ANWEN'S POV
A small, broken whimper slipped from me before I even understood why.
Everything felt heavy.
Not the crushing weight of the shelf pinning me down, but a thick, dragging heaviness, as though I were drifting somewhere deep underwater. My head throbbed dully, thoughts slow and slippery, refusing to settle into anything clear.
But even through the haze, I knew I wasn’t alone.
The room felt warmer than usual. And beneath the heat lingered three scents I had come to know far too well over the past weeks.
Mint and citrus.
Sandalwood and leather.
Cinnamon and cedar.
I shifted instinctively, bracing for pain the moment I moved. But it never came.
Only a dull ache lingered beneath the heaviness in my body.
Confused, I lifted a shaky hand toward my head where the book had struc
