Marcus. King Aldrich. Her mother.
The sight hit her so violently her breath shattered. For a moment—a single, foolish, beautiful moment—the nightmare ended. She was found. She was saved.
"Father—"
The word tore out raw and desperate. She lunged forward against the chains; iron bit deep into already-bruised wrists. Pain flared, hot and bright, but she barely felt it. Pain was nothing compared to the relief flooding her chest.
"Father, they're hurting me…" Her voice cracked under the weight of it—relief and panic and the first tears she had shed since waking. "They're torturing me… help me… please…"
She had not realized until that moment how close she had been to despair. How thin the thread had become. She had been ready to die in the dark, alone, with no one knowing where she was or who she was.
But now.
Now they were here.
