Page 107 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

He folded his arms across his chest. “It’ll be hard to investigate the crime without seeing the crime scene, don’t you think?”

“There isn’t much to investigate. King Tiane retired to his bedroom with the human girl. The next morning, he was found wounded, lying in a pool of his own blood, with the perpetrator gone.” She glanced back at the king on the bed. “According to the royal hag, the dagger is cursed. It can’t be removed from the wound, as the king’s life is tethered to it. His spirit can’t leave for the afterlife, yet he isn’t alive either. My husband is suspended between this world and the next. We’re looking for a way to bring him back. Meanwhile, I need you to search for the girl. Take as many people as you need.”

What use was having people if he didn’t know where to direct them? He needed information.

“That ‘special’ room you were talking about. How many exits does it have?”

She shifted uneasily, wrapping her arms around herself and looking oddly uncomfortable speaking about that place. “One.”

“Where does it lead?”

“Here.”

He swept the bedroom with his gaze, not seeing any doors other than those he already knew about. Of course, the queen had mentioned it was a hidden room.

“The guards saw Sparrow coming in here,” he said, lining up the events of last night in his mind.

“Yes, she came with the king.”

He imagined the king leading her through the door, toward this very bed.

Against his best efforts to stop it, the images of them being together assaulted his mind’s vision. The king kissing her, caressing her body that Voron had touched just once and never stopped wishing for more ever since.

He’d spend the rest of that night licking her scent off his fingers and pumping his long-suffering cock again and again until his arm ached and his hand cramped. He’d made himself come at least a half dozen times. And still, he hadn’t satisfied his cravings for her.

He’d hoped that letting his restraints snap that one time in the gardens would take the edge off. That it would allow him to get on with his life just the way it was before the intriguing little human entered it.

After he’d kissed Sparrow and made her come on his hand, however, his thirst for her only grew. The cravings bordered an addiction. Even worse, so many other feelings blended in with lust, the feelings he never had for anyone.

Voron wanted Sparrow. Desperately.

King Tiane had her. He was free to enjoy her with no restraints, no promises to hold him back. Yet the king had blown it, horribly.

Now, the king was in a sad state, and Sparrow was gone.

“Is anything missing from the suite?” he asked the queen.

“What? Oh…” She glanced around, looking uncertain. “I don’t know.”

“Get the king’s chamber groom, the maids, and the wardrobe master to go over everything to determine if anything is missing. I want every single item accounted for—clothes, shoes, jewelry.”

“All right. We’ll do it.” The queen didn’t even try to question him giving her orders.

He circled the bedroom slowly, paying attention to every detail. Not familiar enough with the king’s quarters to notice if anything was out of place, he just tried to imagine Sparrow in this space.

Was she elated to be in the royal chambers?

Every woman he knew would be ecstatic to make it this high. Sparrow seemed enthralled by King Tiane, too, especially at the beginning.

But Voron noticed a subtle change in her lately. During their lessons, she didn’t seem as eager to learn the game, content just to have tea with him and talk. She still seemed to enjoy playing, but she learned it at a more leisurely pace lately, without the fervent enthusiasm of the early days.

The way she looked at the king had changed, too. Instead of the wide-eyed admiration of before, her expression had turned more guarded. She acted and spoke far more cautiously. He’d written it off to her learning and adjusting to the life of court. Now, he feared something else might’ve been happening, something he’d been too distracted to notice. And now, it might be too late.

He inspected each window carefully. All of them were warded with magic. No one could enter the room through them without the king’s invitation. Sparrow, of course, had been invited since the king brought her here himself. She could enter and exit freely. But she had no wings. She couldn’t just fly out of the window.

He walked out onto the patio. The Elaros River glistened far below. The forest wedged into the glowing streets of the city, reaching the opposite riverbank.

Jumping from the patio would possibly land one into the river. Of course, the impact of a fall from this height would probably break every bone in Sparrow’s fragile human body. But unless she was stolen by someone with wings, this would be the only way for her to leave this room.

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