DRAVEN'S POV.
I couldn’t sleep. The silence of the castle, that was normally a comfort, felt different tonight, almost as if it was mocking me. Every creak of the wood and howl of the wind outside only made the storm in my mind rage louder. I tossed and turned, trying to force my body to rest, but it was no use. My thoughts were my own torment.
Vera.
Her name was like a dagger in my chest, cutting deeper than a blade as guilt and worry consumed me. How could I have been so blind? So careless? If I didn’t find her soon, we’d both be dead by this time tomorrow. The witch Nessa had been right when she'd said that there was no actual cure for the poison. Mating was the only cure. She’d known that. And clearly Vera had known that as well. She’d tried to save us, but I had pushed her away, to
