Chapter 41

• As I slowly emerged from the depths of unconsciousness, I felt a subtle shift in the temperature of the air around me. It was as though a gentle breeze had swept through the room, leaving behind a lingering chill that prickled my skin and sent shivers down my spine. Gradually, my senses began to awaken, and I became aware of the world around me once more.
• "Litt...le rose," a voice murmured softly in my ear, drawing out each syllable with a lazy, almost hypnotic cadence. Despite the warmth of his breath against my skin, the words sent a shiver down my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Instinctively, I jerked upright, my heart pounding in my chest, and took a few hasty steps back, putting some distance between myself and the source of that unsettling voice.
• My pulse quickened as I struggled to make sense of the situation, my mind still foggy from sleep. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck prickling with apprehension, a sense of foreboding settling over me like a heavy cloak.