“We’ll go tonight,” Kael said after striding over to the window again. “The Redcap who attacked the other night will return, but it won’t be tonight. Our absence will not be noticed if we go now.”

“Go where?” I asked as he grabbed his black cloak from the back of his chair, along with a long, slender sword he slung across his back.

“We must go to the Winter Court, Norah. That’s where you’ll find the Winter Starlight.”

“Right...but won’t it take a long time to get there?”

He let out a low chuckle. It was the first time I’d heard him make any kind of noise resembling laughter. “You’re forgetting that we can shift, Norah. Here. You’ll need to wear this.”

He passed me a cloak similar to his own, and I slung it around my shoulders. It was heavier than the Autumn cloak had been, and much, much softer. There were two deep pockets that were lined with something resembling fleece, and the hood was layered with the same, only twice as thick.

“Ready?” he asked after I’d patted the various pockets and linings of the cloak. “Just wrap your arms around my neck and close your eyes.”

I blinked at him. “Do what now?”

“Don’t look so scandalized,” he said. “Until you’ve practiced shifting, this is the safest way to get you there.”

But my feet felt frozen in place.

“There are rules, Norah,” he said with a slight smile. “Instructors and recruits must have platonic relationships only, even if they know they’re mates.”

It was my turn to give him a slight smile. “Yeah, but something tells me that the little no-romance rule is rarely followed.”

“Hmm.” His smile faded. “It’s a rule that should be followed. Otherwise, serious problems can arise, and I would never want to do anything to cause you pain. It’s bad enough that you’re likely stuck with me anyway. I certainly wouldn’t want to be. So, you’ll have no advances from me.”

I cocked my head and frowned. What was that all about? He might be closed off and cold at times, but it wasn’t like he was unappealing, just as long as he wasn’t talking. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t the nicest fae around, but that was his own damn fault. It was almost as if he was purposely trying to push people away.

So, I stepped in close and wrapped my arms around his neck. His body was tense underneath mine, and he was clearly uncomfortable with our closeness. But why? It wasn’t just because of the rules. His strange little speech had told me that.

Darkness blurred around us, thick and heavy. Wind whooshed around my face. The temperature suddenly dropped, the thick heat of summer flickering away into a dying light. In its place, a bitter cold sunk into my bones, biting at my cheeks and my hands.

When I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but the heavy blanket of the night sky. Overhead, thousands of stars sparkled in the deep black. They were the only light for miles on every side, but they lit up the snowy mountainside, displaying a breathtaking view of towering pine trees that spread out on every side.

We were high up. Very high up. There was a steep drop to our left, though the right side sloped gently down to the edge of the snow-covered pines where a cave was carved into the side of the mountain. Up ahead, a thicket of winding brambles created maze of bushes. Somewhere, deep within it, a small pale pink dot stood out from the blanket of white.

I shivered and jammed my hands into the pockets of the cloak. “Let me guess. We need to get to that one pink flower in the middle of all of this. Why can’t we just shift over there?”

“I’m afraid that this quest is yours alone from this point on, Norah.” Kael’s eyes were focused on something just behind me. He wouldn’t meet my gaze, no matter how hard I frowned at him.

“That’s not fair. You can’t do this to me again. It’s not right to just keep dumping me places when you haven’t even bothered to give me any training.”

His dark eyes flicked to my face, and then away again. “You’re perfectly capable of climbing through the thicket yourself. It may take you an hour or so, but it’s not particularly difficult or dangerous. I’ll stand watch in case something in the forest gets curious.”

I shivered, though this time, it wasn’t for the cold. “You’re actually going to make me go get the flower myself.” I laughed and shook my head. “Okay, fine. If that’s how you want to be, then so be it. It’s not like I actually wanted your help anyway.”

The only evidence he heard me was the flicker of his clenched jaw.

With a heavy sigh, I rolled my eyes and turned toward the thicket. The thick branches and waxy leaves weaved together like a net. This was going to take awhile. I ducked underneath the first branch, and leaves slapped me in the face for the effort. Gritting my teeth, I continued, ducking and twisting and shoving branches aside. My breath was heaving when I finally climbed over the last one. Before me, the sole pink flower fluttered in the winter breeze.

For a moment, all I could do was stand and stare at it. This pretty little flower would either be Bree’s destruction or her savior. But I didn’t yet know which one.

A lion-like roar ripped through the quiet night. I froze with my hand halfway toward the flower, shivers of dread coursing down my spine. Eyes wild, I searched the night. The roar had come from where I’d left Kael. When I twisted his way, I had to grasp onto a branch to hold myself steady. A strange, terrifying creature was lurking toward him with a mouth full of sharp, jagged fangs.

