Pain dragged me back to consciousness as something moved and my ribs stabbed into my lungs. I sucked in a breath to scream but choked instead. A mystery figure maneuvered my arms and then the weight of my pack fell away. My arms dangled, and it felt like I floated in the darkness.
I saw nothing but flashes of moonlight and a shadowy figure standing over me.
Blood filled my mouth as I struggled to breathe, wheezing every time my pulse sent throbs of agony from my head to my toes. The mystery man didn’t look or feel like the wild man who’d attacked me. Before I could object or beg for my life, he touched my forehead and murmured, “Sleep.”
I whimpered, but it was like he’d turned a switch. Everything went black.