Illyana's POV
I jolted awake, my eyes flying open, my body tense as a drawn bow, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. Disoriented and terrified, I blinked against the dim light, struggling to reconcile the familiar surroundings with the lingering echoes of the nightmare. Alessandro’s study. The plush velvet sofa, the rich mahogany desk, the shelves lined with leather-bound books – it was a room I’d been in countless times, a place of comfort and love. But tonight, the familiar surroundings offered little solace.
Think, Illyana. Think. Fragmented images of the attack flashed through my mind – the shattering lamp, the masked attacker, the searing pain in my side, the desperate flight through the storm. I instinctively touched my side, wincing at the dull ache beneath the ba
