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Huntley wanted to be alone, to sit by the fire and stare into its depths as he thought about the fate of his daughter. I went to the pub and drank alone, thinking about my niece whom I loved like my own daughter.
There was nothing we could do at this moment—and that made it worse. We were powerless. We had no leads. Had no idea what we were up against. We couldn’t just draw our swords and attack.
I left the pub and walked to the cottage that didn’t belong to me. I’d drunk a little too much, and that was probably why I had the courage to do this. The torch burned above the doorway, the only sensation of heat in the cold darkness. I banged my fist against the door harder than I meant to.
A moment later, Avice opened the door, her eyes guarded at my presence.
I stared, loving the soft angles of her face, the beauty of her eyes. The first time I saw her, I knew she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. And I still thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
She kept one hand on the door, ready to shut it in my face if I said the wrong thing.
Now that I was face-to-face with her, the words weren’t there.
“I can tell you’re drunk.”
I should have stayed sober, because we officially lived in a time when an attack could come at any moment. An enemy could arrive on our doorstep, and I wouldn’t be able to hold my sword steady. “Yeah.”
“Go home, Ian.” She started to shut the door.
“Wait.” My hand planted against the door and forced it open. “I need you right now.”
“That’s not my problem—”
“Harlow has been taken.”
That was all it took to change her attitude. Her hand slid down the edge of the door, and she inhaled a breath of despair. “Who took her?”
“The Teeth.”
“Then why are you on my doorstep—”
“Because they fled to the east. They’re under the mountains, and we have no idea where. There’s nothing we can do until they’re on the other side.”
“What—what does this mean?”
“That the Teeth have allies—and we’re at war.” I crossed the threshold and moved into the cottage, forcing her to back up. I closed the door behind me and approached her, circling my arms around her waist and pulling her flush against me. My chin rested on her head, and I closed my eyes—because it felt so damn good.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d held her like this.
She didn’t push me off, but she didn’t reciprocate the affection either.
I didn’t drop my hold, because I knew it would never come again.
Then her arms circled my waist, and she held me back.
My eyes clenched to contain the tears.
We stayed that way in the middle of the dark living room, the candles our only light. It was warm, like the fire that had been lit a few hours ago had been enough to warm the house through the night.
How could something so horrible bring me something so good?
Minutes later, she pulled away.
She had to leave first, because I was never going to leave. I would have stayed like that forever.
“How are you going to get her back?”
“I don’t know.”
