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Taking a steadying breath, I pushed down my frustration and reached out a hand to the tall wooden door ahead of me.

I was back in Dragon's Peak — red striated stone walls surrounded me in a familiar small bedroom. Liam sat atop a small stool, shaving his head. He didn't look like any Liam I'd seen before, though — those green eyes were sunken and rimmed in red, his knuckles bruised and bloody.

"Jaiel — please," he said, voice breaking. "I need your help with this." He sounded so … broken …

I turned to the door behind us, and as it opened, my heart ached. Jaiel — beautiful, infuriating, kind Jaiel stepped through the doorway. Those wide, full lips of his quirked in a lazy half-grin, his hair was clean and long and partially braided back to reveal his pierced pointed ear, his body just as I remembered it — far too sexy for his own good.

But those eyes — now that I knew what to look for, those blue eyes looked so haunted …

"You still haven't told me why I should keep an eye on that girl," he said. "She's spoiled and rude, and she nearly got you killed. So why would I waste my time watching over her like some saints forsaken nursemaid?"

Liam's brow furrowed, and he shook his head. "You don't know her, Jaiel. She isn't like that. She was just having a rough day, and —" he swallowed, throat bobbing. "It doesn't matter. I just — I like her. Okay? But with my parents gone, Ican't go back to Gleyma. My people need me. And this is the only way I can think of to keep her safe. You're the only one I trust …"

Jaiel let out a groan, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fine. Fine. But only because you admitted you like her. At least she's beautiful. Should make watching her a little more bearable."

"Come on — I just told you I like her. Don't go off and try to make her your princess."

"Right, of course not. But do you think she'd ever be up for a group —"

I laughed and shook my head, eyes prickling. Gods. It was good to see them together like that …

A door appeared to my left — dark and shadowy. I looked one more time at the two men, wishing I could just stay there and watch.

But there was more to see.

Heart aching, I turned and walked away, passing through the new door.

Darkness surrounded me, and I was struck by the rotten scent of garbage.

A grunt drew my attention to the end of an alley where three men fought. The tallest slammed his fist into a masked man, sending him to the ground in a heap.

Then he spun on his heel and stabbed something into the midsection of a second masked figure. He too fell to the ground, joining the first.

Neither moved, the tall man bending to catch his breath.

My eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, andI noticed them — a set of rings on the upper part of the man's Fae ear and that sharp cheekbone … so familiar …

"Those prices were ridiculous! I can't believe I came all the way here just to —" a woman muttered to herself as she passed by the alley entrance, familiar cloak fluttering behind her.

That … that was me!

Jaiel quickly hid, pressing himself into the darkest shadows cast by the building behind him.

I'd been so stupid when I'd first gotten to the Capital, walking ALONE through the rough parts of the city at night like I was still in Gleyma.

When Lynn had learned what I was doing, she'd been horrified and shocked that I'd never seen a mugger or worse …

It would seem I hadn't just "gotten lucky" as I'd thought.

Another door beckoned to my left, two swords engraved in the dark iron.

Hands shaking and throat tight, I ran through.

Sun beat down on me from a clear sky, and I lifted my hand to block it while my eyes adjusted.

I stood to the side of a familiar training field in the forest. Me from a year ago stood in the field — sweaty and covered in dirt as I helped train the new batch of recruits. I'd stripped off my dress for pants and my chemise. It had been scandalous, but it was HOT out, and I'd just been fighting other women.

I hadn't thought anything of it.