Tall, blonde, and looking ready to tear all our throats out if we so much as blinked funny, the woman that opened the door jabbed a finger at me. "Get up. You're to come with me."

"See, Johno. Charm. I usually have to buy them a drink first," I whispered to my Beta, before struggling to my feet. It wasn't easy. My limbs felt heavy and dense, but also brittle, like they were ready to shatter. I was running on almost two days no sleep, was best buddies with hypothermia, and with every step I took, my shoes squelched.

Yup. First impressions were definitely in my favour.

"You're not going...