His eyes grew wide, and he sucked in a breath. For severalheartbeats, we only stared at each other, processing this new information. Then, his voice a soft murmur, he said, “The princess became the very snow on the ground.”
“What?”
“There are whispers about you, Eira. Rumors that you can disappear andbecomethe snow. That’s why you’re called the Snow Princess. That’s why no one can find you.”
I chuckled. “Is that what they say? Well, I’m flattered.”
“Is that how you escaped the queen?”
My smile fell. “Yes.”
His jaw ticked back and forth, and he nodded. “It’s starting to make sense now. But why hasn’t Calista told everyone about your gift?”
“I only used it once. My guess is she didn’t know for sure what I’d done. Perhaps she thought it was just an effective glamour, or a trick of the light.”
Theron frowned in contemplation. “True. There are all sorts of fae gifts out there. But what I still don’t understand is whatthishas to do with anything.” From his satchel, he withdrew Calista’s enchanted hand mirror.
My heart lurched in my throat, and I reached for it before I could stop myself. Theron held it high above his head, his eyebrows lifting expectantly. “It’s important, isn’t it?”
“Give that back!” I hissed, jumping to try to snatch it. I knew I looked ridiculous, but I didn’t care. I had to get it back.
Theron only smirked. “I’m not giving this back until you answer my question. Why is it important?”
“Theron, I’m warning you!”
“What are you warning me of, princess?”
With an angry growl, I drew my dagger and aimed it at his throat. “Give. It. Back.”
His smirk only widened. Still holding the mirror above his head, he wrapped his free arm around me, twisting me so my back was against his chest. Somehow, he yanked the dagger from my grasp, letting it clatter to the ground. Gasping for breath, I shoved against him, but his grip was solid as steel. He wasn’t yielding.
“You were saying?” His breath was warm against my ear, and despite my predicament, I found my insides churning from the sound of his voice, low and rumbling. I could feel it resonating from his chest against my back.
Blood and ice, it was the most delicious sound.
“Theron, you don’t know what you’re dealing with,” I whispered.
“Thentell me.” His voice was a caress against my ear.
My mouth went dry. My invisibility was one thing, but this mirror? No one knew about it, not even Stella. How could I share that secret with him?
“I—I stole it from Calista,” I said.
“Hmm, I figured as much. Why? What’s so special about it?”
“It’s enchanted.”
Theron waited. When I said nothing, he chuckled, his chest humming from the sound. “You’re going to have to do better than that, princess.”
My eyes shut against the warning pulsing through me.Don’t do it. Don’t do it.
But I had to. Theron would keep me in this alley all night if I didn’t talk.
Shivering bones, I couldn’t believe I was about to tell him this.
“Do you remember me telling you about stealing a magical object that reveals truth? It’s this mirror. This iswhat I stole. Calista didn’t banish me because of my human bloodline. She banished me because of the mirror. It’s the only thing in the entire realm that will reveal who she really is.”
“And who is she really?”
