I shrug. “He asked me something last night, and I guess he’s too impatient to wait for my answer.”
Before I can move past her, the note falls from my pocket.
She bends down and picks it up, but as her fingers grasp the paper, she freezes.
“Nadya—”
“Celeste, don’t go.” Her fingers twitch against the parchment, her lips parting slightly.
I frown. “What? What’s wrong?”
She doesn’t answer right away. Her grip tightens around the note, like it’s suddenly something dangerous. “I don’t know,” she mutters, a crease forming between her brows. “I just—” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t feel right.”
“It doesn’tfeelright?”
“I’m getting a bad feeling from it. I’ve been reading about malevolent energy and how it can flow from sources—”
“Nadya!” I exhale sharply, snatching itback. “You’re taking this witch thing too seriously.”
She doesn’t laugh.
I shake my head, tucking the note into my blouse. “I’ll be fine. I’m allowed to be seen with Dante now. It’s okay. Go back to bed.”
She looks stunned but doesn’t stop me as I slip out the door.
The courtyard is empty, silent save for the distant rustle of leaves and the occasional hoot of an owl. I move quickly, keeping to the shadows as I cross the stone path toward the stables, my heart pounding—not with fear, but with anticipation.
I know what I’m going to say. Dante is the only person in this world I would choose. And I want him to know it. I don’t know how he doesn’t already know it. I can’t believe he would doubt it. He must feel it. But maybe he just wants to hear the words.
The stables come into view, dimly lit, the scent of hay and damp earth filling my senses as I step inside. It’s empty. I frown, my breath misting in the cool air. Maybe I got here first.
A rustling noise echoes from deeper inside.
I smile. “Dante?”
But when I step forward, Nadya emerges from the shadows behind me. I frown.
I open my mouth, but she beats me to it. “Celeste,” she hisses. “Something is wrong.”
Frustration flares in me. “Why did you follow me?”
She glares at me, folding her arms. “Because I don’t trust—” Then her expression changes. Her breath hitches, her lips parting slightly.
“Nadya?” I whisper, but she doesn’t answer.
She’s staring at something just behind me.
A wolf howls in the distance. Dread slithers down my spine.
Slowly, I turn.
A figure steps forward from the shadows, his mouth curling into a sneer.
“Hello, Princess.”
The last thing I hear is Nadya screaming my name, just as a sharp scent fills my nose.
Then everything goes dark.
