Elina’s POV

I woke to noise—steel crashing against steel, Ryan roaring somewhere close.

My head throbbed like someone had split it open, and every inch of my body felt wrong. Heavy. Numb. Like I’d been buried alive.

The air reeked—burnt flesh, old blood—so heavy it clung to my skin like smoke. I blinked, once, then again, trying to clear the haze from my eyes.

Lucas’s arms were still around me, steady and warm, his hum low in my ear. ...