Damon's POV
The darkness was heavy. Like drowning.
Then something flickered. A distant warmth. A spark.
My fingers twitched.
A heartbeat—mine. Slow. Strong.
My body ached like it had been torn apart and stitched back together. Every breath felt like fire and ice laced in my lungs. I tried to move, but my limbs were lead. Then I heard it.
A voice.
“Finally decided to wake up, dumbass?”
Sailas.
That unmistakable sarcasm mixed with worry. It grounded me more than any medicine could.
I forced my eyes open. The tent above me was hazy, light flickering like it was filtered through fog. My gaze shifted—and there he was. Standing beside me, a bandage wrapped across his chest, bruised and pale but alive. He checked on the saline line that stuck to my arm.
“You look like s**t,” I croaked
