Pain wakes me in layers rather than all at once, spreading slowly from a dull ache into something sharper and more demanding, and I lie still for several seconds with my eyes closed because moving feels like a bad idea and breathing already hurts more than it should. The world smells wrong, too clean and too sterile compared to stone and dust and blood, and the realization that I am not buried anymore settles in before memory fully catches up.
The bond is the next thing I notice.
It is steady, close, wrapped tight around my awareness in a way that tells me Adam is nearby, and the relief that floods through me at that confirmation is so intense it almost knocks the air from my lungs. I draw a careful breath and try to shift, immediately regretting it as pain lances through my arm and ribs
