We leave in a rush. Well, Kylan and I are in a rush, but Liberty seems to intentionally drag her steps the entire way home. When we finally reach the house, I discover why.

“I know for a fact that you’re both keeping something from me.” She storms toward the stairway, but then whirls around before starting up, her long hair whipping around her. “I mean, I know my father is a sketchy werewolf, but you guys freaked the hell out when you realized his guards had been nearby.”

“Because we’re supposed to be keeping our distance from your father,” I lie, self-hatred burning in my chest.

She shakes her head, not buying my bullshit. “Fine, if you’re going to lie to me, then I’m out.” She stomps up the stairway, shaking the floor and the framed photos on the wall.

With a sigh, Kylan trudges after.

“Kylan,” I call out.

He pauses, mid-stairway, and glances back at me. “Yeah?”

I step toward him, slipping off the hood of my cloak. “I was just wondering—or well, curious—as to why you were so worried that the king’s guards were near Legend’s place.”

“Because the king isn’t a good wolf. And neither are his guards. And it’s my job as Liberty’s guard and your temporary one to keep you away from evil.”

“So, you think the king is evil?”

“I know he is.”

“Do you think …? Why do you think he was near Legend’s place?”

He shrugs. “A lot of reasons, but usually when werewolves wander into vampire territory, they’re looking for something they probably shouldn’t.”

Worry floods through my veins. What if the guards were in Legend’s house because they took Legend? But why would the king’s guards steal a vampire? A vampire who knows me?

More guilt crushes my chest. Any more, and my lungs might give out altogether.

* * *

I stay up for hours waiting for Jules, wanting to discuss what happened at Legend’s and wanting to know he’s okay. In the latest hour of the night, though, he still hasn’t returned and panic sets in.

Another hour ticks by, and the house remains silent.

Then the moonlight begins to fade from the sky, but still no Jules or Rune.

I decide to go to sleep, to see if I can find him in my dreams, but I end up sinking into nightmares, and not of the day Slate tortured me, but of Jules, locked in that castle, getting ripped apart bit by bit by his father.

And there’s nothing I can do to help him.

* * *

“Lake, sweetheart, open your eyes.” Fingers stroke lazy circles up and down my back.

I whimper as the bloody images of my nightmare continue to invade my mind.

“It’s okay.” Lips brush my cheek. “Whatever you’re dreaming about, let it go. It’s not real.” Soft kisses caress my lips, once, twice, three times.

My heart sparks to life, and my eyelids flutter open, the nightmare images evaporating into nothing more than mist.

I blink rapidly until my vision comes into focus, Jules’ violet eyes are the first thing I see.

He’s lying in the bed beside me, dressed in the same clothes as when he left. His hair is ruffled, his forehead cut, along with his cheek, but other than that, he appears unscathed.

“You’re back.” I toss the blankets off me and wrap my arms around him, rolling on top of his solid body. I knew I was worried when he didn’t return at nightfall, but I hadn’t realized how much fear possessed my mind until now. I could barely breathe while he was gone.

He folds his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. “Sorry it took me a longer than I said. We ran into a bit of an unexpected problem.”

I push back and trail my fingers along his wounds. “What happened?”

He cups his hand over mine, trapping my palm against his cheek. “We ran into a couple of my father’s guards while we were getting my mom out of that dungeon of a room.” Bitterness clips his tone.

“Did you …? Were you able to get your mom out?”

“We were.” A lightness radiates from him. “But we had to get rid of the guards. Otherwise, my father would’ve found out sooner that my mom is gone. And the longer he’s oblivious, the better.” He swallows hard, shame eclipsing the lightness. “I feel awful that I had to kill one of them, even if my father’s guards are almost as cruel as him.”

“Was it the first time you’ve killed a wolf?”

He closes his eyes, his breaths quivering. “No, but I wish it was my last. I know it won’t be, though. Not if I want to stop my father.”

I kiss his lips, trying to soothe his guilt, and he kisses me back in desperation, flipping me onto my back. His lip rings scald my lips, his tongue branding every inch of my mouth, emotions pouring out of him. I hope it helps. I hope kissing me with such heated intensity helps him momentarily forget his grief.

The kisses feel almost endless, and part of me wouldn’t mind if they were, but eventually, he pulls away. Only slightly, though, as if not wanting to go too far.

“Did you talk to Legend?” he asks, dazed and breathless from the kiss.

I shake my head, equally as breathless. “He wasn’t home.” Then I hurry and give him a quick recap of what happened at Legend’s lair. By the time I’m finished, he’s pushing off me.

“I’m going to have some of my guards carefully search the kingdom and make sure my father hasn’t done something stupid, like kidnap Legend to find you.” He climbs off the bed and strides for the door.

I hop off the bed and hurry after him. “Wait. How would your father know I have a connection to Legend? He’s never met him.”

He pauses at the door. “If someone in the kingdom saw you with him while you were there, they might’ve told my father.”

“But I hardly spent any time with Legend while I was in the kingdom and rarely out in the open.”

“I know,” he states tightly.

“So, what does that mean?”

“It means that, if that’s the case—if my father has Legend—then a wolf I trust must be working for my father.” He gently caresses my cheek with his scraped knuckles. “I don’t want you to worry yet. Legend could easily just be out and about, and the guards being in the area could be a coincidence.” He offers me an apprehensive smile before slipping out the door.

Not wanting to hide out in my room, I hurry after him, vowing to myself that, if his father took Legend, I’m going to save him, just like he saved me.