Vera’s POV

Pain was the very first thing I felt when I woke up. It slammed into me with the force of a truck. The moment I regained consciousness.

The pain that assaulted my senses was sharp and completely unforgiving. Even seconds after I realized I had regained consciousness, my skull felt like it had been split into two and crudely sewn back together.

A groan slipped past my lips as I tried to move, but even that small motion made the world spin violently around me.

“Ah,” a voice drawled, smooth and amused, “There she is.”

My eyes snapped open, and that was the biggest mistake I could make....