CHAPTER 20: WRONG TIMING

Shirley poked absently at the food a servant had brought in moments before, then dropped the tray on the bedside table and stood up. She wasn't hungry; that much was clear. But the reason for her continuous loss of appetite for days was something far trickier to decipher. She didn't feel sick either, except for the pinching pain she experienced whenever she thought of Drakon. She had made good on her threat and avoided him for over a week. He had resorted to speaking to her through the closed door, begging and trying to reason with her. She hadn't felt the slightest bit perturbed by his attempts then, but now that he had stopped, she suddenly found herself longing for his late-night and early-morning disturbances. "Oh, I miss him!" she suddenly cried out, grateful she was alone. She moved closer to the window and drew the heavy curtains aside herself because she had told Nyx to leave them closed when she came in to check on her earlier. A breath lodged in her throat as she saw him,