Before reason can catch me, I’m darting across the room. I shove open the door so hard it bangs against the wall, half-running, half-sliding along the marble as I race through thecorridor. I knot the hem of my nightgown in my fists to keep from tripping, my hair streaming behind me, the castle echoing with nothing but the frantic slap of my feet and the wailing wind pouring through its endless open windows.
The rose garden doors groan as I throw them open.
Cold engulfs me instantly, swallowing my breath, sinking its teeth into my bare skin, but I barely feel it. Snowflakes cling to my hair, my lashes, melting along the thin fabric of my nightgown until it molds to me like a second, freezing skin.
All I hear is his voice. All I see is the silhouette waiting on the far side of the garden.
“Father!” Hope floods my chest so fast it steals my breath. “What are you doing here?”
I run faster than I ever have, my smile breaking wide and bright across my face. But each time I draw closer, the figure shifts. Retreats. Slips just out of reach.
My smile falters.
“Father?” My steps slow. “Where are you going?”
Neve… Come to me, Neve…
“I am,” I whisper, my throat thickening. “I am coming. I’ve missed you so much.”
I burst past the roses, the frozen petals scraping at my legs, but I don’t stop. The figure keeps moving, always a few steps beyond my reach.
Until finally I reach the frozen edge of the lake.
I skid to a halt.
He stands farther out now, walking across the ice as though weightless.
“Father!” My voice cracks. “Where are you going? Come back. Please! It’s not safe!”
I stare down at the ice before me, dusted with snow, bright blue veins spidering through its surface. But beneath those pale layers… only blackness. A depth so dark it swallows the moonlight whole.
My stomach twists. Every instinct screams that the lake will not hold me, yet he walks across it as if the surface were solid stone.
As if the lake itself welcomes him.
Still… it’s dangerous. Terrifying. My father must be confused, his illness must be twisting his mind. I have to bring him back before the ice breaks and that dark water consumes him.
I lift my foot, trembling, and tap a single toe on the surface. The ice groans faintly, and I freeze, too afraid to breathe, frightened that even a sigh might splinter everything beneath me.
When nothing happens, I lower my full weight onto the ice.
I take a step. Then another. My eyes flick wildly between my father’s silhouette and the treacherous lake beneath my feet. He keeps walking away, calling my name.
I have to hurry.
I draw in a sharp breath, ready to break into a run, but I never get the chance.
An arm slams around my waist and yanks me backwards, hauling me clean off the ice and onto the snowy bank.
I gasp, then scream, kicking wildly, but Luceran only tightens his hold like iron.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he roars, voice cracking through the night like thunder. “Trying to get yourself killed?”
“Put me down!” I fight, elbowing and twisting against him. “My father is out there!”
“That isnotyour father,” Luceran snarls into my ear. “Now go back to your room.”
I thrash harder, striking at him blindly. My fingernail catches his cheek and he growls, the sound deep and feral.
