Thessa startled awake, jolting upward. An ache in her face made the blurriness in her consciousness fade much faster than usual. In fact, rather than fading, it felt like a boulder had crashed into her as a wave of adrenaline poured into her veins like masses of green tendrils.
Wiggling vascularity pumped across her, her body tensing. But very quickly, it was clear that it wasn't just the pain responsible for this.
Her head had already snapped in a certain direction, her body tightening further as she saw a familiar young man sitting by a windowsill.
The best way he could be described was… so handsome it almost hurt. His skin was almost sickly, but it worked so well with his sharp features and dark hair and eyes that it was easily overlooked.
He was the sort of young man in his early twenties that women and teenage girls would swoon over, but he was also the man that Thessa least wanted to be in a room alone with.
Crown Prince Aetherion Nightingale.