Chapter 199

Harper

I woke to darkness that wasn’t quite empty.

For a moment, I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe too loudly. The air felt wrong—too thick, too aware of me—pressing against my skin like it knew my name. The first thing I noticed was the heat. Not suffocating, but steady, alive. Fire.

I slowly pushed myself upright.

I wasn’t in my parents’ house anymore.

The room around me was small, built of rough