"He's out for the time being," Devlin said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You don't have to worry, Lark. Everything is fine. He probably just needed to get some fresh air and clear his head. He is prone to losing track of time."

Devlin was a mirror of calm. He wasn't exactly sunshine like he normally was, though that was to be expected after a day like yesterday. I might have believed him that everything was alright had I not seen the way he studied me. It was like he was searching me over to see if I might be hiding something, like I might know why Xion left.

And if he was still searching for answers, that meant he didn't know all the details either.

"How long has he been gone?" I asked, ignoring the poor guard who had taken Seraphina's place. In fairness, she was probably grateful that she didn't have to face off with me.

"Not long enough to warrant any real concern," Devlin said.

"But you are concerned," I pointed out. "Did someone go with him? Surely, he shouldn't have gone by himself if he was upset."

Devlin was not rattled by my persistence. "He is the king, Lark. If he says he wants privacy, he gets it. There is nothing that can be done. Daisy saw him leave the grounds and told Seraphina. That's all we know. But genuinely, there is nothing to be worried about. Xion can hold his own. Obviously, I would have preferred if he told me or took one of my men with him, but, at the end of the day, he is very capable with a weapon."

"And does he have a weapon on him?"

Devlin gave out a little huff of air and waved his guard off.

"But King Xion--" she began.

"If the king decides to be angry about this, then I will take the brunt of it. You are only following orders," Devlin assured, almost turning fatherly.

The guard scurried off; relief clear on her face. It seemed that she was willing to go to war for her king, but maybe not participate in an argument. Devlin gestured for me to go back into my room where we sat at the small table that I often took my afternoon tea at.

Devlin cut to the chase. "I know this sounds frightening, but it is not that bad. I promise. He has a history of doing this. One time, when we were still living at Mount Hexe, he and his mother fought so badly that no one saw him for almost two full weeks. When he came back, he acted like nothing happened. It's just his way of handling things, even if it's not the right way."

"He is the king, he can't afford to be gone for two weeks," I pointed out. "You can't tell me that he does this often."

"It has slowed down significantly in his adult years, and he knows as well as I do that he can't leave the throne for long. But it doesn't matter. If those weeks taught me anything it's that I might be a better fighter, but he's a much better hider. If he wants to be found, he will be. If he doesn't, then he will come around when he's ready."

So someone slipped something into my drink and I acted out of my norm and he got to run away. Something about it all didn't sit right with me.

"You're still worried, though," I accused, pointing a finger at him. "And don't try to lie to me. I know you better than that by now."

Devlin sighed, seeming to sink deeper into the overstuffed chair. There was a second when I thought he would continue on with the facade. Then, he scraped his hand down his face and exhaustion took over. "It's not like him," Devlin admitted. "At least, it's not like him anymore. Obviously, he's done this before. But not since he's become king, not since he was a troubled teen living under a very strong mother. I don't doubt that he can hold his own if he needs to. It's just strange."

"You don't think that what happened yesterday would be enough to make him revert to old habits?" I asked. Because it certainly made me want to seek out comfort. Unfortunately, it seemed that the one person I wanted made himself rather hard to get ahold of.

"That's part of the problem, I suppose. It could be. So, I think I should leave him be. But on the other hand, as the head of the army, I feel like I should send men out and comb the area until we know for certain that he is okay. The timing is just too terrible to feel like a coincidence."

"What do you mean?"

Devlin hesitated then, his lower lip getting brutally sawed by his teeth. "He hasn't fed in a while. At least, not that I'm aware of. I'm sure he's fine. He could always go after some deer or even a cow if he wanted. It's just not a great state to be in."

"Oh, sweet saints," I groaned, not sure if I wanted to throttle the table or curl up into a ball. My mate was missing after I had been drugged and now it seemed like a very real risk that he might be facing Bloodlust soon.

"Lark, you don't have to worry too much, I promise. If I thought there was any real concern, I would have sent the men out ages ago. With everything that happened yesterday, this is all just a little more upsetting is all. But that is what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Did you find out who drugged me?" I asked, immediately switching gears.

"No, no one has come forward, but we have started an extensive investigation. Did you happen to see who dropped off your tray yesterday?"

"I can't remember," I admitted. Surely, Xion would be able to recite all of his staff's names and probably recalled all their kids too. I did not have such a skill. I couldn't recall if it had been a man or a woman even, just that a tray had appeared.

"That's alright. We'll figure it out," Devlin assured. Another breath racked him and I felt my body tense. Clearly, if Devlin didn't want to put it in the air this badly, it couldn't be good. "Xion also asked me to make sure that if you wanted to leave and return home, that you have everything you need. He said that I would escort you and that you could take Pandora with you and anything you felt you might require."

It took a full second for Devlin's words to hit me. I was being let go. Xion was not even here and I had the opportunity to walk out of the palace and never return with no negative consequences. It should have felt like a cell door opening. Instead, it felt like a lash on my back.

"I need to think about it," I choked out.

Devlin nodded his head once. "Of course. Take all the time you need. And I promise I will let you know if I hear anything about what happened to you or Xion."

I did my best to give him a confident smile, but I could feel my lips quivering. And when he left, I allowed the tears to roll steadily down my cheeks. How was I supposed to choose between this man and my family? How was I supposed to feel safe here? How was I supposed to return home after everything had changed?

~~~Question of the Day~~~

What is your least favorite genre?

I don't like sci-fi. I just can't wrap my mind around it, I think.