“Escape?” she asks.
Sort of. A faint tingle of energy brushes over my skin, like it always does when I send her my thoughts.
She looks up at me, and it’s strange to sense her emotions while also seeing them dance across her face. That’s part of my ability… I may not clearly hear all of her response, but I do pick up on her feelings when she opens her mind to me. And right now, she’s beyond curious.
I beat her to the questioning as we head through the woods, jumping about in our seat from the bumpy land. “My second sight came from my grandfather on my father’s side. When we first moved to Shadow Court, I struggled to shut out the thoughts of people who had no idea how to guard their minds. You’d be surprised what people give away if I prod just enough. And I was young, still unable to control my power. So I used to hide here where I could keep my mind silent.”
“Didn’t your grandfather teach you to manage your power?”
I stare straight ahead at the path that starts to curve right and upward. Snow covers everything in sight, reminding me of the last time I saw my grandfather. A week before my tenth birthday, he’d entered my father’s mind a few too many times to steal guarded information. When my father caught him, he killed my grandfather for it. Knowledge is power and makes people gruesome beings.
“Not really,” I answer. “He wasn’t the friendliest or most helpful fae.” Which was the truth. He used to beat our real father as a child until he was bloody. Guess the whole apple not falling far from the tree applied here since Ahren was then treated the same. But the three of us made a pact to never become our father. And if we started down that road, we pulled each other back on track.
“That’s a shame.” She loops her arms tighter around my middle and nestles closer. “It seems to me you have it down pat if you were able to track me down on Earth.”
“With the use of magic,” I remind her.
“Still, what you can do is incredible.”
I lean down and kiss the top of her head. “Says the girl who can open portals and heal fae, not to mention communicate with fairies.”
“I think I have another ability,” she tells me and goes on to explain about the energy she used to combat the king’s mother in Ash Court.
My heart jackhammers at hearing she used energy to drive the Unseelie across the room. “You are incredible, my little wolf. And part of me wonders if you may even make a good mage.”
She stiffens and pulls back. “Don’t even say that. I’ve seen the mages in this court, and they are terrifying. I am nothing like that.”
“You’re right, you’re different, and this is why I vow to protect you with my life.”
She smiles and buries her head against me as we make our way forward. Birds chirp, and a deer darts past our path. Finally, I guide our horse to a stop in a small clearing where the white snow on the ground looks untouched. It glistens under the sun that’s warmed up the icy day.
“We’re going on foot from here. I have something to show you. Bring a blanket to keep you warm.”
I jump out of the carriage and help her down as she holds onto the blanket from the bench. As she wraps it around her shoulders, I quickly give the horse feed to keep him content while we’re gone.
Hand in hand, Guendolyn and I trek through the ankle-deep snow, walking past trees and over logs, the land sloping upward sharply.
She’s gasping for air. “Are you trying to kill me?”
I laugh and draw her closer to me, helping her up the steep terrain to ensure she doesn’t slip. Trees grow thinner, the sun stronger, and I love it up here. Around us, the world seems farther away, smaller; it feels like nothing can touch us.
We rise over the treetops now, following the circular path around the rocky hill. Once we reach the flat platform on the summit, I glance out to Shadow Court. Lofty and dominating over the land, the castle is ancient, stones worn from centuries of wear. Walls rise from the ground and stand protective over the kingdom with steadfast towers to watch over them. The town surrounds it, homes covering the descending landscape. And snow covers everything in sight.
“Oh my god!” Guendolyn gasps at the sight. “It’s stunning up here. I need a camera because this is crazy beautiful.”
“Little wolf, that view is not what I brought you up here for. Turn around.”
She does, and her mouth drops open. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
Chapter 8
Guendolyn
Standing on a hill in the woods behind the castle, I stare out into the far distance, over the kingdom wall and another great expanse of woodland. My sight settles on an enormous tree I’ve never seen before. It towers over the woods around it as though someone placed a skyscraper in the middle of nowhere.
From our position on top of the hill, I can't make out the smaller details, only the branches tangled around the trunk, shooting upward where the canopy springs outward like an oversized mushroom top.
Hundreds of tiny lights speckle along the branches like fireflies.
"So beautiful," I murmur. "What is that tree?"
"Take a closer look." Luther hands me a pair of black binoculars that definitely did not come from this world.
I peer through them, my eyes taking a moment to work out what I'm looking at. Then I lower them because I've been staring at the sky. I zoom over to the tree that glints in the sunlight. The leaves sparkle like jewels, and from the branches hang oversized beehives.
My heart skips a beat as the
