---
The cold was the first thing she felt.
Then the silence.
Amara blinked against the dim light flickering above her, her wrists heavy, limbs aching as if she’d been dragged through hell and stitched back together.
Where was she?
Her pulse thundered behind her eyes, stomach churning with dread.
This wasn’t the cabin.
This was worse.
The walls were stone, dark and windowless. A heavy steel door sat across the room. The only furniture was a mattress—thin, gray, and clean. Too clean.
Too intentional.
Her body flinched at the sound of the lock turning.
She sat up fast.
And there he was.
Xavier.
Dressed in black. Calm. Beautiful in that haunting way that made her skin crawl with confusion. His eyes drank her in, slow and deliberate, as if memorizing every tremble.
"Good… you’re
