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T eryn didn’t seem to notice Cora’s approach, even as she paused before him. He was too entranced by whatever he was reading. “You were right, it’s a forgery,” she said of the writ she’d found. The seal was almost an exact replica of Duke Morkai’s crescent moon, but the word Calloway —the name of Morkai’s duchy—was in the wrong script.

Teryn startled at the sound of her voice. He met her eyes over his stack of papers, his face a shade too pale. She opened her senses and felt his spike of alarm seep into her. But it wasn’t her sudden appearance that had him so rattled. It had more to do with whatever he was looking at. She furrowed her brow. “What did you find?”

He went to hand her the top paper but ended up dropping the bottom of the stack. She bent to gather the loose papers before they could get soaked by the dewy grass. When she stood, he handed her one of the sheets. “You’ll want to see this.”

She took it from him and saw it was a map. Her heart sank deeper and deeper the longer she studied it. If the markings represented what she thought they did, there were several more hunting parties. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. She’d begun to suspect as much when she’d witnessed Gringe interrogating Teryn and his companions. He’d too readily accepted that they’d come from another company of unicorn hunters. Sure enough, Drass was labeled over the Cambron Pass, just as she’d heard Helios say.

Her lungs felt tight as she took a few steps back, slumping against the tree that met her back. “This is so much worse,” she whispered.

“Do you intend to hunt all of them down? To…poison them?” She felt his judgment then, his condemnation of her actions.

She met his eyes. “If you have something to say, say it. You insisted they were no friends of yours.”

He watched her for a few moments before averting his gaze, eyes unfocused. “No, they weren’t. Nor were they good men. Still…it was a bit reckless, don’t you think?”

“It worked.”

“Barely. Three men didn’t drink. What would you have done if Helios, Lex, and I hadn’t been there to take the fall? To fight them for you?”

She clenched her teeth. “I didn’t need you. Had you not been there, I would have taken them down with my bow one by one.”

“What if you’d been caught?”

“I wasn’t.”

“What. If. Just think about it.”

She did. Her heart raced as she imagined numerous ways her plan could have gone wrong. She could have been spotted. Even more of the men could have abstained from the rum. She could have tried to pick off the survivors and gotten a crossbow bolt to the heart. But that was the risk she’d taken from the start. She knew she was only one person. She knew the odds were against her. That didn’t stop her from trying. It was a risk worth taking if it meant saving the unicorns. Denying the Beast its meal. Destroying whatever dark plans Duke Morkai was brewing. Now that she was no longer with the Forest People, this mission was all she had.

Crossing her arms, she pushed off from the tree, feigning more confidence than she felt. “You won’t stop me. I’m going to find every last one of these hunting parties and wipe them out.”

“When the duke sends men to replace them, what then?”

She startled every time he mentioned the duke. It was strange that he knew Morkai was involved but didn’t show even an ounce of the terror that was due. That was probably because he didn’t know the man was a mage. To him, the duke was just a businessman trying to turn a pretty profit.

Then his words sank in, flooding her with an overwhelming wave of exhaustion. He was right. The duke would send more men to replace the ones she killed. Did that mean there was no end to her efforts? No way to keep the unicorns safe for good?

Her next words came out with far less conviction. “I’ll do whatever I can for as long as I can.”

Teryn’s posture stiffened. She sensed his tangled energy, felt him fighting against the words that were poised on his lips.

She gave him a pointed look. “What?”

He rubbed his jaw, then locked his eyes on hers. “Let me come with you.”

Her face went slack. Surely she hadn’t heard him right. Why would he want to come with her? She’d tried to kill him. She’d threatened his life. It had to be a ploy. Indeed she felt… something emanating from him. Some mixture of guilt, trepidation, and fear. It was heavy and cloying. She suddenly felt like they were standing too close, the three feet of space separating them not nearly vast enough.

He must have seen her reaction in her eyes, for he took a step back as if to appease her. “Hear me out,” he slowly said. “Let me travel with you to the next camp. I assume that will be the Cambron Pass, correct? It’s the closest.”

She considered remaining mute on her plans, but she gave him a curt nod.

“Then let me aid your efforts in rescuing the captured unicorns there. That’s all I ask. With my help—Lex’s too, if he’s willing—we could free the creatures, maybe without nearly as much bloodshed. If you find our aid useful, perhaps we can help you further, should you choose.”

“Why? Why would you help me?”

“I owe you a debt. You treated Lex’s arm. You must allow me to repay you.”

“I don’t want you to repay me.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m a prince. Chivalry is my guiding compass.”

She snorted a dark laugh. “It didn’t seem like it when you aimed a spear at me.”

“You tried to stab me first—” He shook his head. “That’s beside the point.”

“No, Your Highness,” she said, tone mocking. “I don’t care about your chivalry or your moral compass.”

“Then care about what I could help you accomplish. Faster. Easier.”

She eyed him through slitted lids. Suspicion prickled the back of her neck. “You’re hiding something. What aren’t you telling me?”

