Page 45 of Donovan

I waited, giving her time.

I knew she had something to say, something that had been clawing at her since we brought her inside. She just had to find the strength to say it.

And then, finally, she did.

“They attacked my home.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “The same thing that attacked me. They came out of nowhere, just ripping through us.”

She sucked in a shaky breath, then continued. “I ran. I didn’t even think. I just ran.” She pressed a hand to her mouth, as if that could stop the guilt from spilling out. “I don’t know if anyone else made it.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. I felt Declan go still beside me.

Lena looked up at me then, and there was something almost desperate in her expression.

“Please,” she murmured. “I need to go back. I need to know if anyone, if my family’s still alive.”

Just like that, I knew what needed to be done.

But before I could speak, Declan did. “You’re talking about a community?” His voice was careful, measured. “A whole group of people?”

Lena nodded, her eyes shining.

“A small one, but yes. There’s not many of us, but we’ve lived there for years.” She hesitated, then exhaled, her shoulders squaring. “We’re shifters. Sparrows. That’s why I got away. I shifted, but I got clipped. I couldn’t keep flying. I hit the ground and ran as fast as I could.”

A sparrow shifter.

Unlike wolves or big cats, sparrows didn’t have brute strength to rely on. They weren’t built for battle, for claw-to-claw fights in the dirt.

Their power came from speed, from their ability to vanish into the sky before a predator could sink its teeth in.

They thrived in numbers, moving together, watching each other’s backs.

The Guild had never bothered with shifters like them. They weren’t a threat.

Predatory shifters like wolves, lions, bears were the ones the Guild kept on a tight leash. But peaceful clans like Lena’s?

They were left alone. But if a nest of them had been caught unaware by rabid vampires…

A lump formed in my throat.

They wouldn’t have stood a chance. I turned to Declan, already knowing the argument forming behind his gaze.

“No,” he said immediately.

I clenched my jaw. “Declan?—”

“We can’t.” His voice was firm, but not cruel. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration bleeding into his expression.

Declan continued, “You know why, Donovan. We’ve already stayed too long as it is. The Guild will come looking for you, for us. And if they find us, it’s over.”

Lena flinched, shrinking into herself.

I ignored him for a moment, lowering my voice. “Lena, when was the attack?”

She blinked, confused, but answered. “An hour ago or maybe two.”

That did it.

I turned back to Declan. “Then we don’t have time for this.”