Elle POV
The pain doesn’t come all at once.
At first, it’s nothing more than a strange warmth beneath my skin—subtle enough that I almost dismiss it. I sit on the edge of the bed Blake left me in, hands folded tightly in my lap, forcing myself to stay still. Forcing myself to listen. To obey.
He told me to stay here.
He told me he’d come back when he calmed the curse.
So I breathe. Slow. Careful. Just like he did.
Then the bond tightens.
It’s sudden enough that I gasp, my lungs seizing as a sharp, burning pressure slams into my chest. The mark at my neck flares violently, heat blooming outward like fire poured directly into my veins. My vision blurs, the room tilting as I clutch the edge of the bed to keep from falling.
“Blake…” I whisper, the sound barely more than air.
Another s