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he steeled his expression. When he spoke, his words were slow. Careful. “Now that I know what I know, I can’t finish the Heart’s Hunt. But perhaps I can do something worthwhile while I’m here.”

She shook her head, not buying any of that. “What’s in it for you? You may not have won your silly Hunt, but neither did anyone else. You could simply go home and claim your bride’s hand?—”

“I have a duty to my kingdom,” he said, tone firm, “to do the right thing.” He punctuated the last two words. With a deep inhale, she let herself feel his emotions. She sensed only truth.

“And you think helping me free some unicorns is the right thing ?”

He hesitated before answering, but when he did, he was resolute. “Yes.”

She heard soft steps coming up alongside the horses. Valorre. Berol ruffled her feathers at his appearance, edging farther down Teryn’s saddle.

You could let him help you , he said.

She cast him a dark glare. You can’t be serious .

It’s dangerous doing this on your own .

I never heard you complain before , she silently conveyed. You’re the one who dragged me into this, you know .

If you recall, I asked both you and your friend .

Her heart clenched at his reference to Maiya. But Valorre was right. He had implored them both to help, and Cora had sought the aid of the entire commune, only to be denied by Roije. She’d already fantasized about how much easier her mission would be if she’d had the Forest People to help. But the commune had skilled magic users, trackers, and hunters. Teryn and Lex were just…princes.

She returned her attention to Teryn. “How do I even know you’d be a help and not a hindrance? I saved your life from the Beast tonight.”

He quirked a brow. “Technically, you saved the caged unicorn’s life. The Beast only went for Helios, and I don’t recall you intervening on his behalf.”

“The creature wounded your friend and I bandaged him up.”

He shrugged. “Still, wouldn't it help to have more than just you protecting Valorre? Your arrows wounded the Beast, but the monster didn’t fall. I’m skilled with a spear, while Lex…” He trailed off, some of his confidence faltering. “Lex can wield a sword. You saw how he killed one of those hunters.”

She rolled her eyes. “And nearly curled up in the fetal position after.”

He sighed. “Give us a chance. Let us redeem ourselves. Let us do some good after everything we nearly destroyed.”

Her gaze slid to Valorre. I still think it’s a good idea , he said. I like him. He’s very tall .

I take offense to that .

Why? He’s very handsome and so concerned over my well-being. Did you hear him? He wants to fight off the Beast for me .

Oh, is that all it takes to win you over?

Valorre had nothing else to say.

She met Teryn’s eyes, reached for his emotions. Her palms tingled as she sifted through his energy. She felt strength and fear. Hesitation and conviction. Something murky lurked at the edges, which told her he was still hiding things from her. But so was she. Could his secrets be any bigger than hers?

Finally, she released a grumbling breath. “I’ll think on it.”

He blinked a few times. “You will?”

“I’ll tell you what I decide in the morning.” She went to brush past him, but his hand landed on her shoulder. Her body went stiff, her pulse thrumming. She glanced down at his hand, felt the heat of his palm on her bare skin where her shift had slipped down her shoulder.

In an instant, he snatched his hand back. Even in the dark, she could see color rising to his cheeks. He cleared his throat before he spoke, fingers curling tight. “I just wanted to implore you…please give it serious consideration.”

It took a few seconds to steady her breathing. “I will,” she said, her voice a whisper.

Teryn waited until Cora was fast asleep by the dying embers of the fire before he approached the horses again. He used the same technique he did while stalking prey—prodding the earth, taking one slow step after the other—to ensure he didn’t wake her. Quinne softly nickered at his approach. He paused, waiting to see if Cora would stir. She didn’t. Valorre, thankfully, was nowhere to be seen. He’d caught the unicorn wandering in and out of camp during the last couple hours that he’d feigned sleep.

He rifled through his saddlebags to retrieve parchment and quill. Berol landed quietly on his shoulder and nibbled his temple in greeting. After giving her a few affectionate scritches, he quickly scrawled his message. Then he took the Wanted poster he’d stashed inside his vest when Cora hadn’t been looking and rolled it together with his letter. Finally, he sealed it and lifted it toward Berol. She clasped it in one of her talons.

“To Father,” he whispered. “Home.”

He then offered her a strip of pheasant he’d pocketed during dinner. She accepted it as well as more pets, then launched off his shoulder. He watched her silhouette against the dark sky until she merged with the night. A pinch of worry settled in his gut. He’d never sent her away this far from home, but she’d always returned with ease before, no matter where they were. Besides, this was the only way.

He needed to get a message delivered to King Dimetreus as soon as possible. Berol couldn’t simply fly to Ridine Castle—a place she’d never been—and take up perch outside the king’s study. The only way to let him know that Teryn had found the fugitive was to get a note to his father first.

Teryn stepped back from Quinne.

And froze.

The moon illuminated something white between a pair of trees. It was Valorre. He watched Teryn with his large russet eyes. How long had he been standing there? Teryn smiled at the unicorn, trying to exude innocence as he returned to his bedroll. The truth was, Teryn was anything but innocent. His string of broken promises was only just beginning.

At least he had one consolation.

The girl he was going to betray wasn’t innocent either.