Chapter 59

When I woke up, everything hurt. My body throbbed like I’d been dragged through fire and ice. For a moment, I didn’t even remember where I was, until I felt something cool against my cheek.

I opened my eyes slowly.

Elliot was sitting beside me, his sleeves rolled up, his face tense with worry as he dabbed my face with a wet rag. There was blood on his hand, mine. His brows were drawn together in quiet frustration, the kind that came from both anger and fear.

I wanted to speak, but my throat burned.

“Don’t move,” he said firmly, his voice low but steady. “Just… sit still.”

I swallowed hard, trying to understand my surroundings. We were inside what looked like a small hunting cabin, old, dusty, but safe. The walls were made of dark wood, a single oil lamp flickered on a nearby table, and the scent of pine and smoke filled the air. A first-aid kit lay open beside him, and I could tell from the blood-stained gauze that he had been at it for a while.

My clothes were torn, my arms bruised,