Chapter 17

• Aurora’s POV
• When I regained consciousness, the first thing that hit me was a sharp, choking odor. It was a suffocating mixture of dust, mold, and the wild stench of animals, thick enough to make my stomach twist.
• My head throbbed violently, and the last thing I remembered was the sudden chokehold in the alley… and Grace’s cold, smug voice sliding around my ears like a venomous serpent. She actually went through with it. I’d already left John like she wanted—why wouldn’t she leave me alone?