The clock on Lilly's nightstand glows 2:18 AM, each neon digit burning into my retinas like accusatory fingers. Two deaths. One day. Zero explanations.

I stare at the ceiling of Lilly's bedroom, watching shadows crawl across the textured surface. Sleep feels like a foreign country I no longer have a passport to visit. My body aches with exhaustion, but my mind refuses to quiet, replaying the image of Evelyn and Rose bleeding out on the Harris family's hardwood floor.

Lilly shifts beside me, her arm tightening around my waist. Even in the darkness, I can feel her eyes on me, watching, assessing.

"You're still awake," she whispers, her breath warm against my neck.

"Yeah," I manage, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears. "Can't shut my brain off."

The hospital, the police station, the morgue, we've been everywhere today except anywhere that makes sense. Two body bags. Two death certificates. Zero answers about where Evelyn had been for the past month or why she suddenly appeared at the Harris house with murder in her eyes.

"The police will figure it out," Lilly says, her fingers tracing small circles on my chest. "They'll find where she was hiding, what happened to her."

"I don't care about that right now," I mutter, staring into the darkness. "Did you see her hands?"

"What?"

"Evelyn's hands." The image flashes in my mind again, grotesque and impossible to ignore. "She was missing three fingers. Three fucking fingers, Lilly."

My voice cracks as I sit up, the sheets pooling around my waist. "What happened to her? Her mom was completely destroyed at the morgue. Kept screaming about how her daughter wouldn’t do that."

Lilly sits up beside me, her silhouette sharp against the dim light from the window. "Shh," she whispers, pressing her lips against mine in a gentle kiss that somehow feels both comforting and demanding. "Come here."

Her arms encircle me, pulling me down until my head rests against her chest. I can hear her heartbeat, steady and sure, while mine races chaotically. She strokes my hair, fingers threading through the tangled strands with practiced care.

"Don't think about that now," she murmurs, her lips brushing against my forehead. "Just breathe."

I close my eyes, trying to match my breathing to the rhythm of her heart. She's been my anchor today, the only steady thing in a world that's suddenly lost all its moorings. Without Lilly, I'm not sure I could even function right now.

"I'm sorry," I whisper against her skin. "I should be comforting you. You lost your sister today."

Lilly's hand cups my cheek, her thumb brushing away tears I didn't know I was shedding. "You want to comfort me?" she asks softly.

"Always," I whisper, the word catching in my throat.

She pulls me to her, lips finding mine with desperate hunger. Her kiss tastes like salt and grief, demanding and needy in a way that momentarily startles me. I pull back slightly, my breath ragged.

"I'm not sure if…"

She cuts me off with another kiss, deeper this time, more insistent. Her fingers tangle in my hair, holding me in place as her tongue slides against mine. There's something almost frantic in the way she presses against me, like she's trying to climb inside my skin.

When we finally break apart, her eyes glitter in the darkness. "If you really want to help me feel better," she breathes against my lips, "find a way to get my mind off everything."

I don't hesitate this time. I pull her close, capturing her mouth with mine, matching her desperation with my own. I need this too, need to feel something besides the hollow ache that's been consuming me since this morning. Need to feel her, alive and warm against me, a reminder that not everything has been ripped away.

My hands slide under her nightshirt, fingers tracing the curves of her body. I'm desperate to feel her, desperate to forget the images burned into my brain, desperate to never leave her side again.

"I love you," I whisper against her mouth, the words inadequate but all I have to offer.

"Show me how much," she whispers, tilting her head as I trail kisses down her neck.

Her skin is soft beneath my lips, pulse racing under my tongue. I lose myself in the taste of her, in the small gasps that escape her throat. My hands move with newfound urgency, pushing her nightshirt up and over her head.

The moonlight filtering through the curtains paints her skin silver, making her look almost ethereal. For a moment, I just stare, struck by how beautiful she is, how lucky I am to have her when everything else has fallen apart.

"Seth," she whispers, voice thick with need as she pulls me back down to her.

We move together in the darkness, hands exploring familiar territory that somehow feels new tonight. Different. More urgent. There's a desperation in our touches, a need to affirm we're still here, still alive when death has come so close.

My body trembles as I finally push inside her. The heat of her surrounds me completely.

"Good," she breathes, her voice husky with desire.

Before I can establish a rhythm, Lilly grips my shoulders and rolls us over in one fluid motion. Now she's above me, shutting out the world.

She captures my mouth in a kiss so deep I feel it in my soul. I thrust upward instinctively, my body seeking more of her even as my mind struggles to process the intensity of what we're sharing.

