Caleb’s POV
I woke with a groan I didn’t recognize as my own.
The echo of my breathing bounced off the cavern walls—a hollow, animal sound. My head throbbed violently; each pulse was a sharp blow behind my eyes. It smelled of dried blood, stone, and death.
For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. Everything was darkness, a thick silence broken only by the distant drip of water seeping through the rocks. Then, little by little, the memories aligned: Serena, the fight, the trembling cavern, Nellie, the roar… and then nothing. A black void.
I tried to move, and a stabbing pain shot through my side. My body was a collection of open wounds, strained bones, and muscles on the edge of collapse. It took me a while to stand. My legs shook. I was covered in blood—mine and hers.
The air was dens
