*~Leon's POV~*
When my eyes opened, the first thing I felt was pain.
Everywhere.
My wrists burned. My ribs ached. My entire body felt like it had been shattered and crudely glued back together. My head was pounding, each throb like an alarm clock striking against the inside of my skull.
I tried to move—but my body refused to obey me. Chains clinked, heavy and cold against my skin. I looked down and saw my wrists bound with dark iron cuffs.
I was shirtless—only my pants remained—and even that was torn, soaked through with blood. My chest was crisscrossed with lash marks, some fresh, others already dried into dark, crusted lines.
My gaze shifted until it landed on Aurora and my heart bled.
She was sitting beside me, bound tightly to a chair. Her head hung low, strands of her red hair sticking to her pale face. The sight of her weak made my heart spin.
"Aurora!" I croaked, my throat raw. I tried to reach for her, but the chains pulled me back violently. "Aurora!"
