I had only a few hours before Orin would return and the ceremony would begin. He’d told me he needed to complete a ritual

of his own before we could become heartbonds, but he hadn’t elaborated on what that entailed. Whatever it was, I was glad

I had some time to school my emotions into place. And to find answers. Of course not a single book I’d read included anything

about everjewels other than brief mentions of their existence; it seemed their magic was safeguarded above all else. I doubted

I could trust anyone in this manor, but perhaps I could trick them with innocent conversation into revealing hidden truths.

As I left my room and headed for the stairs, I weighed my options.

Mavis was off the table. She’d already expended what little energy she had left to deliver the letter, and I doubted Lydia

would leave Mavis alone after finding me in her room.

Which of course meant Lydia was out of the question—unsurprisingly, I wouldn’t have started with that raging Ever, anyway—and by proxy Clesian. Amalyss and Tasia, maybe. But if they were within their parents’ reach, then definitely not.

I could ask Vora, but she was devoted to her lord. I couldn’t risk her letting Orin know anything before I was ready to confront

him. Seville or Rorik, then. My feet hit the foyer and I paused, glancing through the windows at the dawn light cresting over

the quiet forest. Seville had spoken so fondly about Rowena during our trip to Willowfell. But what if Seville had tricked

Rowena in the way Orin had tricked me? I’d never seen Seville so much as raise her voice at Orin.

I don’t love either of my brothers, but I know which one not to piss off.

The burn behind her words, even through the fog of my memory, couldn’t be denied. Not Seville, then.

My gaze crossed the hall to Orin’s study. The door was open, the lights doused. The empty room was like the maw of a cave

with a whispering, rattling inhalation that sent a chill up my spine.

His evervow was meant to protect us, and yet you still find ways to put us at risk just to spite him.

Awareness crested in me at the ghost of Orin’s words. The familial evervow. He’d been discussing it with Rorik. That’s where

I had to start. It was no secret Rorik detested his brother, but I had no idea if that disgust had any impact on loyalty.

We all want to be free.

I hoped Mavis was fucking right.

The brisk air greeted me as I pushed through the double doors to the courtyard. The morning was quiet, the sleepy lawns just

barely awakening with the faint streams of daylight peeking over the surrounding forest.

My boots thudded against the grass as I abandoned the polished pathways for the manicured lawns. I’d heard once from the gossiping attendants that Rorik rose with the sun to train alone beneath the ancestor tree. While I wanted to storm down the hill and pin him against the writhing bark and demand he speak plainly for once, I doubted that was the best way forward. Knowing him, he’d probably like it.

A soft grunt pulled my focus, and I looked up from the ground. Rorik had draped his shirt over one of the low-hanging limbs

of the tree and was bare-skinned, holding a sword in one hand. He swung it through the air in an artful, sweeping arc and

halted his thrust just before the tip came crashing into the earth. Every muscle on his back was taut, his shoulders defined

and broad, the Fernglove crest emblazoned on his spine. The broken sword was perfectly poised in the center, and the surrounding

insects flared out over his shoulder blades. With every harsh movement as he went through his drills, they took flight across

his muscles. Danced along his tendons. Moved when he moved.

I wondered if he’d stab Orin through the heart for me if I asked.

“Get an eyeful while you can.” Rorik spoke without turning to face me and continued to thrust his sword through the air. “Soon,

you won’t be able to do so without repercussion.”

My temper was a hair trigger away from becoming full-blown, unfettered rage, and he had no idea how close I was to combusting.

I bit the inside of my cheek for a moment before speaking. “Repercussion? And what would that entail?”

“How would I know? Ask your heartbond.”

There was a bite to his words I couldn’t ignore, one that matched my own hidden anger, and I pressed my lips into a hard line.

“Do you have a problem with what I’m doing?”

With a definitive thud, he sank his sword into the earth and rounded on me. It was impossible not to gape at the defined planes of his chest, at the contours and grooves along his stomach and waist. He was absolutely gorgeous, and while there had been a moment of strained frustration in his gaze, it evaporated when he caught me staring. A different heat filled his smoldering gaze, and his lips curled to reveal pointed canines.

“I have lots of problems where you’re concerned.” He closed the gap between us so there was hardly any room to breathe. A

bead of sweat rolled down his sternum, and he absently brushed it away.

I tracked the motion and remembered the feel of his fingers exploring my waist while we danced. The gentle brush of his touch

along my jaw before he pinned my chin and threatened to kiss me without saying anything at all. Then all the anger and heartache

that had been building from the moment I opened Rowena’s letter came splintering to the forefront, and I spat venom at his

feet.

