Vorian POV Slowly, the world began to return in fragments. First came sound low voices, whispering just beyond the fog. Then came sensation. A dull, pounding ache throbbed in my skull, and my wrists felt restrained, held tightly in place. My fingers twitched against the tension. Blinking through the haze, I forced my eyes to adjust to the light filtering into the room. No overhead lights were on, but the sunlight pouring through the closed blinds told me it was daytime. I was in a hospital room. That much I knew. And then it all came crashing back. Kavira. She’d been taken. Panic surged through me, raw and furious. I yanked against the restraints instinctively. “Vorian! Calm down we have her!” someone shouted. I whipped my head toward the voice just as Varek stood and rushed to my

