~ELOWEN'S POV~
The first breath I took was fire.
My lungs seized as I coughed, every inhale scraping down my throat like thorns. My body refused to move at first, every muscle raw and trembling.
It wasn't just the smoke, It was the rejection and the memory of him walking away.
I blinked and took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Wooden walls, blackened and scorched, leaned at awkward angles. I was in a shed, half-burnt and reeking of ash. There were torn blankets below me and a bowl of water by my side.
Someone had dragged me out... But who?
I tried to sit up, and the pain screamed through my ribs. My wrists were bruised from the restraints as blood crusted along my temple, and I didn't know if the heat or the memory hurt more.
Fragments came back in flashes.
A blurry figure hands g