“What the fuck is wrong with you and this mess of a family?”

“Everything.” His brow tightened as he scoured my face, searching. I’d never felt more scrutinized in my life than in that

moment. His golden gaze was heavy against my skin, and it only caused more heat to surge through my veins. “You have no idea

what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“And how could I?” I snapped. “Tell me, Rorik, how the fuck was I ever supposed to survive this place?” I filled every word

with menace, never once backing down. “No one here is honest. You want me to save you? Save the family? Why the hell would

I? I can’t trust any of you!”

“And you shouldn’t!” he roared. His expression tore through my anger, because it didn’t make sense. There was rage, certainly.

But there was also desperation. Anguish. The muscles of his neck strained against his skin as he stared me down. “And I never

asked you to save any of us. If anything, I told you to live.”

I’d already opened my mouth to argue, but at that my words died, because he was right. From the moment I set foot in Fernglove, he’d treated me not as a threadmender but as a person. He was rough and callous, sure, but he didn’t give a damn about what I cured. He didn’t praise me when I succeeded, either. To him, every use of my power was a waste of my life.

A quiet sense of resolve filled my bones, and my words came out soft. “Tell me what you and Orin were talking about the other

night in his study.”

A bolt of lightning struck Rorik’s spine, all anger fleeing in less than a breath. His eyes were wide. “I knew I sensed you.”

“I was curious.” I watched his throat work as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t. Instead, he clenched and unclenched his

jaw. Swallowed thickly. When his conversation with Orin had lulled, Ywena had reacted. Rorik must’ve communicated with her

somehow, urging her to get me to stay. He’d wanted me to hear that conversation. Could I trust him?

“Ask me whatever you want, Edira.” The intensity of his gaze hammered into my bones. “Please.”

It was that single word that did me in. The strained plea full of so much weight, so much emotion. Rorik never asked for anything,

but he asked for this.

And I obliged.

“What’s the evervow? The one Orin mentioned?”

There were no visible ties holding Rorik back, but there was an immediate release that raced through his form and loosened

his muscles.

I carry the weight of unspoken burdens in my bones.

Apparently, there was someone who’d been more bound in this manor than me. And now he was free.

“Finally.” He rubbed his hand over his throat. “I wasn’t sure you’d ever get there. The evervow prevents us from directly

speaking about it to anyone unless they already know of its existence. Over the years, a few have found out in similar ways.”

“That’s why Ywena wanted me to stay. To listen.” Hope began to bloom in my chest. If Rorik was willing to share this family se cret with me, then maybe we could break it. Maybe he could help me save my brothers. “What does the vow entail?”

“No Fernglove can seriously hurt another. We can’t leave our lands for more than a few months at a time, either. And finally,

no one can outwardly oppose the head of house, which used to be my father and is now Orin.” Rorik scowled at the manor. “If

Orin wills something for the good of the family, we must obey.”

“And you all agreed to this?” I raised an incredulous brow.

“Not intentionally.” Rorik’s lips curled in distaste. “My father was excellent at wording contracts. He enjoyed binding people

to his will, and he was powerful. Not powerful enough to stop the blight from eating him alive, though.” A gleam of satisfaction

flared in his amber eyes.

“He seems delightful,” I muttered. “Why on earth would your father make a vow like that?”

Rorik gripped the back of his neck as his gaze darkened. “Family name. Honor. My father cared about order and appearances above all, and his obsession with hiding my mother’s transgression led to the evervow.”

“Transgression?”

“I am not my father’s blood. Seville and Orin are my half-siblings. I am a Fernglove only because my father hated the idea

of anyone learning of my mother’s dalliance. I was expected to act as his son even though, behind closed doors, he refused

to acknowledge me. His disgust was palpable, and my siblings took it upon themselves to follow in his stead. There was little

peace. Lots of pain.

“But outside the walls of our home”—Rorik flexed his hands as he stared at one of the tree limbs—“they pretended like everything

was fine. I couldn’t take it. I lashed out often, until my father created the evervow to keep his deteriorating family ties,

the precious Fernglove name, intact.”

I followed his gaze to a thick limb that branched from the trunk. I had no way of knowing which appendage belonged to which deceased family member, but there was an unmistakable air of malice that grew from him the longer he stared at that arm. After a weighted pause, he shook his head and retrieved his shirt, easily slipping it back into place.

“Rorik.” I failed to find words as I saw decades of pain etched into his gaze. I couldn’t imagine growing up in a loveless

home, not to mention my siblings betraying me. If Noam or Nohr ever abandoned me the way Seville and Orin did...