"I love you, Seth," she whispers against my lips, never breaking contact as she moves above me. "I love you so much it hurts."

"I love you," I choke out, and suddenly tears are streaming down my face, hot and unstoppable. My emotions are completely unraveled, raw, and exposed beneath her.

Lilly doesn't pull away or ask if I'm okay. Instead, she kisses me harder, her movements becoming more frantic, more demanding. Her tongue claims mine as her hips drive down to meet my increasingly desperate thrusts. There's something almost violent in our connection now.

I clutch desperately at her hips, suddenly overwhelmed by a tidal wave of fear that crashes through my pleasure. "Lilly, I can't lose you too," I gasp, my voice breaking as I pull her closer to me. "Please, I can't…"

She slows her movements, her body still joined with mine but gentler now. A smile plays across her lips as she leans down, bringing her mouth to my ear.

"I'm not going anywhere, Seth," she whispers, her breath hot against my skin. "You're mine. And I'm yours. Forever."

The words should comfort me, but they slide over me like oil on water. Nothing makes sense anymore. My body's still responding to her, still craving her, but my mind is running away.

"This isn't a fucking joke, Lilly," I choke out, tears streaming freely down my face now. "Nothing makes sense. Evelyn would never… Rose didn't deserve…" I can't even finish the thoughts as they collide in my head.

Lilly's hands frame my face, forcing me to look at her.

"Breathe," she commands, not stopping her gentle rocking against me. "Just breathe."

But I can't. My chest feels like it's being crushed. "What if there's some psycho out there?" I gasp between sobs. "Someone who took Evelyn? What if they come for us next? For Chris?"

Her rhythm falters for just a second, something flashing across her face too quickly for me to identify. Then she's kissing me again, harder this time, almost bruising in her intensity.

"No one's coming for us," she whispers against my mouth. "I won't let anything happen to you. Or to Chris. I promise."

Her hands slide down my chest, nails dragging lightly over my skin. The sensation sends shivers through me despite my panic, my body responding even as my mind races with terrible possibilities.

"But how can you know?" I ask, my hands gripping her thighs so tightly I'm afraid I might leave bruises. "How can anyone be safe?"

My breath comes in ragged gasps as adrenaline floods my system. My mind races with images of masked intruders, of more blood on hardwood floors…

"We need to protect ourselves," I blurt out, my voice cracking with desperation. "I know guns are dangerous, especially with Chris around, but maybe we should all get licensed. For protection."

Lilly freezes above me, her movements stopping completely. The moonlight catches her face, highlighting her furrowed brow and parted lips. She looks genuinely confused, maybe even shocked.

"Seth," she says slowly, as though explaining something to a child, "men can't legally own firearms."

She says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world, like I've suggested something as absurd as flying to the moon on a bicycle.

"What?" The word escapes me as a strangled whisper. "What do you mean men can't…"

I can't finish the sentence as my chest constricts painfully. The room starts to spin, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision. I can't breathe. I can't think. Nothing makes sense anymore.

Lilly quickly disengages our bodies and shifts beside me. Her arms wrap around my trembling form as she pulls me against her chest. One hand strokes my hair while the other rubs soothing circles on my back.

"Shh, I've got you, Seth," she murmurs, her lips pressed against my temple. "Just stay with me and breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth."

I try to follow her instructions, but my lungs feel like they're filled with concrete. Each breath is a battle.

"That's it," she encourages, her voice low and steady. "Just like that. Focus on me. On my heartbeat."

She guides my head to her chest, where I can hear the steady rhythm of her heart. The sound anchors me, gives me something to concentrate on besides the chaos in my mind.

"I'm sorry," I gasp between breaths. "I don't understand anything anymore."

Her fingers thread through my hair, nails gently scratching my scalp in a way that sends pleasant shivers down my spine despite my panic.

"You don't need to understand everything right now," she whispers. "Just know that I'm here. I'll protect you."

Gradually, my breathing slows to match hers. The vice grip on my chest loosens enough for me to draw a full breath. I remain pressed against her, drawing comfort from her warmth.

"Just sleep," Lilly whispers, her lips brushing against my forehead. "Let me take care of everything."

I feel her warmth against me, her naked body pressed to mine like a shield against the horrors waiting in my thoughts. My eyelids grow heavy as she continues to stroke my hair, each gentle touch pulling me further from panic.

I feel myself sinking, drowning in her touch as consciousness begins to slip away.

"All mine," I think I hear her whisper as darkness claims me completely.