Chapter 172

• LIORA
• A hard ache pulled me out of sleep. It pressed against my head like it wanted to split it open. The pain did not come in waves. It stayed heavy and constant, digging behind my eyes and wrapping around my skull.
• The feeling was familiar. It had happened once before. Back when Kael and I met for the first time. That day, the pain had faded while lying in my own bed, wrapped in clean sheets with the soft smell of home in the air. This time, there was no bed. No soft fabric. Nothing under my body felt safe, warm, or kind.