Alaric's eyes opened slowly. His vision was blurred at first, shapes indistinct.
Where...?
He blinked.
Then gradually, the world came back into focus.
A ceiling. Ornate molding. Familiar patterns he'd seen before.
My room.
Recognition settled in, along with confusion.
But how... how did I?
Then suddenly, memories rushed back like a flood, the storm, the Valtairs, the fight. Vivienne's throat in his hand. And then... that girl on the rooftop.
The feeling of his consciousness simply... stopping.
"Urgh!"
He groaned and tried to sit up, muscles protesting.
And that's when he felt a weight on his stomach.
He looked down and saw Selene had fallen asleep in a chair pulled close to his bedside.
Her head rested on the sheets, one arm draped across his torso as if anchoring him there. Her dark hair was slightly disheveled, falling across her face in uncharacteristic disorder.
She looked very vulnerable in sleep.
As he shifted, she stirred.
