Kael
The first thing I knew when consciousness started clawing its way back through the dark was pain.
Not the dull kind. Not the lingering ache of a bruise or the sting of a shallow cut. This was sharp. Brutal. The kind that sank into bone and held on.
I sucked in a breath and instantly regretted it.
Cold air hit my lungs like broken glass, and the movement sent a fresh wave of agony through my leg so violent my vision whited out for a second. I stayed still after that, jaw clenched, waiting for the worst of it to pass.
When my eyes finally focused, all I saw was dirt, dead leaves, and a smear of blood so dark it looked black in the weak gray light.
Mine.
The memory slammed back in hard, all at once.
The house. The fight. Thoren tearing through it like judgment. Chaos in seconds.
