The fall ended brutally. Taryn hit the ground hard and pain radiated through her side, the impact jarring her bones. Rough hands grabbed her by the arms before she could catch her breath and forced her onto her kneees. The cavern swam around her, but the metallic clink of armor forced her vision to clear. She shook her head lightly.
Beside her, Lucien was on his knees, his head bowed as a guard gripped his shoulder with bruising force. A thin trickle of blood traced a line down his temple, but his silver eyes burned with quiet fury.
"Quite the mess you've made," a cold but lazy voice said from the shadows.
Taryn stiffened, her pulse quickening as a man stepped into the faint light of the cavern. His presence was commanding, his movements deliberate. His messy dark hair framed a vaguely familiar face etched with sharp lines and cold purpose. His icy blue eyes raked over her with a precision that made her skin crawl. she had seen this man before, but she couldn't place where.
