Chapter 15 He’s Gone
Ryder’s POV
I laid there quietly with Brianna still asleep against my chest, her breathing soft and steady while one of my arms remained wrapped firmly around her waist.
Honestly? I liked this. Waking up beside her. Holding her like this.
For the first time in my life, something actually felt calm.
“Oh stop it, kid,” Ronan muttered. “Waking up? You barely slept.” A quiet groan followed his words.
Unfortunately… He was right. I couldn’t even argue this time.
Yeah, I drifted off a few times during the night. Mostly because Brianna’s breathing relaxed me enough to pull me under for short stretches, but every single time I started fully falling asleep, my mind circled right back to Clarence.
To him being locked downstairs.
To the attack.
To the fact he personally showed up here.
None of it made sense.
Not for him. Clarence didn’t make careless mistakes. Ever.
“He’s planning something,” Ronan murmured quietly.
“I know,” I answered internally. “I just don’t know what.”
That was the problem. Not knowing. Because every instinct inside me kept screaming the same thing.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Carefully, I slid Brianna slightly off my chest without waking her. She shifted softly against the pillows but stayed asleep, her hair spread across the bed while sunlight barely started peeking through the curtains around us.
I stayed there for another few seconds just watching her. She looked peaceful. She was safe. At least for now.
Then I finally forced myself out of bed.
The floor felt cold beneath my feet as I quietly crossed the room toward the dresser near the wall. I pulled on a clean shirt and pair of jeans from the bottom drawer.
“You hid clothes in here?” Ronan snorted.
“One night I did, I thought I may need them one day,” I muttered internally.
Ronan laughed loudly.
I ignored him and quietly dressed before glancing back toward Brianna one last time. Still asleep.
I slipped from the room without making noise and headed into the palace halls.
Everything remained quiet.
Most people were probably still asleep considering we were up nearly the entire night after the attack, rescuing Kevan and Mark, and dealing with the coven situation.
Honestly? The palace felt eerie this calm after everything that happened.
“You know everybody else is smart enough to still be in bed,” Ronan pointed out.
I ignored him and kept walking. Because none of this sat right with me. The farther I moved through the palace, the heavier the feeling in my chest became.
Clarence surrendered too easily. Allowed himself to get captured too easily.
Stayed too calm.
None of it fit. And I knew him better than anybody.
The second I stepped outside the palace doors, cool morning air hit my face. Sunlight now stretched fully across the grounds, finally revealing the true extent of the destruction left behind from the attack.
Last night, everything happened in darkness.
Now? I could actually see it. Parts of the palace walls were scorched black while shattered stone still littered sections of the courtyard. Burn marks carved across the ground near the gardens while dried blood stained entire stretches of stone pathways.
Damn.
The attack looked even worse in daylight. Warriors moved throughout the grounds cleaning debris while repair crews already started working on damaged areas despite how early it still was.
Nobody stopped me as I headed toward the dungeon entrance near the lower section of the palace.
My hand slipped into my pocket automatically, fingers wrapping tightly around the dart hidden there.
I didn’t trust Clarence. Not even a little.
The second I stepped inside the dungeon corridor, something immediately felt off.
No movement.
No voices. Nothing.
My pace slowed instantly.
Usually guards rotated constantly down here. Even during quiet hours, somebody always moved through the halls or checked cells.
Now? Silence.
Complete silence.
Every instinct inside me sharpened immediately. I moved farther through the corridor carefully, footsteps nearly soundless against the stone floor while my eyes flickered toward every corner ahead.
Still nothing. No guards talking.
No footsteps.
Just silence.
Wrong silence, the kind that makes goosebumps creep up all over your body.
“You feel that too?” Ronan muttered.
Yeah. I actually did. I rounded the next corner… And froze.
A guard laid crumpled near the wall, blood pooled beneath him while his throat had been sliced clean open.
My chest tightened instantly.
Fuck.
I moved faster now while keeping my steps careful. Another body appeared farther down. Then another.
All guards.
All dead.
Every single one killed cleanly and quickly. No signs of struggle.
No alarms.
Which meant Clarence either had help…
Or planned this perfectly.
Probably both.
I rushed farther down the corridor toward the secured room where Clarence had been chained. More guards littered the floor outside the chamber.
My pulse slammed harder against my ribs.
Fuck.
I instantly pulled my phone from my pocket and called Brianna.
No answer. “Come on, Princess,” I muttered sharply.
I hung up and immediately called again. Still nothing.
My nerves spiked instantly now.
I moved closer toward Clarence’s holding room while keeping one hand wrapped tightly around the dart hidden at my side.
The viewing slot remained shut. Slowly, I slid it open and looked inside.
Empty. Of course. I already knew before checking. Still… Actually seeing the empty room made anger explode through me instantly.
The silver chains hung against the wall. The wolfsbane syringe laid discarded across the floor.
Gone. He was gone.
I tested the handle carefully before pushing the door open just enough to check the inside fully.
Every muscle in my body stayed tense. Because if Clarence somehow waited nearby, he’d absolutely try forcing me inside and trapping me there instead.
But the room sat empty.
No hidden movement.
No ambush. Nothing.
I backed away immediately and headed quickly toward the exit corridor again.
Fast now. No reason to linger.
I tried Brianna again while moving. This time she answered after several rings. “Ryder?” she murmured sleepily. Her voice still sounded thick with exhaustion.
Relief hit me hard enough to almost make my knees weak.
Thank goddess.
“Princess,” I said immediately. “Link your brothers right now.”
Silence met me briefly. Then her voice sharpened instantly. “What happened?”
I pushed harder toward the exit. “Clarence escaped.”