The world shattered in a storm of metal and fire.
The SUV slammed into the mountainside, crumpling like paper before flipping once, twice, time slowing as the world spun in a violent blur, before crashing down on its roof with a bone-cracking finality. Glass exploded around them like ice under a hammer. Smoke curled from the mangled hood. The acrid scent of burning oil, blood, and death choked the air.
Elena could taste iron, warm and bitter, filling her mouth. Pain hammered against the inside of her skull, a steady, merciless throb. A high-pitched ringing swallowed every other sound, turning the world into a distant, underwater nightmare.
“Elena…” The voice was faint, dragged from the depths of hell itself. Damian.
She forced her eyes open, blinking through the haze. Damian hung upsid
