As we approached the end of the aisle of trees, I glimpsed visions of a garden spread to either side. Greenery blossomed from the snow with bright colors splashing against the white. My earlier desire for flowers passed through my mind, and I shuddered. How could I ever enjoy such eerie, enchanted blooms?

The carriage drove out from the trees and came to a stop in front of a large castle. A wide, shallow staircase of gray stone led up to vast wooden doors. The building branched off in both directions, huge, imposing, and dark, full of twisted stone and dim shadows.

I could see no sign of anyone. The snow had ceased to fall, but the chill in the air remained, and I had no desire to remain in the carriage after my long voyage. And yet still I lingered, trying to convince my legs to move and carry me into this strange unknown.

The door of the carriage swung open of its own accord, the message loud and clear. I reminded myself I hadn’t come this far to lose courage now and hauled my saddlebags out into the snow, unwilling to leave them in an enchanted vehicle that might disappear at any moment.

Once I stood beside them, I hesitated, however. My rumpled dress and travel stained face presented enough of an undignified appearance without tottering under the weight of heavy bags. Finally, I decided to leave them in the snow, next to Chestnut, who I untied from the carriage and secured to one of the stone balustrades. Surely I would find some servants inside the castle and could request them to care for my mount and possessions.

Taking a deep breath, I climbed the stairs, my stiff legs protesting the sudden exertion. As I approached the doors, I wondered if I would have the strength to push them open. I needn’t have worried, however. When I reached them, they swung open of their own accord, just as the carriage door had done.

I peered into the cavernous entryway revealed by the open doors. Would my betrothed now appear? Had he been the one to grant me access to his castle?

But, once again, I could see no one. I walked inside, trying not to let my trembling legs disrupt my steps. I had never encountered a royal residence that felt so…empty. Where were all the people of Palinar?

The doors closed behind me with a thunderous crash, and I jumped. Whirling around I tried to control my dread. For now, my future lay within this castle, it mattered not if the door were open or closed—I was effectively trapped here either way. Still, I felt an unreasonable relief when I discovered a small, normal-sized door within one of the larger ones and found it unlocked. If I couldn’t find any servants, I would need to tend to Chestnut myself—which was, of course, the sole source of my relief.

With the doors now closed, the air temperature inside the castle felt significantly warmer than outside. Without conscious thought, my feet led me to a fire burning in a large fireplace against one wall. Would Lily be awake by now? I decided I didn’t care. The situation was simply too strange not to share with her.

Lily? You won’t believe where I’ve ended up.

The emptiness around me reverberated in my mind. I froze and called out again. Lily? Lily!

Still nothing. My heart, which had already been beating fast, sped up. For a moment panic overwhelmed me, and I screamed her name over and over again in my mind. Lily! Lily! Lily!

Horrible possibilities streamed through my mind. She had fallen from her horse and been killed. Cole had found and murdered her in an act of revenge.

I tried to stem the panic. My twin could not have died without my sensing it. We were too connected for that, I felt sure of it. You couldn’t lose half of yourself without knowing about it.

Perhaps she was simply busy, and unable to respond. But that thought brought no comfort. If Lily were distracted or asleep, she might not answer, but I would still sense her presence at the end of my projection, as I had done earlier. I could even wake her, if I needed, as she had done to me in the carriage. I tried to remember the last time I had spoken to her and couldn’t pinpoint it.

We had never found a physical limitation to our communication, but we had never been so far apart before. Perhaps the distance was simply too vast. I tried again, more calmly this time, paying attention to my projection. My silent words flew out, projecting away from me in a way my ordinary thoughts did not.

I expected them to fade out, overwhelmed by distance, but the sensation more closely resembled slamming into a wall. I had been too shocked and panicked to notice it earlier, but it felt unmistakable now. My knees gave out, and I sank into a soft armchair pulled up to the fire.

I was on my own. Truly on my own. Uncontrollable shivers shook me. Lily and I had been connected since before I could remember. I had never really been alone before. Fear rushed over me, roiling in my belly and clouding my mind.

My connection to the outside world was gone, along with my main source of companionship. What if something did happen to Lily? Would I sense it behind this strange mental wall? I had found courage to face the Beast because I knew I would carry my sister with me. But he had stripped even that away from me.

Anger and hatred welled inside me, burning back some of the fear. Was there anything I was not expected to sacrifice?

A soft sound from the other side of the entryway made me leap to my feet. The light of the fire beside me faded into dimness on the other side of the room, but enough light remained for me to glimpse movement.

I drew back, the fear returning to the fore. Then I stiffened my spine and fed the anger, driving back the terror. “Who’s there?” I called loudly. “Show yourself.”

The dark figure hesitated and then stepped forward toward me.

I gasped and moved to place the armchair between us. Prince Dominic, for surely it must be he, towered above me. He wore no circlet or crown, but he carried himself like someone used to wielding power and authority.

His broad shoulders barely fit into his jacket, the material bunching strangely around their unnatural shape. His light brown hair reached to his shoulders, matted and wild, and the backs of his hands, the only bit of skin I could see other than his face, looked abnormally hairy.

