Chapter one
Everly
The wind howls as it whips violently around me, threatening to tear me from my perch high in the tree. My hair, once neatly braided, is now a wild, tangled mess, ripped free by the relentless icy gusts. I narrow my eyes, struggling to see through the blinding expanse of white snow that surrounds me. I almost want to laugh at the state I find myself in. Snowflakes cling to my eyelashes, and the crisp, biting air causes my breath to form clouds in front of me. My fingertips throb with pain, raw from desperately clutching onto the rough bark of the tree as I climb as high as I can. In my haste, I didn’t think to grab gloves before leaving the cabin this morning. My mind was on other things like Maxon and my friends.
“What the hell do you think you're doing?”
I jerk against the tree trunk, my fingers digging deeper into the hard, unforgiving frozen bark.
The cold bites at my skin, but it’s nothing compared to the fury simmering beneath the surface. A menacing growl slips past my lips as I glare down at the forest floor, frustration and anger boiling within me.
Below, Alivar stands with his hands on his hips looking up at me with that infuriatingly calm expression, like he has all the time in the world.
“Trying to figure out which way to go,” I mutter through clenched teeth, fighting back the snarky comments threatening to spill out.
“Maxon will have my neck if anything happens to you.” Alivar’s voice is maddeningly level. “That includes catching a cold.”
The mention of Maxon’s name sends a sharp pain through my chest. I grit my teeth, my chest aching with the weight of everything I’ve lost.
“Well, if you’d just taken me back to Skora I wouldn’t be out here!” I snap, the words filled with bitterness.
Without warning, Alivar appears next to me, portaling onto the branch like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I yelp in surprise, my stomach lurching as my heart gives a hard thump against my ribs. Instinctively, I tighten my grip on the tree, my knuckles turning white from the effort.
“Don’t do that!” I shriek, wishing I could let go of the tree long enough to slap that infuriating smirk off his face.
Alivar merely shrugs, his white-blonde hair whipping around his face as he studies me with those piercing eyes of his. Unlike me, he has no need to cling to the tree for dear life. He crouches down on the branch, perfectly balanced, as if standing on solid ground.
“You're here with good reason. Plus, it's only been a day,” he says, his voice annoyingly reasonable.
“A day too long,” I growl back, my frustration boiling over.
Alivar shakes his head, extending a hand toward me. “Come on, let’s go.”
For a brief, heart-stopping moment, hope surges within me. My mouth opens, ready to demand he take me back to Skora, but before I can speak, Alivar shakes his head again, cutting off my words.
“Not back to Skora. Not yet.”
The hope that flared up just moments ago fizzles out, replaced by a burning disappointment that gnaws at my insides. I clench my jaw, the cold seeping deeper into my bones, making the tree bark feel like ice against my skin.
“Then no,” I retort, my voice cold and defiant.
Alivar’s expression shifts, his eyes narrowing as if I’ve just sprouted a second head. “Everly,” he growls, the sound low and dangerous. “Your lips are turning blue. Don’t be so stubborn.”
His violet eyes flash, the intensity of his gaze sending a shiver down my spine. They remind me so much of Maxon’s eyes, except for the blue ring around Alivar’s irises instead of the silver ring that would flare to life in Maxon’s. The similarity is almost too much to bear.
But even as I sit here, freezing and frustrated, I can’t bring myself to trust him completely—not when I’m so far from where I want to be, and especially not when those eyes, so much like Maxon’s, seem to see right through me.
I look back out over the frozen Winter Court, the snow-covered landscape stretching out before me. Behind me, the majesticmountains tower high, their snow-capped peaks reaching toward the sky, disappearing into the clouds.
The vast expanse of icy plains is a sharp contrast to the warmth I crave. Above everything else, I desire the comfort and security of Maxon’s arms around me. The thought of his tender touch fills me with an ache that only he can soothe. I desperately need to know he’s okay.
Where did that demon take him?
My thoughts begin to spiral, racing through worst-case scenarios, making my breathing become shallow and rapid. The sound of my own heartbeat fills my ears, a constant reminder of the anxiety racing through me. I shiver involuntarily as the icy air bites at my exposed skin. An exasperated sigh comes from Alivar.
I shoot him glare, my teeth knocking together.
“Why are you being stubborn?” he grouses. “Look, I promise in a few days you will be back in Skora.”
