OLEANDER
Darkness pressed against my eyelids long before I dared open them.
The world felt distant, sounds echoing too loud against the pounding in my skull.
My mouth was dry. I swallowed thickly, wincing at the metallic tang on my tongue.
Did I bite myself? I couldn't tell. But that wasn't the only thing that felt wrong.
My head was spinning. My stomach was rebelling against me as it twisted, sending an upsurge of nausea up my throat.
I gasped, leaning forward, mouth open, sucking in a deep breath, but that didn't help.
Was it the room, my eyes, or the way my body hung like it was…suspended in the air?
I forced my gaze away from the floor, blinking against the blur clouding my vision, shoving back the vomit rising for the second time.
Panic fluttered in my chest as I tried to move, only to find I couldn't.
"Chains…" I whispered. My eyes traveled upward. My hands were pinned above me, thick silver chains locking them tight.
I tugged. The cold metal bit deep into my skin.
