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I wasn’t ready to lose her, but I wouldn’t force her to stay.
She could easily ask Karr to drop her off in Ember Abyss and never come back to me.
I’d have to accept that.
The witch came through the doorway and straight to me, as if she knew exactly where I was. Her hands were already glowing pink before she’d even laid them on my skin. I hissed in pain, and then relaxed against her work. The kingdom had found the top witches and hired them for life. Some left everything behind, knowing they couldn’t make contact with the outside world. I’d never considered what it must be like for them either.
My mind was spinning at how blind I’d been to other people.
As she worked, my skin healed quickly, and any trace of the wounds melted off. There’d be no scars, no lingering pain, as long as she made sure to heal every inch of my wounds.
“Thank you,” I finally said as she finished her work. She looked at me strangely, maybe because I hadn’t thanked her before, and then nodded.
“You’re welcome.”
She left, and I tried to figure out how much longer before I could see Izzy again.
If she’d left when I did, there was still at least twenty minutes before she’d arrive. If she had to stay to talk to their law enforcement… that was an entirely different story. Either way, she’d eventually have to come in through that front door.
I sat and waited.
Then waited some more.
After a few hours I ordered dinner, two meals, to be delivered.
She still didn’t return.
Nervous for the first time that she wasn’t going to return at all, I ended up eating both dinners. After another five hours passed, I decided that was enough. Someone in the castle had to have an answer. If she was leaving me for good, she would have at least told Karr. Maybe he couldn’t find me to tell me.
Karr hadn’t returned either.
I considered flying into town immediately, seeking out her sweet smell and making sure she was safe. There was no telling how she’d react to that. The only times she’d seen me shift were when I was doing something rough. The first was stealing her away. The second was fighting off Tierner so he wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes I’d made.
He’d done so much worse than me.
At least I hadn’t tried to mate her in the woods without waiting for her to show interest.
Still, as far as redeeming traits went, ‘not taking advantage of her’ wasn’t high on the list. It should have been a given. I asked a servant to check, and still Karr hadn’t returned. I knew he wouldn’t have betrayed me, but what if he’d been hurt? What if something had happened during the fight and he’d gained a wound I hadn’t noticed?
Was Izzy just stranded out in the wilderness?
The night got darker, and I stared into that hallway as if she could pop through at any moment. Living in the castle with royal blood, I didn’t have to wait for things often.
She wasn’t there.
As midnight passed, I requested a blanket and pillow.
Rhaef visited the room to check in on me.
“You should go to bed, I know we’ll hear from them by morning,” he said kindly. It was the kind of voice you’d use if you were worried you were going to push someone over the edge. I cringed a little at that.
“I know, I just can’t wait to see her,” I tried to explain.
“Waiting here won’t make her appear faster!”
“It’s just—”
As I started to counter what he had said, a familiar smell drifted down the hall to me.
