The first thing Isabelle saw when she opened her eyes again was Snowball.
The white bundle of fur had taken up residence in a sunny spot beside her bed. When he spotted her stir, he got to his feet and stretched, before trotting closer and giving her nose a nudge with his paw.
She sat up groggily and gave Snowball an absentminded stroke across his head. She noticed her wrists were no longer bound but her body felt sore and bruised, like she'd been through the worst night of her life...though the memory was a little hazy.
Oh...right...
She remembered.
Isabelle could recall it now.
The sensations.
The emotions.
Everything that transpired in such vivid clarity. Her heart pounded in her chest, thumping wildly in her rib cage as if it might explode, and she had to remind herself to breathe.
Wow...I wasn't expecting him to be...like that...