chapter thirty

POV Cassandra

The throbbing pain in my head slowly brought me back to reality, in a slow and confused haze. My vision was still blurry, and a lingering dizziness persisted as I tried to make sense of where I was. The metallic taste of blood in my mouth and the smell of roasted meat in the air gave me a vague idea of what might be happening.

“Well, well, our princess is finally awake!” A voice dripping with sarcasm sounded behind me, and the sound sent a cold shiver down my spine.

My eyes opened, squinting against the firelight. I instinctively turned away, trying to escape the brightness that burned my retinas, and that’s when I saw them. Five men, sitting around a fire, tearing chunks of meat with their teeth, as if there was nothing unusual about keeping me prisoner.

I tried to move, desperate to assess the extent of my situation, but a sharp pain shot through my body. I looked down and realized I was tied up with thick, tightly wound ropes. My attempts to loosen the knots only made