She opened her eyes.
The first thing she registered was warmth...the specific, expensive warmth of a room that had been properly heated, nothing like the stone-cold dungeon she had last been conscious in.
The second thing was the touch. A cool, damp cloth moving carefully across her face, wiping the dried tears from her cheeks, her temples, the corners of her eyes.
Lilith lurched backward.
The reaction was pure instinct....every muscle in her body snapping into defensive recoil, shoulders slamming back into the headboard, a sound escaping her throat that wasn't quite a gasp and wasn't quite a scream but landed somewhere raw and animal in between.
The hand with the cloth pulled away immediately.
"Easy, child. Easy."
The voice was soft and low, carrying the particular gentleness of someone practiced at speaking to people in various stages of distress. Lilith pressed herself against the headboard and forced her eyes to focus.
