Elyse pov
Consciousness returned slowly.
Pain first. Head throbbing. Wrists burning. My body ached like I’d been thrown against a wall.
Then awareness. I was sitting. Tied to something. Chair. I was tied to a chair.
My eyes opened to flickering lamplight. A room. The same house. The man sitting across from me, watching.
Waiting.
“Awake already?” He smiled. “You’re stronger than I expected. Most witches stay under for hours after that spell.”
I tried to speak. My throat was dry. Raw from screaming.
“Water?” he offered, lifting a cup. “Or would you prefer to suffer in silence?”
I glared at him. Tried to reach my magic.
Nothing. The wards still held. My power is locked away behind invisible walls.
Helpless. I was completely helpless.
“Your mate should be arriving soon,” the man s
