CASSANDRA'S POV
Darkness.
Thick, suffocating, unbroken darkness.
My eyes snapped open, but I couldn’t see clearly at the moment. The air was cold, wet like the underside of stone, and it clung to my skin as if trying to crawl under it. My heart slammed into my ribs like it was trying to get out before I could.
I jolted upright. Muscles tense. I breathe tight.
“What… what just happened?” I asked myself, holding my head.
I didn’t know where I was, but every nerve in my body screamed not safe.
I reached for my side, but there was no weapon. Just stone beneath me. Hard and cold. The scent hit next: damp earth, moss, and something metallic, something that reminded me too much of blood.
I spun in place, crouching low. My eyes scanned the jagged cave walls, the uneven floor, the faint shi
