“I’m sorry. I know.” Ridley stood up and put his hands on my shoulders. “Hey, calm down.” Roughly, he pulled me into his arms, and I let him, resting my head against his chest. “I know you’re doing everything you can, and if anyone can figure this mess out, it’s you.”

“But I can’t, Ridley,” I whispered.

He put his hand under my chin, lifting it so I would look up at him. “You can do anything.”

Ridley leaned down, his mouth brushing against mine, and I wanted nothing more than to give in to the moment, to give in to the passion of his embrace and the icy taste of his lips, but I couldn’t. As desperately as I wanted to feel nothing but him, the nagging inside my heart pulled me away.

“I can’t.” I lowered my eyes and stepped back from him. “There’s too much to lose. You should probably go.”

“Right. You’re right,” he muttered and rubbed his neck before turning away from me. “You’re always right.”

When he reached the bedroom door, he paused, half looking back at me. “The right guy is behind bars right now, Bryn. No matter what’s going on with us or anything else, you should find some comfort in that.”

Ridley left me alone then, and I felt many, many things, but comfort wasn’t one of them.

THIRTY-EIGHT

entrapped

The staircase had rusted and weakened so much from lack of use that it felt precarious under my feet. But everything felt precarious at that moment. The iron keys were heavy in my hand, and though my stomach twisted painfully, I didn’t turn back.

I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing. But it was the only thing I could think to do. I had to find out who Konstantin was working for and what had really happened to Linnea. Until I had that information, this would never feel over to me.

Ridley had been right, though, and getting the keys from the guards had been comically easy. The station was completely unmanned, and the keys were sitting on the desk. I grabbed them quickly, then hurried down to the dungeon.

As I walked slowly through the tunnel, I reminded myself that the keys were only a decoy. I would promise Konstantin that I would set him free if he divulged the truth to me. But I would never let him go free again. I couldn’t.

As I approached the dungeon, the hair on the back of my neck began to stand up. The door to Konstantin’s cell was wide open, and as my heart thudded in my chest, I feared I’d come too late. Somebody had already taken care of him.

Then he emerged from the shadows. He stepped out slowly, deliberately, with his eyes locked on me. But my eyes went down to the sword in his hand, the long blade battle-worn but sharp.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Konstantin said when he saw me, and he wore the same expression he had when he’d raised his sword on my father.

“I came to set you free.” I raised the keys to show him, and he flinched like he’d been punched.

“Run,” he whispered. “Run, white rabbit, as fast and far as you can.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on.” I stood tall despite my fear.

“This has gone on long enough,” a voice grumbled behind me, and I whirled around.

He’d been standing in the shadows, along the wall of the tunnel by the mouth of the dungeon. He wore all black, helping him blend in, and his skin had shifted color, completely matching the stones around him. But now as it shifted back, it was like watching a mirage come to life.

Then I realized that not quite everything had changed color. The scar that ran across his face from just above his left eye down to his right cheek, that had stayed a dull red. His black hair was greasy and landed just below his shoulders, and his beard was more unruly than I’d seen in pictures.

But I knew exactly who he was. I saw his face glaring down on me every time I stepped into Ridley’s office. It was Viktor Dålig—the most wanted man of all the Kanin.

“Finish her!” Viktor commanded, and that was enough to snap my senses into motion.

With the keys still in my fist, I swung at Viktor. But he was too fast, and he grabbed my arm, bending it back. He grabbed my ponytail, yanking my head back. I kicked him, but he was unfazed, and then Viktor slammed my head into the stone wall.

The first time, I felt it. A blind searing pain that blotted out everything. Somewhere in the background, I thought I heard Konstantin yell out. But the second time Viktor slammed my skull into the stone, the world fell away, and I collapsed into darkness.

THIRTY-NINE

retreat

I shoved my clothes roughly into my duffel bag, and Ridley knocked on the open door to my bedroom.

“How are you holding up?” he asked when I didn’t reply.

“I’ve been better.”

My right temple had a scabbed-over gash and a dark purple bruise, but the worst of it was under my hair, where I’d needed six stiches. Viktor had meant business, and the medic that had fixed me said I was lucky that he hadn’t actually smashed my skull in.

Twelve hours later, I had a killer headache, and the vision in my right eye still didn’t seem quite right. Whenever I looked to the left, I could see a blinding white spot out of the corner of my eye.

“If it hurts, they can give you something for the pain.” Ridley leaned forward, inspecting my injuries. He reached out tentatively to brush back my hair from the wound, but I pulled away before he could, so he dropped his hand and straightened up.

“I’m okay. I just want to get out of here and get home.”