“No,” Mallory said too quickly. Then, softer, “I don’t even know him.”
“Then why does it feel like you’re hiding him from us?” Violet demanded. “Why does it feel like you’re choosing whatever this is over us?”
Mallory’s chest tightened. Fear flashed through her, not of them, but of how little she could defend herself when she didn’t understand the truth either.
“I’m not hiding anything,” she said. “I swear. If I knew what happened, I’d tell you.”
Brooke’s expression cracked, anger giving way to something raw and scared. “We thought you were dead. We actually filed a report this time. We figured if you were holed up at the castle for a little love fest, you’d be easy enough to find.”
“I wasn’t at the castle.”
Brooke stopped at the door. “Well, we fly home in the morning. If you’re not here when we leave, we’ll assume you’ll find your own way home. Otherwise, we’ll all go to the airport together.”
Mallory groaned. She had lost track of time so severely that she hadn’t even realized their time was up. She had hoped to see Jakob one last time, but that didn’t seem probable. She had successfully accomplished nothing. “I’ll be here. I’m not leaving this room until you come and get me.”
“I need to go call off the search party.” Brooke opened the door. “I really hope you’re here in the morning.”
“We actually hope that you get a fine for getting the law involved,” Violet added. “And if you don’t want to tell us, that just adds to the kick in the gut.”
The words landed heavy.
Mallory’s throat burned. “I’m sorry.”
None of them spoke before they stormed out of her room. The air hummed with things left unsaid and the worry that still vibrated beneath the surface.
Then her phone buzzed on the bedside table.
Mallory jumped at the sound and her heart leapt into her throat. She fumbled for it and winced as pain flared.
She froze when she saw the text. Unknown number.
Her pulse quickened as she opened the message.
Heard you’re looking for Meg.
I know where she is.
Be ready.
The room seemed to tilt.
Mallory sucked in a breath and her fingers tightened around the phone until it creaked. Her mind came up with a dozen things that she could possibly need to be ready for, but none of them were good. She was leaving.
Her reply hovered on the screen.Who is this?
A moment later, a screen full of laughing emojis appeared. She didn’t bother any further attempts to get more information. Their message was clear.
The dream of wings slipped away and dissolved under the weight of reality.
Whatever had saved her on that mountain and whatever it was that she felt, no longer mattered.
Something far more real had just stepped into her life. She hadn’t found a clue about her sister the entire time she’d been in Onyxheim, and now on her last night, someone finally contacted her. She wanted to ask if she should stay, but her logic told her that she wouldn’t be answered. She needed to get home and couldn’t afford to stay.
And there was no way she was going to ask Jakob to save her from this.
CHAPTER 11
Jakob
