Kieran’s POV
Pain. When my senses came back, that was the first sensation I experienced. Every limb felt weighted as if I had been buried under stone, and a deep, gnawing pain ran through my body like molten iron. My throat ached as if I had swallowed fire, and my breath was ragged and shallow.
My nostrils were flooded with the aroma of damp dirt and herbs. I blinked against the faint candlelight flashing across the walls as I forced my eyes open. I was in the cottage of Briony.
As I fought to sit up, a moan escaped my lips. My stomach churned with sickness, and my body reacted by tensing up.
Briony's voice cut through the dense fog that was obscuring my thoughts and said, "You're awake."
I looked over and saw her sitting next to me, her face creased with fatigue. Her hands were alrea
