Ariel was floating in and out of consciousness. It was a sort of out-of-body experience; her spirit was floating in the air, but her body was still on the bed.

She tried to shift in bed, a very bad idea, as pain flared up in her body, robbing her of every rational thought. She couldn’t even scream out her pain because it hurt to even open her mouth.

She could only whine from the displeasure, but she felt firm hands on her, brushing her hair and whispering sweet words of kindness to her.

The voice lured her to sleep, but in that near-half-sleep state, she heard a growl.

“Never again,...