Rory's POV
Two days had passed in a blur I couldn’t grasp. I woke to a throbbing in my skull as if someone had taken a hammer to my head in my sleep. My eyes cracked open slowly, adjusting to the dim morning light filtering through the tall curtains. For a moment I thought I might still be trapped in that moment, the fire in my veins, the heat, Damien’s steady eyes, Jaxon’s furious claim. The room around me was still, familiar. I was back in the house again.
Only… something was wrong.
The first thing I noticed was the cluster of women surrounding my bed. Maids—faces I had seen before, carrying trays, pouring water, folding sheets. But their postures were different now. Their eyes were lowered, their hands fidgeting nervously, their movements stiff as though walking on broken glass.
“G
