My apology hung in the air between us—raw, honest, and inadequate.
“Give him another chance, Haven.” Zane nodded at me with what looked like respect glimmering in his eyes.
Her lips thinned.
“You don’t have to.” I desperately hoped she would. “I just want you to know how truly sorry I am.”
Long seconds passed before she offered me a tiny smile. “Give me some time.”
The air was frigid, the road was hard, and heavy gray clouds massed above us, but I felt lighter than I had in weeks. I nodded eagerly. It wasn’t a no, and it was more than I deserved.
Chapter
Fifty-Nine
HAVEN
From a distance, Talin looked as if it had been carved from ice. The city glowed in the lingering rays of the setting sun. Every orange, purple, and pink in the sky reflected off its opalescent surface.
“It’s beautiful.”
Next to me, Flynn snorted, but his eyes lingered on the shimmering spires, and his mouth tightened slightly. The city’s beauty affected him, though he’d die before admitting it. He glanced away and muttered, “Looks cold.”
Of course it was cold. Talin perched atop a vast, craggy-toothed mountain range. The cold didn’t detract from its beauty.
As we rode closer, my stomach twisted with nerves. Somewhere in that glittering city was my mother—a woman I’d thought dead for years. I wished I had at least one memory of her. What could I say to her?
And what if Remy was wrong? What if his Hope Ford wasn’t mine? I desperately wanted her to be, but my wants didn’t count for much.
Behind me, Pierce and Teal had stopped whispering. When I glanced back, Pierce’s hand rested on his sword hilt. He scanned the approaching walls with his eyes like a man mapping enemy defenses. Teal’s eyes were equally wary, his lips flat. Even Flynn had lost his perpetual smirk.
Grayson rode stiff-backed, his jaw clenched so tightly I was surprised his teeth didn’t crack. They’d entered hostile territory under the protection of a prince they barely knew, trusting their lives to a bond not all of them wanted.
An hour later, we passed through its gates.
No turning back now—for any of us.
I gaped like … well, like a girl from Grimswood who’d been dropped into a fairy tale.
Snow blanketed rooftops in white, softening steep lines and sharp edges. I suspected the spires and towers would be even more impressive without their winter coats.
Cobblestone streets wound up and around steep hills, and golden lanterns hung from iron posts, lighting our way and revealing half-timbered buildings similar to those in Takir. Glittering icicles hung from their eaves.
The scent of spiced wine, pinewood smoke, and cold lingered in the air outside the taverns we passed, mixing with lilting tunes and the sound of laughter. I had an urge to dismount and lose myself among strangers. Forget my problems. Run away.
“Is that where we’re going?” I pointed toward a towering castle of white stone, its windows shining like gold in the darkness.
“It is.” Remy reached for my hand, giving my chilly fingers a quick squeeze.
I was grateful for his reassurance. I was a woman from Grimswood. Castles and princes and fairy-tale cities were outside my experience. “My mother is there?”
“If she’s not, she’ll come as soon as I send for her.”
We arrived ten minutes later, and Remy dismounted and strode toward a pair of enormous double doors.
I paused, catching my lower lip between my teeth. Something told me that once I entered the castle, there was no turning back.
Remy glanced over his shoulder and grinned at me. “Coming?”
