DAXTON

Pain.

It was the first thing I felt as consciousness slipped back in. It was a sharp, searing throb that pulsed behind my right eye and rang in my skull like church bells struck wrong. The second thing I felt...was him.

That voice.

That serpentine voice slithering in my ear even as someone dabbed gently at my temple.

"Pathetic. Look at you sobbing into her arms like a beaten dog."

My fingers twitched, but I didn't move.

"They pity you, Daxton. ...