CHAPTER 14
AVA’S POV
Draken crumpled the parchment paper in his large fist. The sudden warmth that had lingered between us just seconds ago. the electric spark of his fingers adjusting my collar, had vanished.
The King had returned.
His golden eyes narrowed as he read and reread the faded ink on the duplicate dispatch.
My breath caught as I shifted back to give him space.
“The seal is authentic,” Draken rumbled, “It bears the sigil of the Northern Vanguard. It never reached my desk.”
“So somebody inside the palace wanted him dead before he ever reached you,” I said, the realization made my stomach twist. I looked down the dark corridor, suddenly feeling like every shadow had eyes. “Everyone in that courtroom acts like I brought a curse to your gates, but the rot was already here b
