Nicholas helped me up and I gripped his arm tightly as he led me down the corridor. I had no idea where we were or where we were going. I stumbled, tripping over a bit of uneven ground. It was so quiet I could hear the blood rushing in my ears, my uneven breath amplified and raspy. I scraped the back of my hand on the wall. We walked for at least ten minutes but I couldn’t really be sure. It was so strange to be in such complete blackness. Even time was too dark to see. We could have been here an hour.

Eventually, Nicholas stopped. The tunnel didn’t feel any different to me, it was still damp and rough and smelled like iron, but now there was the sound of a lock opening. A narrow door opened and we went through. Something swung, grazing my shoulder. I jumped, yelping.

“Rope ladder,” Nicholas told me. I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll go up first and open the door and make sure it’s secure. Wait until I give you the all clear.”

In less than a minute the door creaked open. Leaves and moonlight drifted down. The air was cold and cleansing, chasing away the clinging mildew. “Another rope ladder,” I muttered. At least this one had actually rope steps, not just knots like the one I’d climbed in the treetops.

“Okay, Lucy,” Nicholas called down. “Come on up.”

“He makes it sound so easy.” It helped to mutter and mumble. It distracted me from the slick twine, the dizzying spinning that made me nauseated. My arm muscles muttered and mumbled too, finally giving in to out-and-out screaming. I was sweating by the time Nicholas grabbed my wrists and pulled me out.

The forest was beautiful and still all around us, like a painting. Snow clung to the bare branches and stars peeked through when the wind shifted. Ice glinted on the mossy trunks.

“We’ll have to walk from here,” Nicholas said. We started the long walk back to the school, moving quietly between the trees, holding hands. It was a stolen moment, sweet and swift. When we reached the road that led to the academy, I paused.

“School’s overrun with hunters,” I murmured. “And Huntsmen. So I’ll go from here on my own.”

The moment might have been sweet but the kiss scalded, like chili peppers in hot chocolate. By rights, the snow should have melted into puddles at our feet. I turned away reluctantly, toward the school buildings and the security lights; from one family to another.

I knew he was at the edge of the wintry woods, watching me. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel his presence, just as I felt him lope away when I texted him that I was safely on campus.

Chapter 26

Solange

My every instinct screamed at me to run in the opposite direction.

Not only did I have to run straight into Constantine’s arms instead, but I had to do it without snarling. I was picking up speed when Sebastian grabbed my arm and spun me around the other side of a tree. “What the hell, Sol?”

“All part of the plan,” I told him quickly. “Talk to Mom.” His hold didn’t slacken. “Check your phone.”

When he read the warning text I was sure Mom had Connor send to everyone, he dropped his hand. “When exactly did Mom and Dad lose their minds?”

“Viola!” Constantine shouted. I could see the glint of his sword as he raced between the trees toward us.

“We need to make this look good,” I whispered urgently. Sebastian sighed and lifted his chin.

I punched him.

I didn’t even break his nose, which would disappoint Lucy on principle, but he still flew through the air as if a giant had tossed him. He landed in the snow, exactly where Constantine could see him. He even groaned, clutching a fake wound. I had no idea my quiet brother had such a theatrical side. “Sorry,” I murmured, jumping over him to cut off Constantine before he reached us and decided to finish what I’d started. He shot me a boyish grin so unlike his usually solemn silences that I stumbled.

The moonlight made Constantine’s violet eyes even brighter. Three men followed behind him, swords also drawn. I leaped a fallen log, scattering snow and icicles.

“Viola.” The relief in his smile was sincere. He gathered me up in his arms, looking even more knightly.

“Tristan,” I murmured. Viola had never called him Constantine and he’d never divulged his first name to Solange. When he bent his head to kiss me, I nearly panicked. The last time he’d done that it had called Viola to the surface. He knew that his presence had strengthened her hold on me. I threw a fearful glance over my shoulder and his mouth grazed my ear. “They’re coming,” I said. “Don’t let them take me again.”

He straightened. “I only left you with them in the first place because they’d never hurt Solange and I needed to marshal my defenses.”

I made my lower lip quiver. The Viola I knew, and the Viola Constantine had known before her bloodchange, were vastly different. I couldn’t quite understand why he’d let everything go so badly since she returned. He had to see there was something off about her, didn’t he? Was he blind? “Can we just go home now?” I asked.

“Of course.” He ran his hand down my back. I looked up at him with what I hoped could be construed as love and gratitude. The worst part of it was that I’d genuinely liked him. He’d listened to me. He’d even understood me and pushed me to accept myself. Even if he’d done it to free Viola, I couldn’t help but think we’d been friends.

“Chandramaa with us, but you stay here and make sure the Drakes don’t follow,” Constantine ordered his men.