I was still having a hell of a time believing that Rikki was pressed against me, crying and trembling with relief. She felt small and frail and all too real in my arms.

She sucked in a long, shuddering breath and lifted her face to me.

Tears streaked through the tarry grime on her cheeks. Her disguise, the cloak, hood and veil were plastered with gobs of sludge. Some of the faded fabric was still smoking after being singed by the burning embers that floated through the mist like fireflies.

Rikki's smooth brows arched over her eyes as she reached up to her ears and pulled out the earplugs. She stared down at them on her palm. "These are incredible."

"Flint invented them. They fit any ears. Even Barq is wearing some."

She looked back at my horse. The stallion was busy pawing the ground in frustration because we had stopped to rest. When we were hunting, Barq stayed amped up and ready to run after any squirmy creature that crossed our path. Only this time, we hadn't happened upon a squirmy creature. Even clad in an oversized cloak and spotted from head to toe with slime, Rikki was a damn picture. She couldn't have looked more out of place in Wynter.

"I need to get you out of here, Rikki. Then you can tell me just why the hell you were here in the first place."

She took hold of my wrist and placed the earplugs on my palm. Her fingertips grazed my hand just enough to leave the warm trail of her touch behind. Again, she gazed up at me with eyes that looked nearly forest green in the dark shadows.

"Thank you for saving me from that last scream. I'm sorry you had to endure it."

I waved to Barq and he trotted closer. He lifted his big head and snorted with some suspicion at the cloaked figure. "She's not going to scream or bite, Barq." I turned to Rikki. "Do you bite?"

She smiled. "Not usually." Her relief at knowing she would soon be out of Wynter was palpable. If I hadn't found her, I doubt she would have lasted another hour. Wynter was no place for a human, not even one who spent her day ferrying damaged souls of unsavory people across a murky river.

I climbed onto Barq's back and then lowered my hand. Rikki grabbed hold of my arm and I swung her up and behind me. I didn't need to remind her to hold on. Her arms circled around me, and she buried her face against me. Even in the extreme heat, I could feel her warm breath on my bare skin. She clung to me tightly, and I was just fine with that. It seemed her little Wynter adventure was over, and she wasn't taking along any fond memories.

I reined Barq in the direction of the river. "I guess it's lucky Flint rode off the opposite way, otherwise he would have seen you."

"Trust me, revealing my secret was the last thing on my mind when it seemed I was destined to die alone in this horrid place."

"So this was your first time in Wynter?"

"First and last. My gosh, just what do they put you guys through to prepare you for this? Never mind. I'm sure I don't want to hear."

"You don't."

She scooted closer, close enough that even through the cloak I could feel her soft tits pressed against my back. Her gloved hands held my stomach. I wished to hell she wasn't wearing them, so I could feel her hands on me.

"How did you find me in this opaque shroud of mist?"

"Actually, I found you because of the heavy mist. A disturbance—" I turned my head to talk over my shoulder. "Like, for example, a beautiful ferry captain being dragged around by three banshees—is easy to spot. The thick atmosphere vibrates around any sudden or violent movements. It's like throwing a big rock into water. The energy rolls away like concentric circles. Of course, when I rode toward the disturbance, the last thing I expected to find was you fighting off three banshees."

I rode toward the wavering light, the flames from the torches lining the river. "You were a long way from the river, Rikki. You should pull up your veil. We are almost over the Wynter border. Catch or Steemer might see you. Or do they know?"

"I told you, you are the only person who knows my secret." She pulled up her hood and drew down the veil, covering up the face that should never, ever have been covered. "I ended up in Wynter because I was following Catch."

Rikki pulled in a deep breath once we were out of the mist. Not that the atmosphere over the river or outside Feenix's lair was much better, but for someone not used to Wynter, it could feel like a slow, suffocating death.

I stopped Barq long before we reached the dock, where no one could see us. I climbed off and reached up to help Rikki down. I could no longer see her face as I lowered her to her feet. My hands lingered on her waist for longer than necessary.

"Why were you following Catch?"

"He has my dad's lucky coin. It's the first gold coin my great-grandfather Trex earned on the ferry. It's been passed on through the years to be carried for luck. Catch was tossing it around on his palm. He said a friend gave it to him, but he wouldn't say who."

"That weasel. I'll get the information out of him. I need to get back, but we'll be off work soon enough. I'll coax the name out of Catch when I see him. In the meantime, no more visits to Wynter."

"That will not be a problem." I turned to get back on my horse, but her gloved hand took hold of mine. She lifted the veil just high enough for me to see her plump lips and hazel eyes. "Thank you, Maximus. I'm sorry if I've been a terrible grump to you these past months."

"You're forgiven." I pushed her chin up with my finger. "Don't think I could ever stay mad at this face. But you still haven't told me why the hell you've been picking at me."

She smiled up at me. "And here I thought the Wynter Boys were women experts." She still held up the veil with one hand as she glanced around. Aside from the black ravens that loved to hang out along the river, we were alone. Rikki hopped up on her toes and lightly kissed my mouth. It stunned me speechless. "I'll let you puzzle it out, Max." Her veil dropped down like a black curtain on a work of art.

I climbed onto Barq's back and reined him around to watch as the small figure in the tattered, sludge covered cloak walked away.