Chapter 148

Darius

The back door to my study opened on a creak I knew well, too well. I looked up from the file I’d been pretending to read and let my eyes sharpen into a blade.

Her scent hit me hard, mostly because I did not expect her to be here.

I let out a low warning growl, expecting her to walk inside only to be surprised when it was not her.

Amelia stepped inside first, her face pale and strained, one hand gripping something under the white sheet she’d wrapped like a sacrament. Behind her a maid hovered, shoulders tense, and then I saw her… Alaria, limp and unconscious, hair fanned around her like a dark halo. For one breath the room went so quiet I could hear the embers in the hearth.

“You idiot.” I didn’t bother to keep any civility in my voice. It was gone before I realized I’d let it loose. “What the hell is this? What did you fucking do?”

Amelia set Alaria down with more care than I expected. Her eyes flicked to mine and did not flinch. “Sh