37 | Waking

*** Liliana’s POV

I'm flung from the bright light into a pit of physical agony. My whole body is burning, searing pain that feels as though it's tearing me apart. I can’t see anything, I can only feel. I can’t tell if it’s been seconds or minutes, but it feels like an eternity. Then, just as suddenly, the pain subsides, leaving me shaking mentally and physically.

I don't know if I'm still dreaming or if I've woken up. My vision is a blur, and when it clears, I'm looking up at Eamon, though it doesn’t feel like Eamon looking back at me. His eyes are black, not the warm, comforting color I'm used to.

I try to look around the room and realize I can't sit up—I can't even move. Panic wells up inside me, but my body refuses to obey my commands. I try to scale back my intentions and do something simple, like move my head or even just glance around, but I have no control over my movements. It’s as if I’m a passenger in my own body. I’m moving, and I’m even talking, but it’s not me. It’s not m