Page 39 of Forbidden Protector

God, I am a monster.

I glance over to the other side of the bed. There’s no note, no explanation for her absence. If it weren’t for the shreds of our clothing strewn across the room, I might be able to convince myself it didn’t happen.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand and I swipe it up.

05:30A.M.

Emergency Alert: Flash Flood Warning this area till 11:00 A.M. EDT

Lightning suddenly flashes through the room as if trying to make a point. The thunder that follows has me jogging over to the window and throwing open the curtains.

The grounds below are already becoming waterlogged, trees bending to submission under the rain. I’m suddenly incredibly comforted by the several inches of glass between me and the outside. You’d have to be an idiot to want to go out there today.

Something twists in my gut.

Maybe I should go and check on Roisin.

There’s a weather warning, after all. Wouldn’t want her to get caught in the storm.

I throw on a sweater and a pair of pants and head out into the corridor. The north wing is the only wing of the house that I really use. No need to waste the time and resources on a place fit for twenty people when it’s just me and Angus

The sunflower room is only a few doors down so I’m standing outside only a few seconds later, hand poised to knock.

She’s probably asleep; knocking will just wake her up. Instead, I grab the handle. The door swings open slowly, quietly and I stick my head in to look around.

Empty. The bed is empty.

I step into the room, my heart speeding as I switch on the light. Anger? Fear? I can’t tell.

“Roisin?”

No response. The lightning strikes again outside. Louder because the window is open. I run to close it, glancing down at the two-story drop to the cobbles below.

Surely she wouldn’t go out in this?

“Roisin?” I shout a little more desperately into the rain. Nothing.

I close the window quickly; already there’s a damp patch on the floor. And explore the rest of the room. I throw open the bathroom door, the walk-in closet. Nothing.

I run a hand through my hair and think.

We sat down for dinner quite late and by the time we got to bed, it was after midnight. She could have just been waiting for me to fall asleep which means…

She could have been gone for five hours.

The rumble of thunder echoes my footsteps as I fly out of the room.

“Roisin!?”

I run down the corridor, back toward the dining hall. Checking every room as I go.

She could just be exploring again, right? I check the ballroom and the gallery where I found her the other day. Still nothing. I remember the way she looked when I found her here. Dwarfed by the size of the room and yet the only thing memorable about it.

By the time I reach the dining hall, the rain seems to have only worsened. It lashes against the floor to ceiling window as if testing its durability. The pool at the end of the garden that’s usually clearly visible is entirely obscured by the weather.

Jesus Christ, Roisin. Where are you?

“Sir?”

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