The guard shoved me through the open iron gate, his boot finding the small of my back with enough force to send me flying. With my hands bound tightly in front of me, I couldn't break my fall. I hit the damp stone floor hard, skinning my knees and palms as the heavy cuffs clattered violently against the rock.
The cell door slammed shut behind me with a deafening, metallic crash, followed by the definitive twist of the key.
"Rachel!" Eloise’s voice was a frantic gasp in the dim light.
Before I could even push myself up, she and Toby were at my side. Eloise knelt in the dirt, her own chained hands coming up to gently cup my face. Her thumb brushed against my left cheek, and I winced as the friction stung the white-hot throb Malakai had left behind.
"What happened?" she asked, her eyes wi
