A cold, ugly fear began to spread through him.
This was exactly what he’d been afraid of. Exactly why he’d tried to keep her at arm’s length. His world was dangerous, andhe had dragged her into it anyway. Jakob stopped in the center of the empty corridor and closed his eyes.
Think.
Security cameras. Asking the rest of the staff. All useful but too slow. If Mallory was in trouble right now, he didn’t have time for ordinary methods.
He needed something faster. Something older.
Jakob stepped outside and hurried to the back side of the castle, remote and away from the noise and lights. He let the familiar tension of magic rise to the surface.
He rarely used it this openly. Rarely allowed himself to rely on the ancient power that lived coiled in his blood, especially this close to so many people.
But this was Mallory and rules no longer applied.
He focused on her in his heart and in his mind. The warmth of her laugh, the scent of her hair, the steady beat of her heart he’d felt beneath his hand only hours ago.
Dragon magic responded eagerly and the world sharpened. Colors grew brighter and sounds clearer. And beneath it all, faint but unmistakable, he caught her scent on the wind.
Relief hit him so hard he nearly staggered. She was close but too far away. And moving even further.
Jakob followed the invisible thread out past the stables and beyond the snow-covered grounds, into the dense line of trees that bordered the estate. The farther he went, the stronger the trail became.
Fear prickled at him again. Why would she come out here alone at night?
The forest was quiet, heavy with snow and shadow. Moonlight filtered through bare branches and painted an abstract array of designs on the ground. He found her footsteps, relieved to see that she walked alone.
He slowed and moved cautiously. He reached the edge of the treeline and saw her.
Mallory stood in a small clearing with her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she stared up at the sky as if she were simply admiring the stars.
Alive and unhurt. And alone. He needed to get her out of there while they were still by themselves. Jakob exhaled for what felt like the first time in hours.
“Mallory.”
She spun around, startled. For a split second her expression wasn’t relief. It was pure shock and panic, with a little anger mixed in.
“Jakob!” she said, a little too brightly. “You scared me.”
The brightness sounded forced and thin around the edges.
Relief rushed through him so fiercely it almost made him dizzy. He crossed the space between them in seconds and barely resisted the urge to pull her straight into his arms.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
Up close he could see more clearly now. Her cheeks were pale beneath the moonlight, her eyes a little too wide. She looked less like a woman enjoying a peaceful night walk andmore like someone who’d just been caught doing something she desperately wanted to hide.
She shrugged, a quick, jerky movement. “Couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d take a little hike. The moon is beautiful tonight.”
Her voice wobbled slightly at the end and he didn’t miss the fact that her eyes darted around like she looked for someone.
“Are you meeting someone?”
“No!” Her voice rose a couple octaves. “No, not at all.”
For a fleeting moment Jakob thought she was going to burst into tears. The answer had come too quickly and too casually.
Jakob studied her face. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
