I gasped, my whole body jerking as freezing liquid soaked through my clothes, biting straight into my skin. The cold hurt so much it almost felt like knives.
My eyes snapped open.
The dream shattered.
Reality came back all at once.
Argus was sitting in front of me, high above like he was looking down at something worthless. His eyes were cold, completely detached.
“You should be grateful,” he said, his tone flat. “Grandpa made it through. If something happened to him, you wouldn’t even be alive right now. You would’ve died on that operating table.”
My body stiffened.
Before I could even process that, he continued, “Until he wakes up, you’re staying here. Reflect on what you’ve done. And be ready anytime if he needs more blood.”
Reflect?
My mind went blank.
Then it hit me where I was.
This place…
My skin broke out in goosebumps.
I knew this room.
It was where Argus dealt with people who crossed him. I had heard things, whispers, rumors. People didn’t come out the same… if they came out at all.
There were no windows. No light. The air felt thick, heavy, like it was soaked with something I didn’t want to name.
Blood.