Chapter 83

• Isla's POV
• When I heard the name “Black Mountain,” it felt like a boulder had hit me over. Something deep inside me awakened, and my heart fluttered, but not in a pleasant way. It was a jarring, almost painful sensation. Something inside me was trying to claw its way to the surface as a wave of dizziness swept over me.
• My chest tightened and pain erupted in my head, sharp and unrelenting. Vague fragments of images teased at the edges of my memory, banging on a locked door. But they refused to make a clear shape, making it even more unbearable as I tried harder. My knees buckled as I pulled my head. In my clumsy attempt to steady myself, I stumbled backward, knocking over a vase and shattering it into a dozen sharp shards on the floor. The sound of the crash echoed through the quiet hall, alerting Stefan of my presence.