Elena POV

I woke up with a groan and my head pounding like it was about to split into two. Looking around warily, I found no sign of the animal that had slammed me into the tree or the snake I’d been about to kill.

At least I hadn’t gotten bitten.

I pushed past the soreness and dull aching pain all over my body and tried to stand up only to fall back down over the tree’s root.

I’d twisted my ankle. I lay there for a few minutes trying to catch my breath and trying not to cry, from ...