CHAPTER 17

Third POV

The storm didn’t stop. It was a living thing, a furious entity hammering against the fortress with clenched fists of wind and rain.

Each peal of thunder wasn't just a sound; it was a physical blow to the stones, a vibration that ran up through the soles of his boots and into the marrow of his bones, echoing the turmoil raging inside him.

The scent of blood still hung heavy in the room, a cloying, metallic blanket that choked the air. It was bitter. Wrong. A smell that ...