Chapter 96

Maeve’s POV

I groaned as consciousness crept back in. My skull throbbed so fiercely I feared it might split open. Every bone in my body seemed ablaze with pain. I squeezed my eyes shut against the agony, then slowly felt my heavy lashes part and my vision return in fractured flickers. A ragged breath escaped me as I inhaled, feeling so weak that I couldn’t even twitch a finger. Dizziness threatened to pull me back under.

Summoning the last of my strength, I pushed myself into a sitting position. A guttural moan tore from my throat, and I clutched the sides of my head, as if my grip could keep it from exploding.

“God, my head feels like hell,” I muttered, every word rasping.

My entire body trembled with pain. Tentatively, I lifted a hand to my neck and winced harder—heat and stinging throbbed along my skin. When I pressed my fingers to the source of the ache, I realized I was bleeding. It wasn’t a deep wound, but even a scratch burned with sharp inten