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M aybe I was dead… but surely death couldn’t be this uncomfortable.

My body ached all over. An acrid stench filled my nostrils and clawed at my lungs, while a noxious grit coated my throat and threatened to choke me.

My ears rang with a relentless whine that consumed every corner of my mind, drowning everything else out.

No, I was definitely alive—pain was a key characteristic of the living.

It took a moment to get my bearings as the world came crashing back. I felt the ground beneath me, rough and unyielding. Darkness clung to me like a heavy veil, and when I forced my eyes open, it remained.

“Mic? Mic, are you—” Lucius’ raw voice was cut short by a coughing fit. He sounded distant, like he was calling to me from the bottom of a well, but I couldn’t be certain of his proximity with the ringing in my ears.

A nearby scratch and a spark flared in the darkness.

A small match illuminated Fallon’s face.

Dust and debris swirled in the air around her.

A fine white coating covered her skin, caked streaks marking where her tears had fallen.

She got to her feet, grabbed a dormant torch inlaid into the tunnel wall, lighting it quickly.

The flame cast a glow on those of us who’d made it out.

Nico, Luca, and Lucius were only a few feet away, slowly rising.

Each of them was covered in soot, the trails of blood on their battered bodies standing out in stark contrast.

“Mic, are you alright?” Lucius finished. He stepped toward me, offering his hand.

“I’m fine.” My tone didn’t convey the same message, but I couldn’t bring myself to placate him any more than that. I wasn’t fine. Gunner was dead. Finn, Hunter, and Jase—they could be dead, too. The last thing I wanted was to be coddled. I scrambled to my feet, ignoring his proffered hand.

I saw his jaw working as he wrung his wrists, but he said nothing. I wasn’t trying to be rude. If it weren’t for Lucius, I’d be dead. But I needed time to process this on my own. Not dying meant I had to face everything we’d just lost.

“We need to get out of here before Johan and the rest realize not all of us died in that blast,” Luca said.

Nico took the torch from Fallon. “This way. We’ll follow the tunnels to the eastern side of the castle. We can make our escape from there.”

We followed behind Nico in silence. I let my mind go numb.

Time became irrelevant as we walked through the dark maze beneath Mathenholm Castle.

Nothing mattered. I simply put one foot in front of the other.

The monotony was a mercy. I felt Lucius hovering nearby, but I couldn’t even find comfort in that.

I was in shock. And I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to come out of it.

I was no stranger to grief. I’d lost my parents when I was eighteen, not long after the doctors gave me a terminal cancer diagnosis.

I had a slew of fucked-up coping mechanisms to choose from.

The stage when your brain checks out because it can’t accept what’s happened—that’s my favorite.

The fact I had a favorite phase of grief told me I’d had more than my fair share.

And with that came the knowledge that it wouldn’t last long.

The king’s tunnels dumped us into the wilderness, just beyond the castle ramparts.

The full moon was still high overhead. My life had completely upended in a single night—and it wasn’t even over yet.

I gripped my bare arms as a cold breeze raised goosebumps across my skin.

Tucked away in the confines of the castle, the sunny days seemed warm and inviting, when in reality, it was more like a crisp autumn night in London.

I steeled myself against the cold, willing my teeth not to chatter.

I’d be damned if my shivering drew any more masculine attention.

“Where are you going?” Luca asked as Nico led us to the thick, coniferous forest surrounding the castle. “Bruin Castle is this way.” He gestured northward, and our group pulled to a nervous halt.

“Think, Luca. We can’t return to our lands. That’ll be the first place Johan looks. We head to Whisperhold. The Caldreim River is only a mile east. We have to reach the water if we want even the slightest chance of escape.”

Lucius and Luca both nodded in agreement, while Fallon and I remained silent. There were only two options: follow the princes blindly, as I had since the beginning—or throw myself at the mercy of that vulture, Johan. I chose to keep my blinders in place, at least for now.

We walked single file into the forest, close behind Nico. I didn’t know how he knew the way. The moonlight barely pierced the dense canopy. He’d snuffed out our torch as soon as we left the tunnels, letting the darkness cloak us from our enemies.

I heard the rush of water creep into the silence of the night long before we arrived. I let out a sigh of relief when we broke through the trees. We’d made it to the river—our only chance at salvation. The surface shimmered like liquid silver in the moonlight as it meandered through the forest.

“Come on, Mic. I’ll carry you.” Lucius offered his hand.

“Carry me? I don’t need you to carry me. I can walk.”

“We have to walk in the water. It’s the only way to mask our scent. Johan will send trackers as soon as he realizes we escaped. You won’t be able to make it through in that dress.”

I stared at the rippling surface, and suddenly it didn’t look so beautiful.

“Or I can carry you, if you prefer my company over his,” Luca offered, elbowing Lucius aside.

“Or I,” Nico added, sounding hopeful.

The last thing I wanted was to be carried like a child.

I reached into my skirts, pulling out the eidris Gunner had given me. My heart squeezed at the sight of it. Without hesitation, I began hacking at the dress. I slashed through the fine silk with wild abandon, hot tears spilling from my cheeks.

“I didn’t like this stupid fucking dress anyway,” I muttered through gritted teeth.

No one said a word or tried to stop me. I couldn’t hold back the anger or the heartache.

