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“W-who are you?”
He puts on a wicked smile. And right before my very eyes, he vanishes.
“Willow!” someone shouts, and I gasp when Juniper’s face comes into view. “Love of Vakeeli, what’s happened to you?” I look around. I’m back on the balcony, seated. But Caz isn’t where he was last standing. In fact, he’s not on the balcony at all.
“Where’s Caz?” I ask, shooting out of my chair.
“He’s in his chambers. He said he wasn’t feeling well after you guys were all lip-locked and goo-goo-eyed around the corner.”
Wait…what?“When was this?”
“About five minutes ago.”
“Is everything all right?” Rowan asks, concern etching his face.
I shake my head. “No. It’s not.”
Then I run down the corridor and into the palace. “Caz!” I scream, storming up the stairs. I scream his name repeatedly, my heart beating harder. As I run, I feel the cold still in my lungs, as if I’ve inhaled that nightmare. I don’t stop, even when the cold seems it will paralyze me.
I run to his room and shove the door open. And when I see him, my heart drops to my stomach.
Eighty
WILLOW
He’s lyingon the floor, shirtless, his body paler than I’ve ever seen it before. “Caz!” I yell. I run to him, lifting his head up. His body has black veins all over it, and he’s as cold as ice.
Footsteps approach, and Juniper and Maeve rush into the room.
“What’s happened?” Maeve shouts.
“I—I don’t know!” I wail.
Maeve drops to her knees, pressing two fingers to the pulse on Caz’s neck. “He still has a pulse, but it’s faint.” I’m glad to hear that, but he doesn’t look well. His lips are dark blue, and black veins slither along his eyelids.
“He’s freezing cold, Maeve.”
“Juniper, go for your brothers,” Maeve commands, and Juniper doesn’t hesitate to flee the room.
“What do we do?” I’m panicking now.
“Did you see anything when you spaced out on the balcony?” she asks.
“I—I saw Caz. I was in this room, but…it wasn’t Caz. It was like something darker had taken over him.”
Maeve’s eyes widen with shock. “What could that possibly mean?”
“I don’t know.”
Alora rushes into the room in a flurry, her gold gown catching the light. “I just got IDs on the men who attacked Beatrix.” She hands a small stack of cards to Maeve, who takes them and rapidly flips through them with a frown.
“I don’t know any of these men,” Maeve mutters.
“What happened to Caz?” Alora asks, walking deeper into the room.
I let go of Caz to look over Maeve’s shoulder as she shuffles through the cards, and at first none of them are familiar. But then…
“Wait!” I step around her, taking one of the cards out of her hands. On the card is a man, handsome, with a strong jawline, a wide smile, and shoulder-length brown hair.
