Chapter 62

The next day

Chilli POV

'So much for a good night's sleep', I think to myself squinting at my bedside clock. Three-thirty am. We exhausted ourselves after round four I think it was, and conked out pretty quickly. Now a sickly feeling forms in my stomach at the thought of what this day brings. I stare at the seconds ticking by hoping it will help me drift back off to sleep before this nauseating feeling settles. My eyes begin to feel heavy as Elias moves in the bed next to me and rolls over, pulling me in close. I purr in his arms as everything goes dark and peaceful as I return to the land of dreams.

When I reawake at a more reasonable hour, I strangely feel perfectly rested, like I've slept for a week. Sitting up and staring out the window at the beautiful sunny day, it feels like any other day, not the day I'm to stand in front of the packhouse and make my father submit to me. I inspect my hands as I turn them over in front of me, it feels crazy, like