I knew it was irrational. It didn’t make sense.

I’d only just met Gunner. I’d survived losing my parents—the two most important people in my life.

His death shouldn’t have broken me like this, and yet it did.

A part of me had died in that room with him.

Gunner had offered the promise of something more.

And once again, I’d been cheated out of another choice.

The Reaper had been denied my soul, and now it delighted in destroying it instead.

When I finished, the once-beautiful gown now had a ragged hemline that hung to my knees.

“All right, gentlemen. Shall we?” I stepped into the river, feeling a bit lighter, both mentally and physically. I hissed as the frigid water swirled around my ankles, but I welcomed the cold.

Nico followed behind, cradling Fallon in his arms. She’d been a ghost of herself since the Crownspire. Luca and Lucius flanked me. I knew they were waiting for me to make a misstep and fall, but to their credit, they let me find my footing on my own.

“I know you’re not thrilled with me right now,” Lucius said. “But at least take my shirt. I can hear your teeth chattering.”

“How’s my sister?” I asked, deflecting.

He sighed but indulged me. “She’s good. Probably sore as hell after marrying five husbands.”

“Eww! I didn’t need to hear that, Lu!” I smacked his shoulder.

“Five husbands, you say,” Luca added. “That’s nothing. Seven would be a better number—one for each day of the week.” He cleared his throat, and the cheeky smile faltered. “Then again, maybe seven isn’t the lucky number we thought it was.”

Lu reached out, laying a hand on Luca’s back. “Gunner saved all of our asses back there. He died an honorable death. He wouldn’t have settled for anything less.”

Luca looked at me, brows drawn together as he studied my face. “I think she would’ve made him want to live a very long life.”

We made camp at dawn—if you could call it that.

I’d nearly collapsed when we reached a towering wayward pine.

If I hadn’t been so exhausted, I would’ve marveled at its massive size.

Something I would have believed only existed within the pages of a fairytale.

Its boughs, heavy with needles, hung low to the ground, creating a hidden sanctuary beneath.

Nico refused to let us build a fire. Apparently, it was too risky. Luca and Lu had split off to lay decoy trails in case Johan’s trackers caught up with us. Fallon curled into a ball under Nico’s oversized jacket and drifted to sleep without a word.

I found a quiet space beneath the tree and started gathering needles to soften the unforgiving ground.

My body was stiff with cold. And even though I’d relented and taken Luca’s jacket, I still shivered.

I was pushing myself too hard. The cancer was a growing weight in my chest, a queasy churning in my stomach.

My body was shutting down, and I didn’t know how much longer I could keep up this pace without help from a healer.

I did my best to hide the pain, but I could feel Nico appraising me as he huddled in his own corner.

“Mic…” he started, my name lingering between us as he picked his words. Could he already tell I was fading? “I need to tell you how sorry I am. When I brought you to Hiraeth, I meant to protect you. Instead, I’ve done the opposite.”

“This isn’t your fault, Nico.”

“You’re too kind. You should be telling me how much of a disappointment I am. I was arrogant. I ignored the signs. I made some really terrible decisions back there.”

“But you got us out alive.”

“Not all of us.” His face fell, and I saw the weight of Gunner’s death settle on his shoulders.

“I should be the one apologizing… for Gunner.” My voice cracked as I said his name.

“I’ll carry that burden the rest of my life. My arrogance and selfishness are what got him killed. I saw only what I wanted to see. I should’ve listened to you, to Fallon.”

“You couldn’t have known this would happen.”

“I think you’re far too good for someone like me, Michaela.

But I promise I’ll fix this. My father—paranoid as he was—built a safe house: Whisperhold.

It’s hidden deep in Thornwyn Forest. Only blood family knows of it.

I’ll get you there, find a healer, and send you back to your sister and the protection of the Lost Boys. ”

“Nico, you need to stop worrying about me. Your kingdom is literally falling apart. Focus on your family.”

Luca and Lucius ducked under the boughs, interrupting our conversation. The three of them together made our little sanctuary feel cramped.

Nico leaned closer, lowering his voice. “I think several of us would like to make you part of this family.” He smiled, turning to his brothers to talk quietly.

What did that mean? I was too tired, too cold, too sore to think straight. I tucked the comment away for later—after some sleep, I’d think clearly again. I curled into the pine needles, wrapped in Luca’s jacket, and let the scent of cloves and aged whiskey lull me into a fitful sleep.

I was caught somewhere between sleep and waking. Whispered voices hissed in my ear, but I couldn’t make out the words. Panic and despair rose like a tide. I felt like I was falling—sinking through layers of darkness.

“ Don’t be afraid. I told you I’d find you at the end.” Gunner’s voice rang clear in my mind. Everything stilled. A calming warmth spread through me, and I drifted—finally—into the peaceful oblivion my body craved.

When I woke, that peace lingered. I instinctively curled toward the warmth beside me. But memory returned quickly, dragging reality with it. My eyes fluttered open and found a transparent apparition of a bear lying beside me.

I shrank back, swallowing a scream. Before I could fully register what I was seeing, the faint blue specter shimmered and vanished. Light streamed through the branches, illuminating the empty space where it had lain.

Had I imagined it?

Was I dreaming?

My mind was beginning to play tricks on me again.