Terms of Surrender

HAZEL

Cole doesn't look away from me. His face has gone deathly pale, his blue eyes darting over the wedding dress, the raw rope burns on my wrists, and the swelling forming across my cheek.

"Hazel..." he whispers again, his voice hoarse.

I take an unsteady step toward him, but one of the guards yanks me back hard. "No!" I cry, struggling against the bruising grip. "Cole, please!"

His fi