Darius's jaw flexed as the door closed behind him with a soft click. The image of Serena's candlelit room lingered in his mind longer than it should have. He had gone there for a moment, just a single moment to speak to her in private, but of course Charlotte had been there, sprawled across the room like a lounging cat. That little-
He exhaled through his nose and started down the corridor, boots echoing softly in the stillness of the castle's sleeping hours.
He should have turned around the instant he saw Charlotte, but pride made him stay. He had meant to check on her, Serena, not Charlotte but what was the point when another was already sharing her silence? The laughter in Charlotte's voice had only grated on his nerves. She always knew how to rub salt into any wound, and Darius suspected she took joy in it.
