Juliette’s POV
I awoke to darkness. At first, it was disorienting, the kind of black that seemed to swallow sound, light, and even the pulse of my own heart. The faint hum of ventilation reached my ears, a distant, mechanical whisper in the stillness. My body ached everywhere—muscles screaming, bones protesting, every joint reminding me of the violent chaos from the night before. I remembered the arena, the ice, the screams, the flames that had erupted from the maintenance shafts, the way my body had been flung through the tunnels, dragged by someone whose strength had overwhelmed me completely. I shivered. The memory left a residual taste of fear and adrenaline on my tongue.
I pushed myself up slowly, my hands brushing against cold, damp concrete. Every movement reminded me how vulnerab
