Amaris stirred awake. Her body was heavy while her mind was still in a daze. A strange ache throbbed in her heart, and her head spun with fragments of her last memory—the blinding golden light, the howl of the wind, and Alaric's desperate voice calling out to her, his hand reaching but never touching. Her heart clenched as reality slowly settled in, seeping through the fog of her mind. She opened her eyes fully, and dread washed over her as she recognized her surroundings.
She was back in her room.
The familiar walls seemed to mock her. It was stark and cold compared to the warmth of the cabin she'd just left. Panic clawed at her chest as she took it all in. Her heart pounded with a painful urgency. She scrambled upright, and in her haste, her hand brushed over her belly—still rounded, s
