Roxanne woke violently, sitting straight up in bed and gasping for air from the scream that was lodged in her throat. However, she could not remember what she was so distressed about. The room was dark, with only a half-melted candle sitting on her bedside table casting the tiniest bit of light. She felt something weighing down her hand and turned to see what it was, a large hand covering hers. Nikolai was passed out, sitting on a chair beside the bed, slumped over the edge of the mattress with a book lodged under his other arm that he was resting his head upon. He had to be exhausted if her movements had not awoken him.
She watched him in the flicking light, not wanting to wake him since he seemed so peaceful. She tried to piece together the last thing she remembered. She had been sick a
