I turned toward the door, my pulse hammering as an impossibly tall figure emerged from the shadows of the corridor. As he stepped into my cell, I instinctively retreated, my bare feet sinking into the still-warm pool of Leif’s blood. Despite the suffocating circumstances, my body knew better than to let him too close. His presence alone was enough to smother the air in the room, thickening it with something dark and dangerous—something that made every breath a struggle.

Then, the ...