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Nazyn watched her weave through the crowd, whispers at her back. But she held her head high and her shoulders back, just as she should. Stars paid no heed to the planets orbiting around them. And Darcy was an incandescent star that had lit his entire existence.
He would risk anything to protect her.
And with her walking away from him, he realized he just might be forced to.
25
DARCY
The door to their room swung open as Darcy’s figure stepped in. She dashed inside, heading straight for the closet.
The biggest knot roiled in her stomach.
She ignored it as best she could.
Time was ticking.
She didn’t exactly have an event-worthy wardrobe, to put it mildly. The one fancy skirt she owned, the red one, had a ripped seam from when she almost fell to her death, and all her shirts were cotton. But one of them would have to do. Maybe she could do her hair in a nice little bun–
A shadow loomed behind her.
Darcy turned, heart in her throat. “How did you get in here?”
Richard didn’t even bother grinning. His face was set in an unforgiving grimace. He jiggled a metal card in her face before putting it in his pocket.
“I wasn’t expecting a Deruzian reunion at the Forum,” he said. He sounded like it bothered him to even speak. There was no anger on his face or in his dark eyes.
Just grim determination.
“You’re so predictable,” Darcy said. She kept her spine straight, gaze glued to Richard’s face. She was done hiding.
Richard sighed, like he was over everything. “What are the Deruzians planning?”
“What, no hello back?”
“I don’t have time for this.” Richard didn’t even scowl. It was as if someone had zapped all emotion from him, leaving behind an unrelenting husk of a man.
He was more frightening now than when he played the part of charming businessman or irate boyfriend. Darcy had no clue who Richard was without a mask.
Emotionless, apparently.
And it scared her.
Adrenaline pumped through her legs, begging for her to do something. Run. Escape.
But she couldn’t move.
His hand went into his pocket again. Only this time, he brought out a gun–and he pointed it straight at Darcy’s chest.
This, she hadn’t expected. Small beads of sweat pooled at the base of her spine. “Have you completely lost your mind?”
“I promised your horned boss I wouldn’t touch you again,” he said. “I’m keeping my distance, as you can see. What are the Deruzians planning, Darcy?”
Despite everything Richard had done, everything he had put her through since they’d met, she was still bewildered. “You’re not going to blow up your life by shooting me. Jail doesn’t go well with your suits.”
“I will,” he said simply. “In self-defense. Obviously.”
Darcy stared at him like he’d truly gone insane. “Why would Ievertry to shoot you?”
