My eyes snapped open to the rusted bars of a dog cage pressing into my skin.
The first face I saw was Jolie's, that venomous snake.
In exchange for disappearing without a trace, I struck a deal with her for a lowly vampire's help, staging my own death.
It was the only way to break free from Soren's chains, the only way to escape him forever, and the only way to make sure guilt would haunt him for eternity.
When I saw Soren leap from that window in the distance, I expected to feel triumph. Instead, a glacial void swallowed my chest whole.
I had sworn I would never lay eyes on him again.
Then, one quiet afternoon, he appeared right on my doorstep, just as I had started rebuilding my life.
An invisible vise clamped around my throat and stole my breath.
Pure terror turned my legs to st
