VANESSA'S POV
Darkness. The smell of damp earth and stale air. A throbbing ache at the back of my skull.
Consciousness returned in a nauseating wave. I was moving, but my feet weren't touching the ground. I was slung over a broad shoulder like a sack of grain, each of my captor's steps jolting through my bruised ribs. A coarse hood was pulled over my head, blocking all sight, the fabric scratching against my cheeks and smelling of dust and sweat.
Panic, cold and sharp, tried to claw its way up my throat. I choked it down. Breathe, Nessa. Breathe. Adrien's voice echoed in my memory, a lifeline in the suffocating dark. I couldn't afford to scream, to struggle wildly. Not yet. I had to be smart. I had to know what I was facing.
I forced my body to go limp, feigning unconsciousness. I focu
