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“Nick’s tours run at night.” She says it to the table, not to me. “So does the bar. So does the paper’s delivery service. You want to explain to Marthe why her staff are sitting at home for four months?”

“Her staff.” Constantin’s mouth moves into a knowing smile. “The outsider girl.”

“Her and countless others who have jobs,” Roslyn says.

“Our role in the Pact is to protect the people of this town.” He addresses the table as if she hasn’t spoken. “We can do our job more effectively if there’s less opportunity for this intruder to encounter the vulnerable.”

Now it’s so dangerous he wants to keep everyone off the street for the entire winter.

“That’s not in the spirit of the Pact.” Hazel stiffens. “Protection shouldn’t come at the cost of community and cooperation.”

“The Pact”—Constantin can’t fully hide the sour taste it leaves in his mouth—“should allow for more flexibility, not neuter us to the point where we can’t hold up our end of the agreement effectively.”

“That’s enough blustering for one meeting,” Sigrid says lightly.

“That’s enough, full stop,” Anna says firmly. “No curfews, and who cares about some outsider girl. She’ll be gone soon. Winter preparations and monitoring this intruder are our priorities. I’ll assemble a team to do a comprehensive search of the area immediately.”

Constantin glares at Anna, but lets it go. I sink back into my seat, shocked she was willing to contradict her father. I’m not fully convinced she’ll do as promised, but I can’t argue.

The meeting continues with plans for the coming months of darkness, freezing temperatures, and being cut off from the rest of the world, finishing up in the late afternoon.

“Nick.” Anna stops me before I leave the chamber, waiting for everyone else to depart before continuing. “I know we haven’t been on good terms since…” For a second I catch a glimpse of the person she used to be. “Just, be careful. Attachments make things complicated.”

Since Sebastian disappeared is what she doesn’t say. When he abandoned us, he also abandoned her. Right after he asked her to marry him. He left us both with the wreckage.

“Ellery is none of your business or anyone else’s, for that matter.”

Her eyes harden, and she closes back up again. “Watch yourself. And keep the girl on a short leash.”

Anna was once like a sister to me and Luca. I missed her for the longest time when she shut us out after Sebastian left, but I couldn’t blame her when I knew exactly how she felt. Once I would’ve trusted her like family; now she tells me to keep a woman on a leash.

Two thinly veiled warnings, from two different Renards, about someone neither of them has any reason to care about.

They either think she’s a problem, or they want me watching her instead of them. Doesn’t matter. She’s on their radar now, and a curious outsider with the attention of the Renards is the worst thing I can think of.

Either I have to bring Ellery in or let her go.

Chapter 23

Ellery

The van’s idling in Nick’s driveway, and when I climb in, Luca’s in the back with his boots up on the seat and a bag of candy corn in his lap.

“Hey.” Nick turns to face me. “Luca’s going to help out tonight. Big group. Twelve.” Like this is a normal thing that happens, which it never has.

“Want some?” Luca holds out the bag.

I push it back in his direction.

We drive to Fairbanks with the radio low and Luca filling the silence with non-stop chatter about the video games he’s playing, rumors of the grocery store finally stocking Mexican Coca-Cola, and how he’s trying to convince one of his friends to ask out one of his other friends, all the while mainlining candy corn. We’ve had big groups before and never needed the help. Twelve is a good number to justify bringing your brother along so you don’t have to be alone with someone.

Three families traveling together, all staying at the same hotel by the river, the one with the moth-eaten stuffed moose in the lobby. It takes longer than usual to get everyone seated, but we set off for the lake and my routine clicks into place.

The lake’s frozen ten feet out from the shore now, white ice giving way to black water. Nick throws himself into the work. Sets up the fire, the chairs, the table, the tripods, leaving me and Luca with not much to do but chat to the guests and each other.

Twice, he stops what he’s doing to watch the trees.

“What’s he looking for?” I ask Luca, as we fill mugs with cocoa for the kids.