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I sit up on the blanket.

“Snow?”

I scan the rooftop. Although it’s dark, the moon is bright.

I can’t see him.

I stand up, picking up a spare blanket and wrapping it around my shoulders. He’s bear sized now; he can’t just disappear.

Leaving Mack sleeping, I search the roof. And when I find no sign of him, my heart starts to beat unsteadily behind my ribcage. Gingerly, I return to Mack and kneel down in front of him. Waking him softly, I wait until he’s fully conscious before saying, “Snow’s not here.”

Instantly, Mack is on his feet. The sudden movement makes him waver, and I jump up to steady him.

“Come. We’ll find him.”

I loop my arm around Mack’s waist and support his weight on my shoulders. It takes far too long to walk down the stairs, and longer still to reach the boys’ bedroom. When we open the door, Tanner stirs. Sam is close behind.

Kole isn’t here.

“What happened?” Tanner jumps up and crosses the room quickly to Mack, helping me support his weight.

“Snow. We can’t find him.”

Mack pulls away from us both. His expression is vacant, as if he’s straining his senses, on a different plane, searching for Snow.

Without saying anything, he staggers away, pushing back through the door.

I try to help him, Tanner too, but he shrugs us off and uses the wall to support himself. “This way,” he mutters. “He went this way.”

Appearing at my side, Sam takes my hand and squeezes it tight.

None of us speak.

Mack stumbles through the door at the end of the corridor, and grips the banister hard as he descends the stairs. A muted glow comes from below.

Before I can see what he’s seeing, Mack attempts to stride forward, but trips, and this time Sam and Tanner catch him. When he tries to shrug them off, they keep hold of him. I step around them, and hear Kole’s voice.

He is standing in front of the shield we created, arms wide, fingers splayed, eyes turned up to the ceiling, muttering furiously.

“He’s trying to take the shield down,” Tanner mutters. “Why the fuck would he do that?”

Beside him, Snow watches, unmoving, staring at the scepter.

Mack draws himself up a little taller. “Let go of me,” he says sternly.

But then an earth-shattering roar fills the room. Snow spins around, jaws open. I have only ever heard him make this sound in battle, and its power makes my soul shudder.

Mack’s eyes widen. He looks from Snow to the scepter then says, “Hell, no. Get away from it. Come here.”

Snow simply turns away.

Mack struggles harder against Tanner and Sam. They’re about to let go when Kole’s voice enters my head for the first time in days. Stay back, Little Star. Keep them back. He turns around as the shield drops. Do it. Keep them back.

Without hesitating, I cast a line of flames between the three of us and the two of them. Kole, Snow, and the scepter are on one side. Mack, Sam, Tanner and I are on the other.

This time, Sam and Tanner do let go. Mack tries to move through the flames, but yells and jerks back.

Snow does not look at us. He simply glances at Kole, blinks slowly, then moves toward the scepter. Tilting his head, he reaches up and takes it between his enormous jaws.