Novel’s POV

I woke up to an empty room. The golden afternoon light filtered through the curtains, but the space beside me was cold.

“What happened to me?” I asked the quiet air.

“You fainted from exhaustion,” a voice chirped, making me nearly jump out of my skin.

I whipped my head around until my eyes landed on Kitty. She was sitting majestically on the floor by the bedside, her white fur glowing in the sunlight.

“Kitty! You scared me,” I huffed, clutching my chest. I took a breath to steady my racing heart.

“Where is Alexei?”

“He went to deal with some business. I heard him mention a woman...