**Elena’s POV**
My eyes snapped open, and for a minute, I felt disoriented.
The sheets were tangled and warm around my legs. I took a deep breath, and the strange scent of jasmine and vanilla filled the air, tempting me to close my eyes again. I looked at the ceiling, the walls, and the furniture, searching for anything familiar, but everything was new to me.
And then it hit me, all at once — I was in Stefano’s house.
Everything from last night flooded into my head, one after another.
The kiss.
The gunshot.
The blood.
I got up so quickly, my stomach twisted, and I thought I might vomit. I pressed my hand to my mouth, fingers trembling, just trying to hold myself together for one more second.
Then I turned and froze.
Stefano.
He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, we
