KAIA’S POV
I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep, but I could feel it in my bones that something was wrong. Even in my dream, I knew it wasn’t real, not quite. But that didn’t matter, because no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t wake up, and no matter how hard I screamed, my voice wouldn’t come out.
Everything felt strange, like my body wasn’t really mine. My breath came in short, sharp bursts as panic began to coil tighter in my chest.
I saw myself—or what looked like me—lying flat on the cold earth. Then suddenly, something invisible, like hands made of air and shadows, grabbed at my arms and legs, pulling me toward an open grave.
The soil beneath my fingers was damp and loose as I clawed desperately, fighting to stay out. My nails scraped at roots and stones, and each pull dr
