Chapter 4

The metallic scent of blood hit me before I even reached our quarters. My heart hammered against my ribs as I pushed open the heavy wooden door, dreading what I might find inside.

"Mother?" My voice came out as barely a whisper.

Elena lay crumpled on the floor beside her narrow bed, her body twisted at an unnatural angle. Dark bruises bloomed across her pale skin like poisonous flowers—purple fingerprints around her throat, a swollen cut above her left eye that had crusted over with dried blood. Her breathing came in shallow, pained gasps.

"Oh gods," I breathed, dropping to…