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With a roll of her eyes, she returned my smile with her own. “I do believe that is one of your favorite forms of pastime.” She scolded with a squint in her eyes. I could tell there was affection beneath the gaze. “Out with it.”

“My guest,” I started with a finger trailing the smoothness of the steel counter. “I will need you to clean the entryway to the office. There is a discretion to his visit that I’d like to maintain. It would be in all of our best interests to do this before the estate rises.”

Elaine’s fingers stilled for a moment around the neck of the spatula as my words sank into her. There was no malice in my tone, but I know she could sense the seriousness of them. She dropped her gaze from mine as she nodded.

“Of course, Lady Corpus. I will get to that now,” her hands ran down the apron around her waist. “I will finish supper after.” It wasn’t as if I expected her to ask questions. I didn’t know what it was, but it was as if she knew exactly what I meant without even having to say another word.

My father was right; she was loyal to us. I had no right to even doubt Elaine’s allegiance. She had always been more than just a head maiden; she was family. I couldn’t say that about the rest of the staff, but she was always faithful to us, to me. Especially after my mother had disappeared.

With a heavy sigh, I nodded and parted ways. There was no need for more than that. Gracefully, I left as I came and made my way to the stables. The familiar scent of sweetness dulling every step away from the office.

The bitterness of cold consumed the heat in my frame, as my boots kissed the freshly shoveled cobblestone. Its path led me down the familiar garden into the column of stables. Wind whistled against the sensitive flesh of my ears as the current jostled my curls from my face. I knew my friend wouldn’t have been in the house; I had only been with Alexander briefly.

Arianna had been perched against the horses’ stalls as I came strolling along the frosted trail. Bomani was standing at her side, large on all fours as she gently rubbed the fur along his head. There was something careful in the way she touched him. Knowing her, it was just because she owned him that the affection ran deeper.

With the task in mind, my gaze drifted over the thick band of clouds in the sky, which determined the time of day. The blue overcast was still at its peak over the land, still daylight, so not many people would be on the path just yet. If we wanted to execute my father’s request, we had roughly under four hours before twilight broke. I knew we could manage to be back before dawn, but it would have been hard once the town started coming to life as soon as the sun set.

“Plans are set,” I called out, approaching them.

Arianna’s head snapped toward the sound of my voice. “Where’d your bastard run off to?” she teased, lighthearted but direct. The small moments that her exterior softened were her brightest. There was no tension in her shoulders or features; her skin was just polished with the hum of sapphire from the day.

The small mention of him had my heart constricting against my ribcage. The warm notes of his scent clung to my skin like a possession, my only reminder of Alexander. So far from him now, I couldn’t feel the threaded connection between us. Our mental link was severed by the distance. Even though I started to grow use to the invisible sting between us I was glad to have one solitary moment. When I left my father’s office Alexander’s emotions were in a spiral. They blared through my thoughts louder than my own, and I was transfixed on him. It was almost like an out-of-body experience. A smile tried to form against my lips, but it didn’t reach my eyes.

“He’s with my father now,” I explained, stopping in front of them. Bomani’s large frame stretched as his tail swiped against the flank of the wood behind him. Up close, he was much more massive than one would think. If he stood on his back legs, he’d tower over me.

The hand that was resting on Bomani’s head was now on Arianna’s hip in wonder. Her gaze roamed my expression before saying, “I’m surprised you didn’t stay with him.” The weeks that had led up to me going to the human world, I’d been saying I’d never leave his side. She must have thought I was exaggerating now that he wasn’t leashed to me.

“I would’ve,” I snorted. “But when my father waved me away, I knew I had been dismissed.” There was no point in me trying to persuade him into letting me stay, I had already achieved the task of hauling Alexander to him. Pushing my luck any further on the matter would have fallen on deaf ears; I was lucky enough to have him let me go to the Northern Mountain. He was kind in that moment, but I knew better. That façade of kindness would’ve snapped like a frayed tether if I’d tested his patience. It was better in the long run to just follow his commands than ask questions.

