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I pulled out a soft Merino wool sweater to layer over a black tank and dark yoga pants. Cozy for the morning and I could peel off the sweater once we hit the training yard and I warmed up.
Fluffing my hair to air dry it, I moved back to the main bedroom and went to the table, looking at the chocolate glazed donuts. One of them had a Damen-sized bite taken out of it and I chuckled.
An extra step he’d taken just to make me laugh and my heart swelled hard in my chest.
Picking up the partly eaten donut, I took a bite and sat, looking out the window as I let the delicious goodness melt over my tongue. Damen’s chef had really taken the art of donut-making to a new height, the insides balancing on that perfect line of fleshy-enough-to-satisfy while still melting in my mouth.
Another bite and I chewed, looking out at the day. This window overlooked both the mountaintops deep into the mountain range and the outer edge of the castle grounds before they met with the part of the castle that melded into the mountainside. Overcast, but the snow covering every surface on the castle made it look brighter than it was.
The note and the food had been an unexpected but sweet way to wake up, and I grinned to myself at imagining trying to explain a moment like this to Triaten or to Charlotte. A malefic with a sweet side. The head of the malefics at that.
Halfway through my second donut, realization struck.
As sweet as this was, it was eerie.
Downright disconcerting when I finally noticed the very thing that had struck me as odd when I first looked out the window.
The guards were gone.
I shifted my chair, moving closer to the window to see more of the grounds.
There. There. There.
I should see at least three guards from this vantage point. One on the battlement on that part of the castle by the mountainside and two on the grounds.
But none.
Swallowing the rest of the donut, I quickly downed half the glass of water as I walked to the bedside table and picked up my phone, calling Damen.
The first ring was cut off midway through, his voice on the line.
“Ada—did you even eat more than one donut?”
I looked to the platter full of donuts. “I ate two.”
He sighed. “Have you even stretched out?”
“No. And what is going on? Where is everyone—the guards?”
“The guards?”
I walked over to the window, the phone pressing hard against my ear. “I’m looking out the window right now and the guards are not at their usual spots. And where are you?”
Another sigh. “You were supposed to enjoy the morning. Relax.”
“Enjoy the morning? Relax? Now you’re starting to freak me out.” I spun away from the window, headed toward the door, ready to find him. “Where are you?”
“Off the mountain.”
I paused, my hand frozen on the doorknob. “What?”
“I’m off the mountain. As is everyone else. No one is at the castle.”
“What in the fuck is going on?” I yanked open the door and started running down the corridor, my eyes frantic to see someone—anyone—puttering about in the daily chores of the castle.
“I can hear you running, Ada. Just stop.” Damen’s voice had taken on that hard edge he liked to use when he wanted to control me. Sometimes welcome in the bedroom—not so welcome outside of it and the hairs on the back of my neck spiked.
Still, my feet slowed as I reached the balcony that looked down over the main foyer. My hand on the carved mahogany railing, I stared down at the main staircase. “Everyone just up and left the castle. You all left me here alone? What is happening?”
