The exhaustion from the night hits me hard and fast. I feel my robe cover me, then the mattress shifts as Adrian lies next to me. I tilt my head and meet his gaze. He’s propped up on his elbow, smiling down at me.
“I think that’s enough for tonight,” he says.
“What? But you—”
“I’ll be just fine,” he cuts me off with a lazy grin. He sits up to help me to my pillow and pulls the covers over me. I can barely keep my eyes open anymore.
“Get some rest, Elle.” It’s the last thing I hear before my dreams take me.
And they’re not good ones.
Chapter 10
The next day, I wake feeling nothing but dread. I lie still under my covers for a while, fully awake and knowing I slept in well past breakfast.
There’s no one beside me.
I don’t want anything except to hide in the comfort and safety of my bed, but I force myself to rise. If I stay here, the image will just keep flashing in my brain again. And now it’s distorted and even more terrifying, thanks to the nightmares I had last night.
Adrian may not be here, but I know he came back to check on me this morning because I find a plate of fresh baked breakfast pastries on my table, next to my beautiful flowers. I don’t even know if he slept here last night. If he did, did he sleep in the bed next to me, or did he sleep out here on the lounger like he first said he would? There are no signs indicating either option.
I skip most of my morning routine, anxious to get out of my room and see what updates have unfolded regarding the incident.
What did they do with Daegan?
Did they find the crying maid?
Is she okay?
A million questions race through my mind as I scurry through the bright halls. The lights inside the castle are brightest in the morning, slowly dimming in the late afternoon.
When I see two dragon-shifter males heading my way, I leap behind a pillar without thinking.
I listen in as they pass.
“…lucky he didn’t do worse. Daegan is ruthless.”
“I know. Were you there in Morne whenhe—”
“Yep. I was. The guy is my hero.”
I don’t hear any more of the conversation as the two large males pass, and it would be too obvious if I followed them, so I emerge from my dark corner and continue on my path.
I make it to my father’s throne room and find the guards standing outside the closed entrance, eyeing me.
“Is he in there?”
“Yes.”
They don’t make a move.
“Can I see him?”
The two guards share a look. “He’s in a meeting.”
“Is it about…” I hesitate. “The event last night? I was there. I should be in there too.”
They eye each other once more, and the taller of the two—I think his name is Landriel—shrugs. He opens the door with a loud creak and allows me to enter.