As horrific as his past was, his story revealed a truth I couldn’t deny: he held no love for this place. I pored over the

words of Rowena’s letter in my mind. If I wanted Rorik’s help, we needed to break the vow.

“Is there a way out of it?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Evervows aren’t meant to be broken. My mother tried to find a way, but I’m not sure if she succeeded.”

A heady sense of knowing filled my limbs. The name. It had to be the key.

“Rorik”—I grasped his forearms—“I might have a way. But we need to do this carefully.”

“What are you talking about?” His eyes flicked between my hands and my face. “How?”

My words came out in a tight rush. “Rowena left me a message. I think I can do it, but not yet. I still need to heartbond

with Orin, so I—”

Rorik took a sharp step back, as if I’d slapped him across the face. “Heartbond. After everything I just told you, you still

want to be with him?” He hissed as he adjusted the collar of his shirt, giving it a harsh yank. “Do you even know where he

is right now?”

“No, I don’t, but that’s not what I’m trying to say. I just need—”

“He’s with Ossanna. And Issa.”

I stalled as I pictured Issa and her sweeping dark hair. She’d been quiet the last time I saw her, standing with her mother and brother on the lawns outside Fernglove. She had no need to attend lessons, but that didn’t keep her from stopping by.

“Why?”

Rorik glowered at me. “He’s reassuring Ossanna about the terms of their agreement. Issa was meant to be his heartbond in a

few years.” His eyes scoured my face before dropping to my heart. “He’ll be sure to tell them of your shortened lifespan and

how it has little impact on his promise.”

A smaller, weaker part of me was thrust under another wave of hurt. Given everything, I shouldn’t have been surprised. But

heat still pricked behind my eyes. Yesterday, we’d shared a hopeful bliss, and now... none of that mattered.

Thoughts fell into place like sink weights in water.

First, Seville’s words:

I met someone years ago who could summon stars that dusted into diamond-like particles. It was beautiful.

Then the black-haired attendant in the foyer:

She did pass rather quickly after, well, you know.

And of course, Amalyss:

Especially since she deteriorated after moving here.

My breath hit harder, faster. I’d known that Lorelai had been Orin’s former heartbond, but I hadn’t connected the dots. The

stars. The magic he’d used while we’d come together. A brackish substance flooded my tongue, and I forced it back down with

a hard swallow. Lorelai Starglen had bonded with Orin, and she’d died soon after.

Not the first time, either.

I fisted my hands by my sides as the whispered words of the attendant surfaced in my mind. Orin was a black widow that no

one could control, and I’d fallen into his web. How many other powers did he have stored away? Rorik was right. I had no fucking

idea what I was getting into.

But I wouldn’t be Orin’s unwitting pawn any longer.

“As vomit-inducing as all this information is,” I said after steeling myself with a breath, “it still doesn’t change anything.

I need to heartbond with him.” Rorik opened his mouth to argue, and I shot him a hard glare. “ Not because I care. But because he has my brothers, and if I’m going to break open their caskets and save their lives, then I

need Ever magic.”

Rorik had the good sense to hold back whatever ire-filled retort he had initially prepared. Instead, he ran a hand through

his hair, tugging slightly on the ends. “And you think Orin would just let that happen?”

“He won’t have a choice if I destroy his everjewel.”

Silence. Rorik was still, calculating. His tight gaze lingered on my face, as if he were turning over the validity of my words

and determining if they had merit. “And you know where he keeps it?”

“Yes.” I’d never forget the sharp bite of ice against my fingers. “But even with his magic, I’m not sure I’d be strong enough

to take him down.”

“You wouldn’t.” His brows drew together.

“Normally I would take offense to your obvious slight, but in this case, you’re right.” Slowly, I took a step forward and

closed the distance he’d put between us. “But if I release you from the evervow...”

I held my breath as I waited for him to respond. It was one thing to ask him to defy his brother’s wishes, and another thing

entirely for me to make a bargain for murder. His eyes filled with a look of pure sadness. “It won’t work. You need to find a way out of this place, Edira. If you heartbond with him, you’ll be a Fernglove, which means—”

A harrowing rip split the air like the forceful tearing of a seam. It emanated from the manor and filled the quiet estate, setting the hairs on the back of my neck on end. A mottled scent of decay carried to us on a chilled breeze, and with it came a deep, knowing sense of wrong. My power erupted from my center without my command. Soft light enveloped Rorik and me as we stood in open-mouthed silence.

Then we pivoted toward the house. I knew this feeling. I’d encountered it three times over. First with my parents, then with

Alec.

Death was here.