The house was quiet when I walked in. Kieran was still tied up with things at the cemetery and the Delacroix estate, but I couldn't stay there a second longer. I needed to see my children. I needed to feel like something in my life was still normal.
I walked toward the stairs first, wanting to check the nursery, but I could tell by the stillness coming from the upper floor that Adrien and Hanalei were already down for the night. Sterling had clearly been keeping things under control while we were gone.
I turned toward the lounge, hoping to find a glass of water and maybe a moment of peace. But as I rounded the corner, I stopped.
Sterling was there, standing by the window. He looked exhausted, though he was trying to hide it. Anya was standing near him—too near. She had been through hell with me in Valentin's mansion, and I knew she looked at Sterling as some kind of hero.
She was watching him, her eyes following his every move.