His mouth and jaw seemed to sit oddly, but otherwise his face looked surprisingly human, more so than I had expected and feared. The relief soothed some of my initial shock. Perhaps I had been unnecessarily apprehensive, the strangeness of the castle and his furtive arrival exacerbating my nerves.

I tried to focus on his eyes, which were a strangely piercing blue, and were the most normal looking part of him. In fact, I thought I detected hesitation and uncertainty in them. And if he felt nervous, even a little, it meant I had some power in this situation, too.

I forced myself to step around the armchair again and drop into a curtsey. I waited for him to speak, but he said nothing, simply measuring me with those bright eyes. Anger, fear, frustration, and resentment swirled through me in such a confused mess that I began to feel numb to all of them. He had brought me all this way alone; did he truly have nothing to say?

I broke the silence. “Greetings. I am Princess Sophia of Arcadia. I assume you are Prince Dominic, my betrothed.”

He inclined his upper body slightly in acknowledgment but still said nothing, too haughty or sullen to speak. I reached out to Lily in my mind, knowing she would share my outrage. The emptiness in my mind hit me again, and I nearly collapsed. A single tear managed to escape my eye.

I glanced back at my betrothed, and saw that his gaze had fixed on my face where the drop of moisture still rolled down my cheek. How dare he stand there and judge me. I snapped.

“They call you the Beast, but I had hoped some part of the royal prince remained,” I spat at him. “I see now that I was wrong. They told me your kingdom was once the largest and most magnificent in these lands. How far noble Palinar has fallen.”

An expression that I couldn’t read passed across his face. And then he opened his mouth, and I saw why his jaw looked misshapen. Inside he had a row of fangs instead of normal teeth. They glistened in the firelight as a low menacing growl rippled through the room.

I stumbled backwards and hit the chair, my own mouth dropping open in horror. He stepped toward me, and I rushed to put the piece of furniture between us again. I couldn’t imagine the chair would prove much of an impediment to him, but something about my action angered him. He threw back his head and roared.

The deafening sound filled the entryway, and the last of my courage disappeared. I turned and fled, pushing through the first door I found. I ran through stone passageways, noticing nothing of my surroundings, all my attention focused on listening for sounds of pursuit.

Candle sconces sprang into flame ahead of me, lighting a passage through the castle. I considered fleetingly that the lights might be leading me into a trap, but I couldn’t face any of the dark, unlit corridors. My legs protested the exertion after so long immobile in the carriage, but my terror kept me moving forward.

Ahead of me the lights stopped, but I had time for only a single pang of apprehension before a wooden door in the corridor wall swung open. The warm glow of a fire poured out to fill the darkness. I pivoted and threw myself into the room, slamming the door closed behind me.

I leaned against it, my heart pounding and my breath rasping through my throat, while I surveyed the room. The large bedchamber was lavishly appointed in green and gold, the furniture solid and elegant. The four-poster bed looked soft and a small fire burned cheerfully. Best of all, the room looked completely empty.

I checked the door for a key, but found none. A small chest of drawers stood against the wall next to the door, so I pushed it, heaving until it slid across the doorway. An image of the Beast’s broad shoulders flashed through my mind, but I ignored it. The room had heavier pieces of furniture, but I would have no hope of moving them. This one would have to be enough.

My stomach rumbled, my body overruling my fear with other needs. For the first time, I noticed a small table tucked next to the fireplace and laden with a tray of food. I looked around the room again, but I was still alone. The bowl looked as if it held some sort of stew, the aroma rising from it enticing enough to make my mouth water. Sinking into a well-placed chair, I devoured the fresh, hot food, calculating the hours since I had anything other than travel fare. Already the long, boring voyage seemed impossibly distant.

When I had finished, I knew it must still be early, but I had no desire to step foot outside my room. Instead I explored the inside, examining the large desk and peering into the wardrobe. As I pulled the ornate walnut doors open, I stumbled back, gasping. A row of dresses hung inside, several of them recognizable as gowns from my saddlebags. Rushing through the room, I pulled open all the drawers I could find as well as the large chest at the foot of the bed. I had soon located the entire contents of my bags, carefully distributed around the room.

Shame filled me. In my fear, I had completely forgotten about my saddlebags and, more importantly, Chestnut. I had left her shivering in the cold while I filled my belly and warmed myself.

I looked around the room again. I had still seen no physical sign of a servant, but someone had clearly retrieved my bags and unpacked them. Surely the same person would have cared for my horse. It seemed a certainty. Surely…

I regarded the drawers in front of the door doubtfully. Should I go and check on Chestnut? I couldn’t remember the way through the castle, but perhaps the candles would show me the way again.

I imagined myself stumbling through the dark, stone corridors, straining to hear the soft footfall of the Beast around each corner. When I shook myself from the vision, I found my hands had already stripped off my dress and pulled my nightgown from a drawer. I flung it over my head and dived beneath the covers of the bed, blowing out the candles as I went and leaving only the soft glow of the fire to light the room.

I buried my face in my pillow and wept. I could only hope my mysterious helper had indeed cared for Chestnut, and that the poor animal wouldn’t have to pay the price for my cowardice. Because I had come so far but now, at the end, my courage had failed me. Lily would have been braver. The thought of my sister only increased the flow of my tears.