The pain lancing Rennick’s chest stole his breath. His heart hurt and throbbed with the aching desire to throw itself from the tallest tower.
He clutched at the shirt covering his chest as Ora leaned over him, rubbing soothing circles over his back. “Ren, talk to me.”
Heart attacks were rare, but they did happen, though it was usually in the elderly. As he homed in on the feeling, he realized it wasn’t physical pain; it wasn’t his pain at all.
Amelia.
Ora called after him as he ran from the room and skidded to a halt in the hall. A maid gathered linens from the floor with concern etched in her features as she glanced behind her.
When her eyes snagged on Rennick, she gathered the sheets faster.
“Should I call the healer?” Ora asked, surveying where he’d fisted his shirt.
“I need to find Amelia.”
“She was here, Your Majesty,” the maid said. “She just left.” With the sheets piled haphazardly in her arms, she turned on her heel to leave.
“Stop,” Rennick commanded. The maid froze. “Which way did she go?”
The woman motioned down the hall leading away from Rennick’s study, where her gaze had previously wandered with worry. “That way, Your Majesty.”
He swerved around her as he ran, throwing a “thank you” over his shoulder and praying his mate was okay.
A stray arrow on the ground snagged Rennick’s attention.One of Amelia’s,he surmised, recognizing the craftmanship from all those years ago.
“Ren!” Ora’s footsteps moved closer as she jogged after him. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Bending down, he swiped the arrow off the ground and rolled it between his fingers.What was she doing and why does my chest feel like someone ripped it wide open?
“Ren,” Ora snapped.
He turned to face her. “What?” he snapped back with a glare.
She reared back, her blue eyes going wide before they slid behind him. Moving toward him, she touched his arm and leaned in, lowering her voice. “What has gotten into you?”
Anguish exploded within him, followed by a sob behind him. Spinning around, he saw Amelia at the opposite end of the hall.
He ran to her side, vowing to kill whoever had upset her. “What’s wrong, love?” He reached for her, but she backed away.
“I can’t find Eddy.”Well, I can’t kill him.
Even though the reason for her ire made sense, it didn’t feel right. In the past, she barely blinked when the fox disappeared for a day. “We’ll find him.”
Ora approached, and Amelia backed farther away, her red-rimmed eyes hardening.
“I don’t want to interrupt,” his mate snipped and did an about face to leave, but Rennick reached out to stop her.
“I’m coming with you.”
“I’ll wait for you in your study,” Ora murmured.
Amelia snatched her arm from his grasp and left without looking back.
Frustration made his skin itch, and he turned to Ora. He’d planned to show Amelia her library and needed Ora to explain a few things to him since she’d helped design it, but the woman was insane if she thought he would continue their conversation while his mate was hurting.
“Find Finn and tell him to find Eddy.” Ora’s mouth turned down. “Now,” he added forcefully. She wisely kept her mouth shut and stormed off in the opposite direction.
Cursing, he followed after Amelia, who kept glancing down different hallways, muttering to herself, before taking the closest stairway to the next floor. If he didn’t get to the bottom of her pain, it would drive him mad. “What’s wrong, love?” Silence stretched between them. “Don’t shut me out.”
