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“While most Lethan wolves live alone, some have been known to hunt in packs.”

Surviving The Unseelie Lands, Author Unknown

W ith Aunt Cordelia still passed out on the sofa, I race upstairs to pack some essentials into a bag. There’s no telling when I’ll be back… if I’ll be back.

Maddox and I take the most direct path to The Divide, which brings us along the edge of Rosehill. There are only a few cafés, but they’re packed to the brim. The fae inside gawk, their whispers following us the entire way.

Maddox is no longer the teasing man who let my cousin pinch him. He’s a predator, one hand on his dagger, his black eyes scanning the sea of faces for trouble.

Thankfully, we find none.

When we reach The Divide, I’m thankful for the persistent mist that swallows us whole, drenching the world in silence. Toward the end of the bridge, Maddox stretches an arm across, stopping me in my tracks next to a stack of boards and a hammer. It takes ten minutes for him to tack them back into place, a moment for us to cross, and another five for him to remove them again.

When I ask why they’re gone, he simply says that they’re not taking any chances.

“Because of the wolves?”

He offers a grim nod. “We have not seen any, but the guards on the other side swear they have, and we all know who the king believes.”

Ever’s life isn’t the only one on the line. One word from the king and the Unseelie’s access to the well could be cut off too. What would they do then?

In the gray light of day, the graveyard of bones on the other side looks like the setting of a horror novel. Skulls of all shapes and sizes line the path along with empty ribcages and other bones. Some are nearly as tall as me. Thank goodness whatever terrifying creatures they belonged to are dead.

Here, Maddox moves with an easy confidence, striding far too fast for me to keep up. When he realizes, he apologizes and slows down a fraction, but I still have to walk at a clip. We take a right at the mammoth skull of a horned beast, then a left at a pile of tiny skulls.

All of a sudden, the silence is replaced by the low hum of conversation. Voices grow louder, deeper. The mist slowly subsides, revealing twenty or so painted carriages, all parked in a circle, with their backs facing one another.

Beyond is a forest of trees taller than I’ve ever seen before.

“Where’s the village?” I whisper to Maddox.

His brow furrows. “This is the village.”

This is where the Unseelie live? There are no paved streets, only dirt paths. No cafés or libraries or pubs. A group of women hunker around a fire, turning a spit holding some sort of dead animal. Two of them bear silver scars shaped like kissing crescent moons along their necks and shoulders.

Unseelie mating bonds .

The others’ gray-green skin remains unmarked. Is one of them Everett’s fiancée?

Former fiancée.

The woman who lied to trap him.

The reason he is all alone.

I wish I knew her name so that I could give her a piece of my mind.

When the women see us, they fall silent.

Their clothes are plain earthen tones of grays, browns, and greens.

If I’d known what to expect, I would’ve changed out of this canary yellow gown.

Loathing oozes from their stares.

Is this how the Unseelie feel every time they cross the border into Rosehill? It’s awful.

A handful of children screech, running in the center of the circle of carriages, chasing each other in a game of tag.

At least something in our worlds is the same.

We continue out of the “village” to the edge of the forest where the trees creak, their branches so high, I have to squint to see them. Ancient and stoic but providing very little shelter to anyone living here.

A short distance up ahead sits a turquoise wagon, the weathered boards painted with colorful flowers.

Maddox halts next to a boulder blanketed by moss. “This is as far as I will go.”

“Why is that?”

The crease in his brow deepens. “Unlike Ever, I would like a mate one day. If the others catch me speaking to him, they will shun me too.”

“I thought you and Ever were friends.”

Maddox’s scowl deepens. “Siding with Ever means certain death.”

It might not be right to judge Maddox when I’m not facing the same dire consequences, but I judge him all the same. If Nia were kicked out of her home, you’d better believe I’d be right next to her. Hell, I don’t even know how to survive in this land and I’m here for Ever.

With nothing more to say to Maddox, I leave him by the boulder. My ire slowly melts into despair as I approach the lonely carriage. The door swings open on squeaking hinges, and Ever appears, filling the space. When he sees me, his eyes widen and his gaze flies to where Maddox stood only a moment ago.

