He kept his arms wrapped around her, unwilling to let her go just yet. According to the queen's orders, he was to depart in two days' time, riding eastward to meet the rest of the hunters. He hated how forces beyond his control always found a way to drag him away from her, how every fragile stretch of peace they managed to carve out for themselves was so easily shattered.
As he held her, his gaze drifted idly across the room before settling on a small shadow cast along the wall near the window. At first glance, it seemed insignificant, something he would have ordinarily ignored without a second thought. But now, something about it felt wrong.
The curtains had been drawn back, allowing a steady stream of light to pour through the clear glass. The light gathered thickly in that corner, illuminating it. There was nothing there that should have broken the light or any object that could have cast the shadow..
And yet, the shadow remained, even though it should not have been there.
—
