Tobi’s POV
I stayed at the banquet for another hour, maybe less. People were beginning to filter out—some to their rooms, others to quieter corners for whispered flirting and late-night drinks. But I wasn’t really present anymore. Not since Lila left. She’d said she was tired, but something about her departure hadn’t sat right with me.
I stepped out to the patio before heading up, curious. She’d said she went outside for air, that there were fires lit. Only… there weren’t. No torches, no fire pits, not even a trace of ash or the scent of burning wood in the wind. Just the quiet hush of the fountain and the faint smell of roses.
But I had smelled smoke on her.
When I finally returned to our chambers, the sight of her curled up in bed eased the pressure in my chest—but not entirely. I mo
