Chapter 117
“What’s wrong?” Arden asked.
Just looking at his face made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Deep within the recesses of her mind, her inner bird went instantly stiff, sensing a looming predator before she could even process the threat.
Malakor lowered his phone, his voice hollow. “They know.”
“Know what?”
“What you are.”
“What?” Arden’s voice cracked—soft, terrified, and hollowed out by sudden shock. “What do you mean, they know?”
Instead of answering immediately, Malakor’s gaze locked onto hers, sharp and urgent. “Did Douglas ever leave the kingdom at any point recently?”
“Yeah.”
“When?”
“Last week. He took a short leave of absence,” Arden answered, her mind racing to connect the dots.
“For how long?”
“A day or two, I think,” Arden replied, her anxie
