Sasha’s Pov
When I woke, the world felt like it had turned to ash. My body ached deep in my bones, in my chest, in the hidden places where fire had scorched more than flesh. Every muscle throbbed with exhaustion, like I had carried the weight of the sun inside me and only barely survived it.
The air was warm. Wood smoke clung faintly to my skin. I blinked against the golden flicker of firelight, vision swimming.
My lips were dry. My stomach hollow. And worse, Alex was gone.
Panic surged like ice through my veins. Where am I? Where did Alex go?
I tried to sit up. My limbs didn’t listen.
I pushed again, teeth clenched, and half-stumbled from the edge of the bed.
The cold stone floor met me hard.
I cried out softly and braced myself against the frame, heart hammering. That’s when I no
