Justin's POV
The pain had dulled into something constant, something that wrapped itself around me like a second skin. My body ached with every breath, my ribs screamed when I tried to move, and my wrists were raw from the ropes.
But none of it mattered.
Elena was beside me, even if she was few feet away, I could feel her presence. That was the only thing that kept me from giving in to the black void that kept tugging at me. Her presence, her quiet sobs, her warmth pressed close even through the ropes,it was the only anchor holding me to this cursed place.
I forced my head to turn, ignoring the pull of split skin along my jaw. She sat slumped against the chair, her face streaked with tears, her wrists bound tighter than mine. Blood crusted along her mouth, her eyes swollen from crying, yet she was still… her. Still Elena. Still mine.
"Elena," I rasped, my throat sandpaper, "look at me."
She kept her head down, hair falling like a curtain. Silent. Shaking.
