“So let me get this straight… I have to hold my own daughter inside my stomach for a MONTH?!” Jessy asked in an incredulous tone. Cassidy was hiding behind her, still a bit wet.

Ryan nodded. “It’s getting dangerous for her,” he replied. “After that harpy attack, we knew she’d been found.”

Jessy frowned, confused. “What do you mean?” she said, crossing her arms. “Who’s looking for her?”

Ryan sighed. “Her name’s Velvet Finch,” he answered. “A neko with a powerful appetite and total lack of empathy for anything she views as food. Not even her own underlings are safe from her hunger.” He looked down. “She’s trying to wipe out the families your daughter and her friends are a part of, and she’s targeted the children first.”

Jessy looked down at her daughter. “Have the others agreed to it?” she asked softly. Cassidy whimpered.

“Yes,” came the response.