Emily's POV
Liam had not been in his quarters.
I tapped twice, first with a gentle stroke, and the second with my ear to the cold wood, to hear whether there was any movement within. Nothing. The corridor was bare, the torches still lit from the night before, their illumination pale and thin on the gray of morning streaming through the small windows.
I considered going back to the great hall and waiting.
I didn't.
I descended the back stairwell the kitchen staff used, steadying myself against the rough stone wall in the darkness. These were narrow steps, worn smooth in the middle by years of foot traffic — people who served and cooked, the invisible people who kept the keep going while the rest of the pack slept. I previously did not pay much attention to them.
I was pa
