Chapter 49

The Prey

A groan left my mouth and pain wrapped around me like an old, familiar shroud, something that felt like my body had been stung by thousands of needles. I didn’t need to see the bruises blooming across my skin to know they were there, didn’t need to touch the tender, aching spots to feel the damage beneath.

It was as if I’d been shattered and the pieces of me scattered were irreparable.

For a momentary second, I clung to the hope that it was just a nightmare—some twisted figment of my imagination. But the cold, stark reality settled in like ice in my veins as I felt soft velvety sheets under me. Cold air hit my skin and the more I tried to open my eyes, the worse my headache got.

To my terror, my surroundings were suffocatingly quiet, the kind of silence that pressed down on your chest until you could barely breathe.

My body screamed with every subtle movement, muscles stiff and brutally torn protesting even the smallest shift.<