Chapter Twenty
The corridors of William’s estate are quieter than usual tonight. Not silent—never silent, not in a house this alive with wards—but hushed, like the whole structure is holding its breath.
I’ve been pacing the wing since dinner, restless, unable to shake the echo of Bella’s nightmares from two nights ago. William hasn’t said a word to me since then. He trains me in the mornings, disappears into the bowels of the manor in the afternoons, and leaves us to ourselves at night.
For a man who insists I’m his responsibility, he has a strange way of abandoning me whenever it suits him.
Tonight the air feels heavier, though. The wards hum louder than usual, like something is testing their edges. Maybe that’s what draws me out of our rooms, or maybe I’m just sick of pacing the same
