(VALENTINO'S POV)
The beeping is the first thing that drags me out of the dark.
It's sharp, rhythmic, cutting through the fog in my skull like a needle. I don't open my eyes right away. My head is pounding so hard it feels like someone is beating a drum inside it. And when I finally force my eyes open, the overhead light burns so bright I have to squint like a damn vampire who wandered into daylight.
Everything hurts.
Not a little. Not in one place.
Everywhere.
My whole body feels like it was set on fire and I'm waking up in the ashes. Even breathing is work. I try shifting an inch, maybe two, and a groan slips out of me before I can stop it. Sharp pain flashes through my torso, crawling up my ribs and settling behind my eyes like a migraine waiting to explode.
