~ ZARA ~
I froze in my tracks so that the blade wouldn't cut deeper, but I called to him.
"David!"
My father had already whipped his head around, his eyes narrowed over my shoulder. He was already beginning to sink his weight low, already reaching back…
I was sucking in a breath, preparing to tell David everything, to arm him, but it all happened too quickly.
"Zara, down!" David barked, and I didn't even hesitate. I dropped to my knees feeling the scrape of that blade on my chin because Abigail had been distracted and let her grip loosen. I dropped under her arm, then rolled, just like Ash had taught me months earlier.
As the world flipped and I tumbled in slow-motion, two dark shadows shot through the room, and twin thuds sounded.
Behind and in front of me, male grunts punctured the air.
My mother screamed.
The person who looked like me began to turn, grabbing her skirts to run.
