VALTOR

I lied, I didn’t care about her request in the slightest. The truth was, I brought her back to my castle simply because I couldn’t stand the thought of her wandering the forest at night, vulnerable to whatever bastards might cross her path.

The moment we arrived, I ordered a maid to prepare a chamber so she could bathe and change into fresh clothes.

I waited in my study, my foot tapping restlessly against the floor. When movement stirred at the doorway, I turned at ...