The prince is already a light sleeper during the best of times, and this is not the best of times. It’s been a fitful night—every time he managed to finally drift off, another crack of thunder would sound, sending him right back to a wakeful state. The wind howls, thunder rolls, and lightning flashes outside; he’s already on edge for some reason.

Leon blinks his eyes open as another flash of bright, white lightning briefly illuminates the room from outside the window. The sound of rain patters against the glass—and something else. He thinks he must have imagined it, but then: The faintest of sounds, the creaking of footsteps on his floor.