VESPER GREY LYSAN POV

Waking up bound up in chains wasn't surprising or unfamiliar.

I'd been bound a lot of times. The first time was by my mom, then Ilvane, and then the asylum... and now, it was Cyran.

He sat at the edge of my bed, his back straight and rigid. He was shirtless, an almost burned-out cigarette held between his fore and middle fingers.

Did Cyran smoke, or was this a new habit he'd picked up?

I could see his back muscle rippling with tension, his jaw clenching and ...