Elena’s POV

Darkness still clung to the palace-like dormitory courtyard when I jolted awake, the kind of dense, heavy quiet that made everything feel hazier and colder than it really was.

For a moment I didn’t understand where I was or what I was lying against, until my vision sharpened, and I realized there were arms around me. Warm. Steady. Far too firm.

I shot upright.

And stared straight into Damien’s eyes.

My breath flew out of me so hard my ribs ached. I staggered backward ...