Alaric's grip tightened around the arm of his chair, his knuckles paling as his eyes burned with a dangerous intensity, like he could set the entire room ablaze if he wished. "Why haven't they returned yet?"
The guards trembled where they knelt, glancing at one another, but no one had an answer.
A low chuckle slipped from Alaric's lips as he leaned back slightly, though there was nothing amusing to him. He hoped it wasn't what he was thinking. Granting Rosalind permission to visit her parents had not come easily to him. He had done it with purpose, expecting it to pull her closer toward him and not this.
The thought of her escaping made his jaw tighten, anger flashing sharply across his face. And that footman... He must have helped her run away. To avoid this, Alaric had sent guards along with them. But still, she found a way to escape his grasp.
"Rosalind," he thought, his lips pressing into a thin line, "you clever little witch."
