Something called to me.

A voice—no, not quite a voice. A sensation. A pull deep in my bones. Like the earth itself was whispering my name. My blood stirred, cold and slow, awakening in my veins like a winter storm.

Then came the cold.

It crawled over me, slithered across my skin, coiled around my heart. Every breath I took felt like ice slicing through my lungs. My body ached, empty, brittle. As if I’d been asleep for centuries, and something ancient inside me had finally stirred.

I opened my eyes.

And found blood-red ones staring down at me.

My breath caught.

What—

"Am I in hell?" I rasped, voice...