Questioning him

Darius POV

She was late.

Not by much—twenty minutes, maybe. But Rian wasn’t the kind of woman who lost track of time, especially not after the week we’d had. She’d promised to speak to Avery before moving her things into my wing. She was laughing when she left. Light in a way I hadn’t seen her in days.

Now that laughter echoed in my mind like a knife being slowly drawn across stone.

I waited another five minutes.

Then I moved.

The corridor outside my chambers was quiet. My guards straightened at my approach, offering small bows.

“Have you seen Rian?” I asked.

They exchanged glances. “She passed through heading toward Lady Avery’s quarters about half an hour ago.”

“And after?”

A beat of silence. Too long.

“No, my king.”

My throat went tight. I nodded, turned, and walked—fast.

By the time I reached Avery’s wing, the anxiety had turned acidic in my stomach. Mira opened the door, hair damp from a bath, wrapped in a robe.

“Where’s Rian?” I asked, voice sharper