Charles awoke with a nagging hunger, his insides hollow, and his mouth as dry and coarse as the desert sands.His head hurt and his body felt thin and limb.Looking about, he knew he was still in Elena's bed as he had been last night, but Elena was no longer with him.The candles had burned down to stubs and dawn crested over the horizon, although night still loomed in the bedchamber, gray and cold. Shivering, Charles pulled a blanket over him.As he did so, he glanced down at his ...