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S he looked like a lost fawn sitting there in my father’s oversized bed. Those beautiful brown eyes were wide with expectation, still haunted by her dream of Hunter. She was eager for answers—but all I could think about was how close we’d come to losing her.

At least the dark mark of death had vanished from beneath her eyes.

A soft blush now colored her cheeks, and her scent had returned to normal—the warm shades of vanilla free of the sickly reek of death.

I rolled my shoulders, trying to ease the ache that pulsed deep in my bones.

Life-binding was never meant to be used so close to the edge.

Fuck Nico and his cautious approach. He should’ve had this handled.

Now I was taking matters into my own hands, and unlike my brothers, I wasn’t held to the same standard. Perks of being the family fuck-up.

She shifted slightly, and the gauzy linen nightgown slipped from her shoulder. Her brow furrowed as she fingered the fabric. “Who changed me?” she asked softly, cheeks darkening to a deep scarlet.

“Don’t worry, Mic. It was me,” Fallon said quickly, and Michaela’s shoulders sagged as the tension melted from her brow.

“If you’ll excuse me—I need a moment to…

I’ll be right back.” Fallon stood from the bed and made a hasty exit.

Hunter’s message had shaken her, and I knew exactly where she was headed: straight for a brimshade fix.

Silence fell over the room. None of us knew where to begin. There was so much she didn’t know—and she looked far too fragile to carry all of it at once.

“Will you all stop staring at me and tell me what’s going on?” she snapped.

“It’s your dream,” Nico said gently. “I don’t believe it was a normal dream.”

“Try to rest, Mic. We can talk later,” I cut in before he could start down a rabbit hole of Hiraethian gifts. She didn’t need a damn history lesson right now—she needed sleep.

“No! Tell me now. I’m tired of being kept in the dark.

I deserve to know what you’ve gotten me into.

” Her voice was firm, and I winced. She wasn’t wrong.

My brothers should’ve told her everything the moment they arrived in Hiraeth.

But instead, they’d wasted time bowing to nobles once they realized our father was dead.

May that bastard rot in the afterlife. He might’ve been a great king, but he was a shit father.

“You remember when I told you about my gift?” Luca said, sliding to the edge of the bed and taking her hand like a damn puppy dog vying for any opportunity to get in Mic’s good graces. I was still pissed at his whole naked routine—fucking show off. “How I can wield the energy around me?”

She nodded.

“Well, Hunter’s a dream walker. He can enter dreams—manipulate them.”

“Does that mean he’s alive?” Her eyes lit up with hope.

“I think it’s a good sign,” Nico said. “Usually, he can’t project that far. I’m sure Johan has him bound and dosed with wolfsbane, but maybe with you… there’s some kind of connection we don’t fully understand.”

“Wolfsbane?” she echoed.

“You’ve got a similar species of plant in your realm. Toxic to our kind. It weakens our gifts, blocks us from shifting. The crown uses it on prisoners to keep them in line. I’m sure Johan’s not taking any chances—not with how powerful those three are.”

I tried not to roll my eyes. I was thrilled that Hunter was alive—truly I was. But there was a darker part of me, something primal, that wanted Michaela for myself. The concern in her voice every time she said his name made my blood boil.

I’d seen the image in the Book of Astrium.

There was no denying that Michaela was depicted in the prophecy with seven bears.

But she was only astride one. Who would she choose?

The ancient text was written in the lost language.

The last scribe who could translate the ancient tongue had died years ago, with no successor.

Everything now was speculation. And if it came down to brother against brother for her hand, I wasn’t above playing dirty.

“Do you think he’ll visit me again? Can I send a message to him? Let him know we’re coming for them,” she rattled off in quick succession.

“Hold on a minute, Mic,” Nico said, raising a hand. “I’m sure he’ll visit you again. But right now, there’s no feasible way to break them out of Mathenholm. We’d need an army to get them out. We have to be strategic—look at this from all angles before we move.”

“We can’t leave them there! What about Levi and the others? The Raven’s Hand—they seemed loyal to the crown. Maybe they could help.”

Nico’s expression softened. “They might claim loyalty to the Bruin name, but they answer to no one but themselves. They’re outlaws, Mic.

Smugglers, thieves, blades-for-hire. The kind of people who rob a lord’s carriage one day and feed a starving village the next.

