Warmth hit her first, and that alone was the sign she needed to know that she was alive. It wasn't the cold bite of the forest, nor the suffocating heat that had scorched her lungs as she ran for her life.
This warmth was gentle, soothing, and steady. And next was the feel of something comfortable beneath that cradled her weight.
A low, unguarded sound slipped from Lucrezia's throat before she could stop it. The softness beneath her registered slowly and with it came a fleeting, almost dangerous thought.
A bed.
For a breathless moment, nothing else existed. No fear, pursuit, or pain sharp enough to demand her attention, but the sensation of being held by something that did not want to harm her.
The thought coaxed the faintest hint of a smile to the edge of her consciousness, and for a moment, it just felt so comfortable that nothing registered in her mind apart from the fact that she was finally safe.
Safe?
