"I believe you possess something that belongs to me, Lady Verity," Alaric said coldly, his eyes narrowing toward the bowl of ashes clutched tightly in her arms.
Immediately the guards stepped forward to seize it from her.
Verity resisted instinctively, tightening her hold around the bowl, but she was no match for the guards. The ashes were ripped from her hands and returned to the king.
Then Alaric's gaze slowly shifted toward Rosalind.
At once his jaw clenched as the memory of her betrayal returned to him vividly. He still had not dealt with her for what she had done with Rowan.
"I never granted you permission to leave your chamber," he said to her.
Rosalind lowered her gaze slightly, but her teeth remained clenched in silent anger.
Alaric then sighed as though already exhausted by all of them. "Everyone leave."
The women glanced at one another in surprise because they had fully expected punishment.