You never know which version you’re going to get. We can’t trust them. Not yet.”

She raked her fingers through her thick, dark hair, a wild strand falling loose across her face. I barely managed to hide the smile tugging at my mouth. She was adorable when she was pissed.

“Mic,” I started, hoping I could reason with her, “you were at death’s door yesterday. We have to get you stable before we even think about storming the castle. There are thousands of soldiers within the crown’s army who want nothing more than to see us hanging from a short noose.”

“Really, Lu?” Nico chastised. The fucker had picked up her damn nickname for me.

“She wants honesty. There’s no way to get them out of there. No. Possible. Way. I’m not going to lie to her.”

The room fell into awkward silence, with all the animosity directed my way. The once comforting warmth of Whisperhold’s wooden timbers suddenly felt suffocating.

“It’s not what I wanted to hear,” Mic said softly, “but I appreciate your honesty, Lucius. Can you please continue to be honest with me? All of you?”

“Whatever you want to know, just ask,” Nico promised, his voice like a warm blanket, peaceful and calm. I felt the tension drain from my body and realized he was using his gift on us. I wanted to be pissed at him for swaying my mind into submission, but he was too strong to resist.

“Tell me about your gifts,” Mic insisted. She was still defiant, but the crease in her brow had softened, and I knew she was feeling the influence of Nico’s magic.

“For starters,” I said, “Nico can reshape your thoughts, emotions, perceptions—make you feel whatever he wants. Like right now. I bet you were angry that he’s kept so much from you, and suddenly it all melted away just like that.

” I snapped my fingers for effect. “Replaced by a sense of peace and optimism.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you serious? Nico, are you manipulating me right now?” He was going to have to pour it on thick if he was going to weasel his way out of this one. He had the good sense to look ashamed.

“I’m sorry, Mic. It’s a habit. I didn’t mean to offend you. My intentions were pure. I don’t like seeing you worry so much,” Nico admitted.

“What other powers have you been using against me?” she snapped. “Did I even come here of my own free will?”

“None of them had access to their gifts in Neverland,” I cut in before Nico could fumble his way through a response.

“And you? What’s your secret power? The art of being a complete asshole to everyone around you?” she shot back.

I deserved that. No one had ever accused me of being a bastion of politeness, but still, her words stung more than I liked.

“I don’t have a gift,” I growled, refusing to lie but hating the taste of inadequacy on my tongue.

“At least not that we know of yet,” Nico added quickly, trying to sound supportive.

“I’m the only one who doesn’t,” I muttered. “At least you can rest easy knowing that even if I wanted to, I can’t influence you against your will.”

“And what about the others?” she asked.

“Finn can hear your thoughts and feel your emotions. Jase can project spectral shadows that do his bidding. And Gunner—well I guess that doesn’t matter now…” Nico trailed off.

“Tell me anyway.”

“He was a marksman,” Luca said. “Perfect aim. No matter the weapon, no matter the distance, he never missed. The ultimate warrior.”

The mood shifted quickly. Nico was clearly holding his gift in check for Michaela’s sake, and grief threaded through the silence.

The door burst open. Fallon strode in without looking at any of us, making a beeline for Mic. Her expression was unreadable, mask firmly back in place and a purpose in her step. Two females from the Raven’s Hand followed behind, each carrying buckets of steaming water.

“The tub is in the adjoining washroom,” Fallon instructed them before pushing Luca aside and reclaiming her perch at the edge of Mic’s bed. “It’s about time you got some color in your cheeks. Death isn’t a good look on you.”

She had officially let Mic in. A bond was forming between them, something quiet but strong. “I’ve arranged for you to have a bath. The pump is down, so these ladies agreed to help. I’ll get Luca to make it hot enough to melt the last few days right off you. You’ll be good as new.”

“Thank you, Fallon. That’s exactly what I need right now.”

“Yes, well, it seems like a much better option than… whatever interrogation was going on in here,” she said, shooting all of us an exasperated look.

“I could use a human moment to collect myself,” Mic admitted. “But this conversation isn’t over. I know you’re still keeping things from me.”

“You heard the lady,” Fallon said briskly. “Now is not the time for a heart-to-heart. Get out! All of you.”

We hesitated.

“Out! Out! Out!” she barked when we didn’t move fast enough. I’d forgotten how bossy my sister could be.