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The centaur whips his head up and butts Charming in the ass. “Ow! Dammit!” Charming stumbles into Gwyneth, clutching his butt cheeks.

The genie hovers near the ceiling, throwing some kind of snack in his mouth. “Wow. This is... something.”

Sir Sweeps-A-Lot, eager to be helpful, zips forward and starts aggressively sweeping my dangling leg.

“Why is this your solution?” I shriek as my precarious position worsens.

“I think he believes you need to be swept off,” Theo says, looking far too amused.

“Stop helping,” I beg.

The genie chuckles. “Best entertainment I’ve had this annus.”

“Fix it!” I demand, still dangling upside down.

“Oh, I would, but, you know, that would require a wish.” He waggles his eyebrows. “And I seem to recall someone saying that wouldn’t be happening.”

I scowl. “This is not the time for a lesson in magical stubbornness.”

“Fine, fine.” He sighs dramatically and flicks his fingers. For a moment, nothing happens. Then, a soft gust of wind blows through the stable and untangles my foot with invisible fingers. “There,” he says smugly as I fall into Nash’s arms. “That one was free, again .”

“You’d think I’d be the one getting the hugs after being dragged along the floor,” Hart grumbles as Nash sets me down.

The centaur shakes out his mane, glaring at me like I personally offended his ancestors. “If you ever touch me again, I will launch you into the nearest river.”

I raise my hands in surrender. “Noted.”

Theo claps a hand on my shoulder. “That was deeply embarrassing for you.”

I groan, rubbing my sore limbs. “No orgasms for you.” Theo’s mouth falls open.

“I tried to help,” Hart reminds me.

I turn in Nash’s arms and give Hart a hard kiss. “And you shall be rewarded.”

A bellowed roar erupts behind us, the queen’s screams echoing in its wake.

“I didn’t imagine Eron turning into a giant lion?” I check. There was a lot going on, so I may have recalled it incorrectly.

“Nope,” Theo answers. “Definitely a lion.”

The centaur clears his throat, his glare still fixed on me. “As much as I loathe the circumstances of our meeting, I was expecting you.”

My eyes narrow at him. “Expecting me? You mean this was all planned? Because if it was, I have several complaints.”

He ignores my tone and continues, “The Grimm brothers sent me. They knew you’d make it here eventually, and they instructed me to bring you to them.”

Gwyneth meets my gaze. Do we trust him? A bellow of rage gets closer. What choice do we have? We need to get out of here first, and then we can figure out our next steps.

I sigh, throwing my hands in the air. “Fine, lead the way.”

He glares at me, eyes blazing with an intensity that makes my stomach drop, before he turns toward the darkened courtyard looming ahead. “Try to keep up,” he snaps, urgency lacing his voice. We burst into the night, heart pounding as we sprint toward the unseen barrier cloaked in shadows.

“ Daphne, run. Don’t look back ,” Eron’s terrified voice echoes in my mind.

My feet get tangled at the desperate plea.

Malachi catches my elbow, saving me from faceplanting the frozen ground.

Defiance clenches my heart, and against every instinct screaming to flee, I glance over my shoulder.

Cold fingers curl around my heart, their vice grip making it impossible to breathe.

The lion’s fierce gaze locks onto mine, and behind him, the Snow Queen slinks forward, a predatory glint dancing in her eyes.

Eron leaps ahead, muscles taut and ready to defend, but my heart stutters in dread.

We don’t abandon friends to fate. Nash’s arm grips my waist with a fierce urgency, as if to anchor me against the oncoming storm.

“Wait!” I cry out, my voice raw and desperate as I claw at his flesh to free me. “We have to go back.”

The Snow Queen’s smile, wicked and venomous, stretches across her face like a dark omen, transforming beauty into a nightmare.

She lifts her hands, and an icy blast of power hurtles through the air, a shimmering harbinger aimed right at me.

Eron doesn’t hesitate as he twists mid-leap, throwing himself into the line of attack.

The golden sheen of his fur dims as the ice envelops him, encasing him in a chilling embrace.

A heavy thud reverberates through the night as he crashes to the ground like a falling star.

My tears cascade, blurring the world around me as the shards of despair sink deeper into my heart.

“ Live. Remember your worth, fairest of them all, and dazzle them as you break the laws of stone. Mind the cracks and let their hearts help your burden ,” Eron’s voice, trembling like a fading echo, whispers through my mind, growing fainter with each breath.

I struggle against Nash’s iron grip, desperation clawing at my throat. “Let me go!” I plead, my voice cracking. Or is that the sound of my heart breaking?

“Don’t let his sacrifice be in vain,” Nash implores, each word a dagger twisting in my soul.

Eron’s golden eyes flutter, a dimming light in an ever-darkening world, before he succumbs, warmth giving way to ice. The weight of his final gift crushes me beneath the haunting reality of loss.