The heel of my boots dug into the snow in frustration, trying to distract myself from the tension knotting in my chest. Being away from him wasn’t easy—even if he was with my father. Alexander’s temper was wild. Unpredictable. My father sometimes lacked patience for such things. Alex was still fragile. It worried me.

Not wanting my own panic to tempt me, I brushed the thought off. “Anyway, the plans,” I said, steering us back to task. “My father wants us back before dawn. We’re supposed to acquire a potion to conceal Alex’s scent. He mentioned on the way here that he’s worried someone might recognize it.”

Arianna’s face sharpened with surprise before twisting into a grin. “Smart thinking on his part. Oversight on your father’s, though.” She glanced down at Bomani, who was panting and nodding his head as he agreed.

I studied her sly expression. There was more than joy in it—something darker beneath. For a moment, I thought she could be the reason Alexander was wary of his scent. “It was a good idea.” I agreed. “The Lyoraxe loved you the last time we searched for them. So I know we’ll acquire it.” Pausing for a moment, my gaze fell on Bomani. “Not sure how they’ll feel about you, though.”

A chuckle rolled through the base of his throat, filling the air around us. There was no need for words when he was always so expressive. Taking a step forward, my fingers curled under his rugged jaw before threading through the fur on top of his head. “You’d better be on your best behavior,” I murmured.

The whites of his canines gleamed in the pale sunlight, smiling up at me. Bomani’s fur was surprisingly soft, for something so wild. His wild scent lingered against my nostrils as I pulled back. As if giving me his word, he nudged into my hand, licking at the edge of my lace glove.

“So,” Arianna's voice broke into the air, brushing her hands on her dress, “on foot or do you want the horses?”

Meeting her eyes, a grin curved the corner of my lips. “We both know we’re faster than those bloody horses. We need to be back before dawn—not a fortnight.” I loved my precious steeds, but they were no match for our natural ability. If it weren’t for the formality of the carriages, I’d travel on foot more often.

A light flickered inside the obsidian pools of her irises as she pushed off the wooden stable. “If only you could keep up.” Arianna’s voice travelled through the cold wind, slipping into my eardrum as she passed. Her graceful form vanished into the snowy tundra behind me. Bomani loped into a blurry shadow after her with ease.

The hem of my dress flowed through the wind as I pivoted into the snow, following them. “You charlatan,” I laughed, adjusting the torn lace around my face, piecing myself back together. I matched their pace with ease physically, but as I edged closer toward the property edge, my heart skipped a beat at how far I’d be from Alexander. My father would keep him safe. I had no real need to worry, yet I did.

We vaulted over the property gate and disappeared into the forest, the hush of snow crunching underfoot.

As we sprinted beneath the canopy of winter I’d grown so used to, my thoughts wandered. I saw myself as a girl, spring-tailed and bright-eyed. My caramel skin flushed rose from the cold, platinum white hair gleaming when the sun pierced the heavy clouds.

In those days, sunlight was rare. A flicker, a fleeting kiss. Not full days, just glimpses. Back then, I thought it was heaven smiling. A signal that my mother was looking down on me. I miss her the most now. She would have known what this bond with Alexander meant. She would’ve helped me understand the weight of it, softened it, shared in the ache of feeling lost without him.

I remembered the night my father told me she wouldn’t be coming home. I was maybe twelve. My parents had been out, returning from town when the queen had summoned my mother for company, and my father, ever the hand, followed behind.

That night was still so clear in my head because my mother had been dressed to perfection. Head Maiden had dressed her in her favorite evening gown. It framed my mother with craft. The silk crimson dress was trimmed in smoke, with a squared neckline that had lace ruching in ripples across her chest. Even the skirt pleated down her body in elegant waves. Her snowy white hair was swept back into a sleek, seamless updo, culminating in a dramatic crown of sculpted barrel curls. The white coils spiraled tightly at the top of her head, creating a regal silhouette that cascaded slightly toward her brow. At her temples, delicate tendrils of white silk framed her brilliant amber face. Everything about my mother was a projection of my future in deeper hues, and for her to just be gone was truly a loss.