Aliena woke up screaming.
She shot upright in bed, heart pounding violently against her ribs, breath coming in sharp, panicked gasps as her eyes flew around the room. Pale morning light streamed through tall palace windows, illuminating silk curtains, polished floors, and the unmistakable luxury of her chamber.
She was not in the forest.
She was not surrounded by shadows.
She was not about to be devoured by demons.
She pressed a hand to her chest, breathing hard. "I'm alive," she whispered shakily. "I'm… alive."
Then the memories crashed into her.
The forest.
The cold.
The demons.
Sebastian.
Her eyes widened as the events replayed themselves in brutal clarity, his voice, his touch, the way he had healed her wound, the way he had looked at her as though the world had narrowed to only her existence.
She let out a strangled gasp.
"I almost kissed the Crown Prince," she whispered in horror.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
