Emma POV

My eyes flickered open, but everything was wrong.

The air was thick, heavy with dust and a faint metallic tang. My head throbbed like a drum, each beat a warning. My body felt… strange. Aching. Stiff. I tried to move my arms, my legs—my wrists and ankles burned where they were tied.

Panic clawed at me instantly.

I was sitting upright, my back pressed against something hard. A chair? A wall? I couldn’t tell. My fingers fumbled at the ropes cutting into my skin. They were ...