Sera's Point of View
I opened my mouth to scream but a hand slammed over it first.
The darkness was total. The kind where you can't even see your own hand in front of your face. My back crashed into stone, cold, rough, and something held me there.
Someone.
The arm around my waist felt like steel.
I thrashed like a wild animal. Kicked back hard enough that my heel connected with shin, but the grip didn't loosen. If anything, it tightened. Like being caught in a bear trap.
Then I saw them.
Eyes.
They materialized out of the blackness—glowing amber, predatory, ancient. Not human. Definitely not human. They pinned me in place worse than the hands holding me, stripping away every defense until I felt naked. Exposed.
Prey.
My body knew it before my brain caught up. Every instinct scr