His nose lifts, and he inhales deeply. “Maddox?”

I nod.

His knuckles whiten where they grip the doorframe. “He knows better than to bring you to this place. It is not safe.”

“And yet I’m here all the same.”

His brows jump beneath the dark strands of hair falling across his forehead. “Why?”

Because I’m halfway to loving you, you big, prideful fool. “Because you have no one else.”

Ever blinks at me, saying nothing as his gaze makes a slow glide from my braid to the dirty slippers peeking from beneath my skirt. Slowly, he steps aside, a silent invitation into his home.

The stairs whine as I climb to the entrance and duck beneath his arm. The roof is just high enough that he can stand upright. Barely. A crackling fire blazes inside a tiny cast iron stove with the pipe affixed to the wall. To my right are a handful of cabinets, all painted with the same flowers as the outside. At the very back is a bed.

I swallow thickly, working through the emotion climbing my throat. How does he live in such cramped quarters? And everything is so… frilly . There are ruffles and flowers everywhere, from the walls to the quilt on his bed.

Ever’s bed.

With my stomach fluttering like mad, I trace a daisy on the cabinet, the petals gone yellow with age. “This is beautiful.”

The carriage rocks when Ever shifts his weight. “My mother’s touch.”

“Is this where you’ve always lived?”

A nod.

“No brothers or sisters, I presume?” Heaven knows there wouldn’t be room for them.

His head swings toward the little square window framed with yellowed lace curtains. “We are only allowed one child.”

“Why?” I can’t imagine life without my brother.

He slips his hands into the pockets of his trousers, the muscles in his bare arms flexing with even the slightest movement. “It is easier to keep one safe than multiple.”

Because these lands are so dangerous.

Yet Ever and the rest of his people spend night after night guarding us against horrors we cannot even fathom.

I slip the pack from my back and set it on the wooden slab that serves as a counter of sorts.

“More biscuits?” He sounds almost hopeful.

“Something better.” I withdraw the flask filled from the tap and hand it to him.

He sets it right back on the counter with a murmur of thanks.

“You should drink it.” If what Maddox said is true, then he hasn’t had any water from the well for over a week.

He shifts once more, his eyes brimming with shadows. “Why have you come, Kerris?”

“I missed you.” Although I try to smile, there is no sincerity behind it. How can I feign happiness when my heart is broken for all Ever has lost?

He must understand the words I cannot bring myself to speak aloud, because his head drops and he says quietly, “Maddox told you everything, then?”

“He did.”

“So you know that I have nothing to offer you.”

Doesn’t he see? “All I want is you.”

“I am not enough.”

“You are?—”

“Stop. Please. You do not understand. I have nothing but what is in this carriage.”

“ You are in this carriage, Ever. I don’t need anything else.”

He cards a hand through his hair, sending the thick strands every which way. “And when I leave for days on end to hunt for food? Who will protect you from what lurks in these forests then?”

“I can stay inside.” Even as I say it, my legs begin to ache. Surely there must be plenty of exercises I could do to remain active in such a tight space.

“For weeks?”

The walls feel as if they’re closing in on me, pressing from all sides. It would be fine. Worth it for a chance at happiness together. “I would manage.”

His head falls even as it shakes. “I would rather you hate me now than resent me for the rest of your days.”

I could never hate him.

Would I miss the chance to have a house and garden of my own? Of course. But perhaps, in time, we could acquire the materials to build one for ourselves. If not, then we will find a different way to make a happy life inside this carriage. The other Unseelie have done so, haven’t they? We can figure it out together.

Still, it strikes me as odd that he would give up his chance to remain part of the village, to continue drawing from the well, if he planned on remaining here, alone. Did he even think of coming for me after he called off his engagement?

I swipe my clammy hands against my thighs, gripping the silk with trembling fingers. “Why didn’t you marry her?”

His deep voice is like a breath of air for my drowning heart. “You know why.”

“Maybe I need you to say it.”

He turns fully to face me, dark eyes locking with mine. “Because I love you, Kerris Dawn. And I do not know how to stop.”

The air rushes from my lungs and a smile lifts my lips even as tears prick the backs of my eyes. “Then don’t. Because I love you too. And I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.”