Bella's POV
Pain shot through my skull before I could even crack my eyes open. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my head and left the pieces rattling around inside. My tongue felt thick and foreign in my mouth, like cotton had replaced my saliva. For several disorienting seconds, I couldn't piece together where I was or how I'd gotten there. Then the memories crashed back. The hand clamped over my mouth. The struggle. That suffocating cologne that had filled my nostrils as I fought against my captor.
I jerked upright too fast, and the world tilted dangerously. Bile rose in my throat as the room spun like a carnival ride.
This wasn't anywhere I recognized. Heavy charcoal curtains blocked most of the light, leaving only thin slivers to cut through the oppressive atmosphere. The air felt stagnant and thick. I was sprawled across an expensive velvet sofa that clung to my skin like it didn't want to let me go.
Movement near the doorway caught my attention.
