Chapter 144

Maeve’s POV

I peeled off the woolen cloak from my shoulders and flung it onto the bed as I approached him. “Outside,” I said softly, masking my nerves with a faint smile. “Training.”

“Training?” he echoed, his lips curling into a knowing smile as the air around us chilled perceptibly. He scrutinized me, every movement weighed and measured. “At such an odd hour of the night?”

I nodded, keeping my expression fixed. I leaned in and pressed my lips to his briefly. “Why? Is something wrong?”

He spoke slowly in his deep, accented voice, each word deliberate. “I was worried. You weren’t in the Fortress, and I couldn’t get in touch with you.” One hand snaked around my waist, pulling me flush against his broad chest.

“I wa