows hard. The storm wasn't letting up at all.

Aurora and Daemon had just finished talking when they heard something weird—a sound like glass shattering.

It came from the kitchen, and they both froze for a second.

The rain pounded on the roof, making everything sound even more intense.

"We should check it out," Daemon said, getting up slowly. Aurora followed him, her heart racing. Something felt wrong.

They walked quietly through the hallway, following the strange noise. When they got to the kitchen, it was dark. All the lights had gone out. Just great, a blackout in the middle of a storm.

"Why did the power go out?" Aurora asked, trying to keep calm, but her voice shook a little.

"Could be the storm," Daemon muttered, searching the drawers. "There should be torches here somewhere."

He finally found one, clicked it on, and handed it to Aurora.

She turned it on and swept the light around the room.

Everything looked fine until she noticed something strange by the window.

There, on the floor, was broken glass—lots of it. Her eyes traveled up to the window, and that's when she saw it.

There was a huge hole, big enough for a person to fit through.

"Daemon..." her voice trembled, "the window—there's a hole in the window."

Daemon's eyes widened as he stepped closer, inspecting the shattered glass. "Don't panic," he said, trying to sound calm, but Aurora could see he was just as freaked out as she was. "It could've been the wind... or maybe lightning struck nearby and broke it. Let me check on the kids."

Aurora was too nervous to argue. "Okay," she whispered, kneeling down to start cleaning up the glass.

Her hands shook a little as she gathered the shards into a small pile. Her mind raced, imagining all the worst possibilities.

Daemon hurried upstairs to the kids' rooms. He peeked in on Leonardo first.

The boy was asleep, curled up with his laptop nearby. Daemon just stood there for a second, looking at his son.

He sighed deeply. He knew he had messed up in the past, but seeing his son like this reminded him of how much he had to make up for.

But before he could get too lost in his thoughts, he heard it.

A scream.

Aurora's scream.

Daemon's heart jumped into his throat as he bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he got to the kitchen, what he saw made his blood run cold.

There was a man, tall and masked, holding Aurora by the arm. Worse, he had a gun pressed right against her head.

"Aurora!" Daemon shouted, not sure what to do. His mind was spinning. He needed to think, but how could he, with a gun aimed at the woman he cared about?

"Shut up!" the intruder growled. "Stay right there or I'll shoot."

Aurora's eyes were wide, filled with fear. Her whole body trembled, but she wasn't making a sound. She was just frozen in place, the gun too close for her to even breathe properly.

Daemon clenched his fists. His mind raced, trying to figure out what to do, how to save her. He couldn't lose her—not again.

"Please," Aurora whispered, her voice so soft it barely made a sound over the rain. The intruder's grip tightened, and Daemon saw the gun press even harder against her head.

His heart felt like it was going to explode.

"Let her go," Daemon said slowly, trying to keep his voice steady. "You don't want to do this."

The intruder laughed, a harsh, nasty sound that made Daemon's skin crawl. "Oh, but I do."

Daemon's eyes darted to the shattered glass on the floor, then back to Aurora. If only he could distract the guy for a second...

Then, without warning, Aurora let out a gasp, her eyes wide. She had seen something behind the intruder.

Daemon didn't hesitate.

He lunged forward, just as a loud crash came from the window. Something—or someone—had thrown something heavy through the broken glass, startling the intruder.

The man turned, just enough for Daemon to grab Aurora and pull her away from the gun.