*Alessandro*

I felt guilty waking Rebecca up. She looked so peaceful lying in my arms, hair draped perfectly across the pillows. She looked like a painting, one of the Arthurian ladies asleep in her castle. Still, we had to get home. If I was going to keep her safe, we had to go right back into the lion's den.

Shaking her softly, I attempted to rouse her from her sleep. She mumbled a little, blinking in the dim light of the early morning. I kissed her forehead ...