When she dared a glance at the general, his eyes were twinkling with…with curiosity, she thought. “And why is that?” he murmured. “As one of the few people in Elderyn with such a rare gift, why would you fight it?”
Nocturne faced the paintings again, her inky hair shining in the light of the crystals that hung between each frame. “Because I feel like I haven’t completely lost myself—yetanyway. Perhaps if I can’t find my Skin, I’ll be of no use to you.” That was the thing about gaining a Skin: A Fey or Elf born with this rare ability would have to first find the specific wolf who shared this bond, for not any would do. There would be only one in a person’s entire life.
Nocturne hadn’t planned on saying so much, and the silence that followed her words was relentless. Still, she took care to keep her eyes on the painting in front of her.
The general was silent for so long that when he spoke again, Nocturne jumped a little in surprise. “You want to leave?”
Swallowing hard against the emotions threatening to erupt inside her, she slowly turned to face him. “Of course.” Her words were measured and low. “Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t want to stay in this rotten place.”
The Wolf kept his expression composed, though his eyes tightened almost imperceptibly. Nocturne expected him to look away, but he kept his intense gaze on her, his eyes roving over every part of her. Her stomach flipflopped—and she hated herself for it.
She broke their eye contact, pretending to be occupied with the ice sculptures bordering the room. There were bears, foxes, badgers, mountain lions… And wolves, of course. The sculptures glowed various colors, but the most astounding thing was where the light came from.Magic—yes, that was the best explanation.
“Nocturne.” Reluctantly, she raised her eyes to the general’s face. He stepped closer, the hem of his cloak sighing softly as it slid behind him on the floor. Nocturne resisted the urge to back away from him, a thrill of fear racing up her spine, though his eyes betrayed no sign of wanting to hurt her. “If you’d like to leave so badly, I can arrange for it. I won’t keep you here against your will.”
Nocturne’s mouth popped open in surprise. For a moment, she struggled for words, and then she stammered, “Why would you let me go?” But she knew why: it was because she was the omega. Therunt.Perhaps the general and the king had realized she was a waste of their valuable time. It would be nothing short of a blessing if this were true.
The Wolf seemed to be considering his words before he spoke. “Because I know how it feels to not have a choice.”
Despite his sincere tone, Nocturne couldn’t bring herself to believe him—didn’twantto believe him. And if she fell for this trick of his, he would likely take her deep into the woods to slaughter her—a place far enough away that no one would hear her screaming.
“When have you ever been denied a choice, General?” It had to be a trick. After the trouble they’d gone through to hunt down the people who possessed skin-changing magic, there wasn’t a chance they would let her walk free. And even if they did, where would she go? She had no home left, and her family was dead. If she ever got away from here, she would return to her village only to bury what was left of their corpses, if the beasts of the forests hadn’t dragged them off by now. The thought alone caused her heart to give a painful little pinch.
And then, when she was finished burying them, she would join them in the afterlife. In the still, quiet of the Underworld, a place untouched by heartache and pain. Where fields of asphodel swayed in a breeze no one could feel, and nothing was thought of but the moment. A place where her soul could finally rest.
The general brought her back to the present as he said, “Contrary to popular belief, I have very few choices.”
Her eyes flashed up to meet his. “Are you trying to get me to pity you?”
He shook his head, a strand of snowy hair falling in his eyes—eyes that were filled with an ancient sadness she couldn’t begin to fathom. “I’m trying to get you to see me, as I see you.”
Nocturne barely stopped herself from snorting a laugh. There wasn’t a chance in the hells that this man—this slaughterer of innocents—could ever understand her. If he understood—if he cared as much as he hinted—he wouldn’t have said those nasty things out in the field yesterday.
A thousand unkind words hovered at the tip of her tongue, but she held her breath. He waited for her to speak, but instead of saying all the hurtful things she wanted to say, she changed the subject. “What do you know of the family that used to live here?”
Surprise registered on his striking face. “The Sylvanas?” A distant look washed over him then, as if he were remembering something. “Not as much as I would’ve hoped. Ten years ago, I was given the order to slaughter everyone in this House. We didn’t have a chance to become acquainted.” He said it without feeling, as if it was a passage read from a history book. Emotionless—that was exactly the kind of behavior the king’s men were required to have. How else could they carry out unspeakable horrors and still be able to sleep at night?
With a huff of anger, her blood simmering in her veins, Nocturne turned on her heel and walked away. But the general’s next words stopped her short.
“You never asked me if I followed through with the order.” His sonorous voice echoed softly off the gleaming walls.
Slowly, she turned.
The general hadn’t moved. He stood with his hands folded in front of him, the silver rings on his fingers shining in the muted light of the crystals.
When she didn’t answer, he spoke again. “You think I killed them. Don’t you?”
After a moment, Nocturne said, “I don’t want to know whether you did or didn’t.”
A muscle twitched in his brow, his mouth pulling down at one corner. “Why not?”
She pulled up her hood and headed for the doors. “Because some things are easier when I know less.” The only sound in the room was thetap-tapof her boots on the frosted glass. “It’s easier, General, if I continue to believe that you could never care about someone like me.”
5
There were about as many things Avalon wanted to say to her father as there were reasons she should be allowed to stay.
Still, she held her tongue as she climbed onto her dappled mare near the gate to the House of Ice. In the distance, in the very center of the courtyard, the tree of ice stood proud in the sunlight. The tree had been here for generations; it was once a symbol of peace. Avalon was surprised it was still standing after all these years.
