“This way,” a soldier yells.
“Hurry!”
More footsteps. More shouting.
Those damned emerald eyes are still locked on to mine. “What will it be, little bird?”
My chest heaves, and I shake my head. It’s not like I have a choice. There’s only one viable option that will keep the twins out of harm’s way. They’re here because of me, and they almostdied because of my interference. I can’t let them get hurt. Not now. Not after Kadyn gave his life to give us a chance.
I turn to the Hunter, defeated.
“Fine.” I sigh. “We’ll go”—he’s smiling, and suns damn him for doing that—“but you’re going through the door first.”
If we’re going to be trapped in there, so is he.
To my utter dismay, Gabriel doesn’t seem upset by my request. He simply steps back, the ghost of a smile flitting across his face as he walks into the doorway.
The darkness is so thick, it nearly swallows him whole. The twins follow him, clutching each other’s hands, leaving me with no choice. I cross the threshold, hoping that I haven’t made a grave mistake.
3
JUST THE BEGINNING
GABRIEL
The moment Wren passes through the doorway, I turn and slide my hand down the wall. Finding the indent in the otherwise smooth stone, I press down. The door slides shut, sealing us in darkness. The blue swirl on Wren’s forehead provides some light, but even that isn’t enough to fully illuminate the passage.
“Oh, gods,” one of the twins whimpers.
“It’ll be okay, Marie,” Wren murmurs reassuringly.
She’s never directed that caring tone at me, not even on the first day we met. Watching Wren interact with her sisters is revealing a part of her that I didn’t know existed, and it intrigues me.
Wren moves closer, the glowing Mark getting brighter as she approaches. “What now, Hunter?”
Her voice has cooled, and my heart twists at the reminder of her feelings towards me. There’s no time for emotions, though. The king’s soldiers are still coming for us.
“Now, we run,” I say grimly, staring into the darkness. “Run and pray.”
I don’t think anyone else knows about this tunnel. I found it years ago by accident, when I was hiding from my father, andit seemed to have been abandoned for decades. Based on where it lets out, I think it used to be a delivery passage before it was forgotten.
Wren mumbles something that sounds an awful lot likeI fucking hate running, but there’s no time to question whether I heard her correctly.
Sliding my sword into its scabbard, because the last thing we need is for someone to accidentally get skewered, I keep one hand on the wall and begin wading into the darkness.
Reaching within myself, I tug on my bond with Mist.
I’m coming, I tell her.
Our connection is stretched, but thank the suns, it’s still present. I’ll never take it for granted again. Heat engulfs my chest a moment later, confirmation that she heard me.
The Winter’s Eve Ball went nothing like I expected, and I have far more questions than answers, but two things are certain.
One: The little bird is in my possession, and this time, I won’t be letting her go.
Two: We have bigger problems than ever before.
The wrath in the king’s eyes, the way he called Wren “Blessed,” and the fury in his voice right before he left all made one thing clear: He will not give up. Not tonight, and not any time soon.
