JASMINE'S POV
I woke up feeling like my soul had just been pulled back into my body.
I took a deep breath, and it felt almost too loud in my lungs.
Blinking, I looked up at the ceiling. Sunlight streaming through the windows cast soft golden rays, and for a moment, I was confused about where I was.
Then I saw them.
Alara.
Kaiden.
Both were seated at the edge of the room, like sentinels.
Alara leaned forward the second I stirred. "You're awake."
Kaiden stood, relief softening his usually hard features. "Took you long enough, Luna."
My throat was dry, hurting as I asked. "What… what happened?"
As soon as the words left my lips, the memories struck me like a wave breaking over a cliff.
My mother's voice, chanting beneath the blood moon. The roar of the rogue. My father. The seal burned into my skin. And Aiden…
Aiden, standing behind me. His voice, his presence… inside my mind.
