Kaden turned his focus to the bed, where the covers looked the same as they had been when he had left, but as he drew closer, he could see that it was merely the way the pillows were arranged and that Emily was nowhere to be seen.
Something in his gut twisted.
Something wasn’t right about this, and while it was just a feeling, he had learned that his gut instinct was rarely wrong.
Even more strange, Maggie wasn’t here to weave between his ankles. She wasn’t yipping to go outside or sleeping anywhere on the bed while waiting for Emily to return.
Perhaps he had missed Emily on the way out to the grounds? Only, the leash that she had made for Maggie was still resting over the back of the far chair, like it had been every other time she had been indoors.
Despite the urge to worry, he tried his very best to remain calm as he went out of the room, down the stairs, and headed to the door that led to the gardens. On his way, he ran into Skye, who was humming absently as she did whatever she was doing.
“Have ye seen me wife?” he asked.
“Hm. Wife. I daenae ken if I will ever get used to hearing that word from yer lips, Braither,” she teased with a wry grin and a wink.
“Aye, well, ye can leave yer teasing for another time. I am being serious, have ye seen her?”
Skye’s smile dropped at his tone. “Is something the matter?”
“Well, I willnae be able to figure that out if ye insist on refusing to answer me question now, can I?” Kaden said, irritation bleeding into his words. He couldn’t do anything to stop it.
“I saw her only for a moment this morning before breakfast. She seemed distracted and hurried off toward her room,” Skye answered, but she almost sounded like she was questioning her own memory.
The muscle in Kaden’s jaw ticked.
“Did she say anything to ye?” He studied his sister’s face carefully. “Anything at all? What she planned to do? Where she could be found?”
Skye shook her head. “Nay. Braither, ye are frightening me. What has happened?”
“Did she have Maggie with her when ye saw her?” he demanded, his worry growing.
“What? Who is Maggie?”
Kaden grunted in frustration. “The pup! The white beast that’s always following her around.”
Skye shook her head once more. “Nay, she was alone. Now, tell me what this is all about!”
But Kaden didn’t have time to explain himself, not when his wife was so clearly missing.
What could have possibly happened? Where could she have gone so early in the morning without saying something to anyone? Surely, somebody had seen where she went or knew where to find her, and all of this would be just some huge misunderstanding. She wouldn’t just up and leave the day after their wedding, would she?
`Kaden swallowed against the growing panic. He needed to locate Peter and speak with the guards to see if anyone had seen what had happened to her or where she had gone.
Perhaps they could start with a search of the village to see if she was there. It was the only place that was actually close enough for her to have ridden on her own. At least he thought so. He would have to see if she had taken a carriage, then he might have even more cause for worry. But all of her things were still in her room.
More than anything, he hoped that he was just worrying for nothing.
When he found Peter and a few of the guards sparring out in the grounds, he called them over immediately and explained what was happening. Peter and the guards were off in the next breath as he called for a stable boy to ready his horse.
The alarm bell was rung. He didn’t much care for the way it was all starting to feel like he was heading into battle. He knew that the castle would be searched, and that was a good start. If something had happened to her?—
No, he couldn’t think about that for even a second.
He was going to head to the village. That was the only reasonable thing to do. She would be there. He might even get word while he was halfway there that she had been located in some corner of the castle, reading, and that would be that.
But his gut instinct told him that something was very, very wrong.
31
