Nico
The absolute last thing I had expected when I woke up was Alaric staring down at me, looking not with his usual icy contempt, but with a gaze of genuine concern.
"Princess…" The word slipped past my cracked lips before I could think to stop myself. "What are you doing here?"
Was I dreaming?
I had been dreaming just a moment ago, but it hadn't been about him. My mind had dragged me right back to the suffocating dark of the basement in my grandfather's mansion, locked away in isolation by my uncle.
So, was the Alaric standing directly in front of me just another figment of my fractured imagination, conjured up to rid my mind of the lingering thoughts of my uncle, or was this actually real?
Out of pure curiosity, I reached out and pressed my fingers against Alaric's cheek to make sure he was solid.
"Are you real?" I demanded, giving his cheek a sharp, testing pinch.
Alaric let out a sharp wince, flinching back as he cursed silently in rapid French.
