Jennifer’s Pov

Time was hard to measure in the stone room.

There were no windows and no change in the light beyond the single lamp they occasionally refreshed. I knew I had slept at least once because I woke with my head still aching and my wrists raw from the ropes. The air remained damp and cold. My throat was dry enough that swallowing hurt. They had given me nothing since I woke. No water. No food. Only the locked door and the silence.

At first I tried to stay calm. I told myself Christian would feel the disturbance through the bond. I told myself panic would only waste strength....