Caspian's Pov
Pain.
It was the first thing I felt when I woke up. A deep, burning ache in my side, as if someone had driven a hot blade through me and left it there. My head throbbed, my muscles ached, and even breathing felt like work.
For a moment, I kept my eyes closed, focusing only on the sound of my own heartbeat. Slow, steady. Still alive. That was something.
Then I caught it.
A scent.
Familiar. Warm. Wild. The kind of scent that cuts through pain, through exhaustion, through everything else. My chest tightened, my pulse jumping.
Nyx.
My mind fought against it. It couldn’t be. She was far from here, deep in the forest. There was no way she could be here this fast. The idea that she could be here now, sitting in the same room, was ridiculous.
I told myself I was dreaming. H