My heart tumbled through my chest. The creature wasn’t a Redcap. No, it was a lot worse than that. It was bigger, for one. Almost as big as a house. It made Kael—strong, muscular Kael—look like an ant in comparison. An ant that was cowering before a creature that was almost part-lion, part-dinosaur.

Kael bent his knees and raised his sword. “Grab the flower, Norah. Now!”

I didn’t want to do anything of the sort. There was a massive creature two seconds away from attacking Kael, and I couldn’t just stand here picking flowers as if I had zero cares in the world. But then Kael swung his sword at the creature, and I was no longer so desperately afraid for him.

He moved with a fluidity that defied logic. It was as if a dance had taken over his body, one with swords and violence, rather than one to the beat of the music, but it was a dance nonetheless. The blade rippled underneath the glittering stars above, and power sang as it sliced through the air.

Kael might be smaller than the creature, but I’d never seen anyone or anything look more powerful than he did in that moment.

The awe of him made me temporarily forget what we’d come here for.

The blade sunk into the creature’s left leg, and a horrible gurgling noise echoed through the night. With a sharp breath, I twisted away from the gory sight that followed. So much blood. Thick and pouring onto the ground. My fingers trembled as I focused on the flower and plucked it from the tangle of weeds.

When I turned back to the fight, Kael had managed to get another blow into the creature’s right leg. The lion-like monster was thrashing and roaring, but it showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Kael slashed his sword again and again, each time hitting the creature even harder than before. Soon, the monster began to stumble away, and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

But just before it turned away, it swatted its large, beefy claw into Kael’s stomach. The world seemed to slow to a stop as I watched Kael’s body launch through the air. His sword clattered to the ground, and his cloak flittered away on the frosty wind. The creature roared and pounded its fist at the ground, blood arcing through the air.

Kael landed heavily in the thicket with a thump.

With a sharp cry, I shoved the flower into the depths of my cloak pocket and began to pick my way through the thicket, desperate to reach his side. Kael. The mighty, powerful Kael. He couldn’t be dead. Not when all he’d been trying to do was help me save my friend.

Before I could reach him, the creature’s massive claws soared through he air and squeezed around my body. My heart went wild, and so did my legs and my arms. I kicked and squirmed and pushed to escape, but the rough paw held me tight before lifting me from the ground.

It dropped me just beside a puddle of its thick blood, and the stench that filled my nose made my throat close in tight. My god, it smelled rank, and its dozens of wounds were still oozing with more of that disgusting blood.

What was it doing? Was it trying to make me fight?

Out of the corner of my eye, the shimmer of Kael’s sword caught my attention. Before the creature could notice, I dove to the side and grabbed the sword from the ground. It was a hell of a lot heavier than it looked, but I managed to hold it up before me just as the creature lunged my way.

I jumped to the side, swinging the sword wildly. Nothing good came of that. The creature merely stepped out of my range and watched me wave the weapon like a lunatic. And clearly like a person who had never handled this kind of blade before.

I needed to get control of myself and fast. My fear and desperation were charging through my veins, and I’d only get myself killed if I didn’t calm down.

Quietly, I lowered the sword and took several deep breaths in through my nose, remembering how to keep the panic at bay. The creature’s eyes narrowed as I settled my nerves. Sure, I will still terrified of this monstrous creature. It was huge. It had massive claws and fangs. And I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.

On the other hand, it had some pretty deep wounds, and there was no way it could last much longer. All I had to do was fend it off for a little while. I didn’t even need to wound it more. Its blood was everywhere, and it could barely walk. So, I took in my last deep breath and curled my hands tight around the hilt of the sword, holding it close to my chest. The blade was completely vertical, pointing straight up at the sky.

The creature lunged forward and roared, but I held my stance. It was trying to provoke me, trying to get me to waste my energy fighting a battle I couldn’t win.

After several moments of this, the creature’s heavy breathing began to sound labored. Its shoulders slumped forward, and its paws dragged along the ground. It gave me one last look before heaving a rattling breath, and then lumbered away from where I still stood, the blade shaking in my hands.

When it finally disappeared, I let out the longest, most shuddering breath I’d ever had. My whole body felt weak and spent, even though I’d merely stood still. I’d been running on adrenaline, and now that the creature was gone, all I wanted to do was collapse on the ground.

But I had to make sure Kael was okay.

I pushed back through the brush and dropped to where he’d fallen. His eyes were closed, and his face was ashen. Fear coursing through my gut, I placed a hand on his neck to feel his pulse. It was there, a slight tremor in his neck. But there was something else. Something much worse, something that made all the blood drain from my face.

His skin was as hot as the sun.