Chapter 34 Not Quitting

• Kade POV
• The pounding in my skull is relentless, a deep, stabbing ache that makes it hard to focus. My body feels too heavy, my limbs sluggish, weighed down by something I can’t place. The air around me is cold, pressing against my bare skin in a way that feels wrong, and when I try to shift, to lower my arms so that I can push myself up, something jerks me back, stopping me mid-motion.
• A sharp clank of metal rings out, the sound slicing through my haze like a gunshot. I blink, my breath catching as I force myself to register what just happened. My arms are stuck. My wrists are secured. Slowly, I lift my head, the dull weight of exhaustion dragging against me as I follow the pull of resistance, eyes locking onto the handcuffs wrapped tight around my wrists.