Chapter 41: The First Night
The fire in the stone hearth crackled with a mocking warmth. It cast long and dancing shadows against the walls where the severed heads of beasts stared down at me with glass eyes. I sat in the heavy velvet armchair facing the door. My knuckles were white where I gripped the iron fire poker.
Hours had passed since Garrett locked me in this room. The silence of the mountain fortress was heavy. It pressed against the windows like the snow piling up on the ledge outside. I could not hear the wind anymore. I could only hear the thudding of my own heart and the low hum of the silver collar around my neck.
The metal was cold against my skin. It was a parasite. It burrowed into my senses and dulled the sharp edge of my wolf. I reached for the inner beast. I tried to
