Andrei’s POV
My world had narrowed to the rubies surrounding my cell. I felt like a bird in a gilded cage—a cage surrounded by glittering crimson, the color of blood and viscera. My wings were clipped by a madman who was wearing my face like a cheap costume.
With every moment I spent in that cell, I felt the strength sapping from my body like someone were siphoning it out through a garden hose. It could have been hours or minutes. I couldn’t tell. But the loss of strength was profound and unlike anything I’d felt before.
One minute, I had been my usual self—strong, powerful, unafraid and focused solely on protecting my mate.
Now I was a husk. Even turning my head was an effort. I would die here, sapped of everything I had until I was completely deflated like a cheap balloon; I was sure
