Jasmine's POV
My bare feet had worn a path across the stone floor of this wretched cell. Back and forth, back and forth, until the cold seeped through my soles and climbed up my legs. But I couldn't stop moving. If I stopped, the images would consume me completely.
The narrow space reeked of mildew and centuries of despair. Gray walls pressed in from all sides, and the single barred window high above offered nothing but a sliver of dying light. Every breath felt thick and suffocating.
My hands shook as I replayed those final moments over and over.
The King's voice had boomed across the chamber like thunder. "Guards! Seize that woman!"
Time had slowed to a crawl. Jeffrey wrapped around my leg like a vine, his little body trembling against me. Naia's fingers dug into my palm so hard her nails left marks. Both of them looked up at me with those wide, trusting eyes that shattered my heart.
