Back at Victorian Heights...
"Ali? Where are you?"
The moment that familiar voice rang through the apartment, Aliana's dazed eyes blinked rapidly, snapping her instantly back to reality.
Slowly, the haze cleared from her mind, and her eyes widened as it registered exactly who the voice belonged to.
A sharp gasp left her lips, and she whispered, "Mom!"
Gavriel, who had been staring at her intently while waiting for her answer, immediately furrowed his brows in displeasure.
Of all the responses he expected from her, crying out for her mother was certainly not one of them.
He raised a brow as she tried to pull her hands free from his firm grip before hissing in a hushed voice, "Gav, you need to let me go now!"
"Ali? Ah, it's so quiet in here that it almost feels like a ghost lives here instead of my daughter," Portia's voice floated up from downstairs.
"Maybe she's in her room," another voice followed calmly.
