Nolan waits at its entrance. The moment my feet meet solid stone, he wraps his arms around me, telling me how brave I am.
I feel brave. I feel invincible. I feel?—
His lips graze my temple.
I jerk out of his grasp, clinging to the cold stone instead. He clutches his side as he watches me, but just when he opens his mouth to speak, Raven appears at the top of the ladder, a blade clenched between her teeth and a scowl on her face.
I’ve never been so happy to see the woman.
She pushes past us and ducks into the cavern, muttering something in Unseelie.
As soon as this is over, I’m going to ask Maddox to teach me his language.
Darkness swallows us as we follow, and I end up having to cling to Nolan’s shirt to keep from losing them. Can the Unseelie see in the dark? Why doesn’t she use a torch?
Traversing the cavern is a slow, arduous process, but eventually, we emerge to find another path, thinner than the one before. With my back pressed to the cliff, I keep my gaze fixed on the gray sky and not the deadly drop stretching forever below us. Moving becomes a little easier once the fog descends. I can almost convince myself that this is a cool autumn morning among the fields next door.
How many mornings did I sneak back to the cottage after spending the night with the man ahead of me? Too many to count.
Raven moves like a wraith, her leather boots silent. Meanwhile, my own bare feet, frozen and dirty, plod across grass and stones.
Night falls, and still we continue along thin trails, through another dark cavern. At some point, Nolan reaches back, and I let him take my hand to keep from feeling so alone.
We come upon another ladder, but it’s impossible to tell how tall it is in the dark.
I follow Nolan up twelve rungs, and then the ground flattens.
We did it.We made it back to Willowhaven.
I turn and wait for Raven’s dark head to emerge, but she has vanished with the mist.
A loud sob breaks from Nolan’s throat as he falls to his knees and buries his hands in the dusty earth. I understand exactly how he feels. If Maddox were here, I’d drag him to his wagon and lock us both inside so we could erase the horrors of this day by losing ourselves in each other.
But Maddox isn’t here. He’s at the bottom of the canyon.
And he’s going to be stuck there forever if we don’t get to the castle straightaway.
Stumbling to his feet, Nolan slips his arms around me once more. “We made it. We’re alive. I’m so bloody sorry, Nia. For everything. I lost myself to my own grief... and lost you in the process.”
“All’s well that ends well.” Or whatever it is they say. “You have Ivee now.”
My own grief and indignation over the end of our relationship have subsided, allowing me to say with absolute certainty that he and I are not suited.
Nolan’s mouth flattens, his hands framing my face as he stares into my eyes. “You don’t understand. Being stuck in that terrible place gave me time to think.” Thumbs sweep along my cheekbones. “I didn’t miss Ivee, Nia. I missed you. The momentI saw you again, I knew what I’ve always known. What I forgot.” His forehead falls to mine. “That I love you. Tell me how to make this right. That you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
What we had was infatuation. Lust. Rebellion masquerading as love.
Now that I know what true love feels like?—
Bloody hell.
I’m in love with Maddox Finch.
What we share is so much more intense and all-consuming than what I had with Nolan. Deeper. Stronger. Better in every way.
I want Maddox. I need him. Ilovehim.
The realization is so distracting, I don’t even notice Nolan is going to hug me again until it’s too late. Wrapped in his arms, I don’t feel safe or cared for or loved.
