Page 7 of King

From the looks of it, it’s a nasty one.

He shoves drunken fae out of the way as he approaches, finally stopping in front of me. He glances at Daylor before saying anything. The empath graciously moves along to give us some privacy. As soon as he’s out of earshot, Farris speaks two words that gut me more than what’s waiting for me in the castle.

“Rue’s missing,” he says, tapping the glass in his hand anxiously.

I’ve shared everything about Rue with him. He knows where the hideaway is. He knows about the pup. He knows exactly how much they mean to me.

“What do you mean, missing?” I ask, feeling the familiar cloak of dread wrap itself around me.

“I hadn’t seen you in a while, so I decided to check on you. I figured your Omega’s little hideaway was a good place to start. But when I got there, it was silent. Too silent.”

“They were probably sleeping,” I say, trying to convince myself. “Or maybe they heard your footsteps and were afraid.”

“I thought that at first, too. But I got a bad feeling. I was already illusioned as a sprite, so I snuck into the hideaway to look around. They were gone, Durin. And it looked like they left in a hurry.”

My heart sinks into the cold, dead ground at my feet.

She ran from me? Now? After all this time, she chooses to leave?

I should have been more affectionate. It makes no difference if I wasn’t strong enough to tell her my secret yet. There was no reason I couldn’t at least tell her how I feel about her.

But another reason occurs to me. Maybe she hadn’t actually forgiven me for denying her in the cave. She’d been planning to leave this whole time. To hurt me like I hurt her.

I lower my head, carved out and empty inside. I don’t know where to go from here. Should I even try to find her if she wants to be rid of me? Can I possibly manage to finish my mission knowing she’s gone?

“I think she was taken,” Farris says, pulling me out of my spiral of despair.

“What?” I ask, looking up at him while I try to put together what he said.

Is he just trying to make me feel better? Or does he really think she’s in danger? Either way, I’m stuck here, helpless to do a damn thing about it.

“There were pawprints,” he says, handing me his drink. “Durin, I think whoever she was running from might have found her.”

My heart pulls itself back together and begins thudding viciously in my chest. I chug the drink down, letting the liquid calm my thrashing bloodlust before I lose control and make a scene.

My instincts are screaming at me to get out into the forest and unleash my fire on anyone or anything that gets in my way offinding her.

But the queen is expecting me tonight. If I don’t show up, she’ll have me hunted down and possibly even killed. Then, the pup will have no father and be raised in whatever hellish shifter camp Rue has been dragged back to.

“I’ll try to track her down,” Farris says, gripping my shoulder firmly. “When can you get out of here?”

I glare at my ridiculous robes and growl in frustration. “Probably not until the morning.”

“Okay. Meet me just inside the trees,” he says. “I’ll do everything I can to find her until then.”

I grip him in a hug, releasing him quickly to avoid drawing attention. “Thank you.”

He gives me a bow, one I’ll have to punch him for later, before darting away in a flash of orange. I toss my empty glass and stomp toward the castle, barely containing my rage.

But beneath the anger, I’m unraveling as I imagine what might be happening to Rue. Even worse, what more might happen before I can reach her. My duty is to protect her and our pup. But I’m on my way to stroke the queen and her ego instead. I’m desperate to get this over with.

Daylor falls into step a short distance behind me, and I can already feel his influence. It grows stronger as I get closer and closer to the queen’s chambers.

By the time her door is shut behind me, I’m on fire with false desire. I disrobe and give the performance of my life, then escape to my room to pace nervously until first light.

Chapter 3

Rue

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