Daphne's POV
Cold sweat soaked through my sheets as I jerked awake. The room tilted sideways, and panic shot through me as I struggled to remember where I was. Then the memories crashed back like a freight train.
Orion.
That needle sliding into my skin.
His voice, cruel and cutting: "Who could ever love you?"
I pressed my hands against my face, desperate to shut out the images. My body felt foreign, like someone had hollowed out my bones and filled them with sand. Everything felt wrong, disconnected.
I had to find him.
Throwing off the blankets, I tried to stand. My knees gave out instantly. I caught myself on the bedpost, my fingernails scraping against the wood as the world spun violently around me.
The drug. Whatever poison he had pumped into my veins was still coursing through my system.
I staggered toward the door, one hand sliding along the wall for balance. My fingers found the handle and I yanked it open with more force than necessary.
