13. Sapphire

Sapphire

A few days later, everything’s a blur of cold, hunger, and exhaustion. The icy stone walls of the tower are draining the last bits of warmth from me, and my body aches in ways I didn’t think possible.

Zoey’s slumped against the wall beside me, her breath shallow, her lips blue. The cold has nearly consumed her, and I can feel it creeping closer to me, too.

We’ve barely been fed. Just small chunks of stale bread that leave our mouths dry and stomachs growling. But for me, it’s worse. There’s a hunger inside me, deeper than anything I’ve ever felt. A gnawing craving that can’t be satisfied with bread.

I need meat. Rare, dripping meat. Meat’s always been an important part of my diet, and given how readily available it is in the local supermarkets, I’ve never gone a day without it .

Now… not having it is unbearable.

Zoey lets out a soft groan, and I glance over at her. She’s shivering uncontrollably, and I pull her closer, trying to share what little warmth I have left.

“We’re still here,” I whisper. “They haven’t killed us yet. We still have a chance.”

She doesn’t respond.

I don’t even know if she heard me.

Our cell door creaks open, and the same guard who’s been tormenting us these last few days steps inside, carrying a tray of bread and water.

I stare emptily at the bread, since as long as it’s all I have to eat, that’s exactly how I’ll continue to feel—empty.

“What’s the problem? Is our food not good enough for you?” he asks with a cruel smile as he sets it out in front of us.

I can’t exactly lie and say it is.

And at this point, I’m starving and freezing.

Desperate enough that I figure it can’t hurt to be truthful. Completely, one hundred percent truthful.

“Can we please have meat?” I beg, my teeth chattering from the cold. “It doesn’t have to be steak. I can eat squirrel, or rabbit, or… rat. Just something.”

“Fae don’t eat meat,” he says flatly. “Begging for your human friend won’t get you anywhere.”

I almost say that I’m not begging for Zoey, but stop myself .

Fae don’t eat meat.

I want to ask more. Do they not eat meat ever?

If so, why can’t I live without it?

I’m also not in a position to be drawing more attention to myself. Which means I have to accept the bread with a smile and pray it’ll be enough to keep me going until we figure our way out of here.

The guard leaves, the heavy door slamming shut with a finality that makes me flinch.

Zoey’s uneven breathing fills the otherwise silent cell, and my chest tightens with fear.

She’s fading fast.

I wrap my arms around my knees, trying to keep what little body heat I have left to help warm her up. If we don’t escape soon, I’ll lose her—and I have a feeling I won’t be far behind.

My healing magic apparently doesn’t work quickly enough to save me from freezing to death in a tower made of ice. Or maybe it works just slowly enough to make it as torturous and drawn out as possible.

Then, as I’m contemplating the horror of a long, cold death with Zoey’s frozen body next to me, something shimmers in the corner of the room near the window. A soft, ghostly glow in the shape of a woman.

The woman from the forest? The one who touched my forehead and put me through that unimaginable pain ?

Then, just as quickly as she appeared, she’s gone.

Great. Now I’m hallucinating.

It’s probably a side effect of freezing to death.

Still, something tugs at me, drawing me toward the window. Something I can’t ignore.

So, slowly, I stand, my legs trembling as I walk over to the cold stone wall. The window’s high up, but I grip the edge, pulling myself up enough to peer through the bars.

Ghost is pacing near the tower’s base, his massive form a shadow against the snow.

A pang of longing shoots through me. If I were down there, I could ride on Ghost’s back, find Riven, and beg him to help. After all, I saw that final look in Riven’s eyes as Zoey and I were sent away. He might be cruel, but he doesn’t want me to die.

Why would he have made the deal to get me home if he wanted me dead? Why would he bind it with a kiss?

As I look down at Ghost, I remember what it felt like to ride on his back with Riven through the forest. I can practically feel the rush of cold air against my skin, the crunch of snow beneath Ghost’s paws, the freedom of running through the trees.

I need to get down there.

Ghost looks up at me, watching me, like he’s waiting for me.

Come down, his eyes seem to say. Jump on my back again. Let me take you where you need to go.

I wish I could. So much that I can practically feel the snow crunching beneath my feet and the fresh air outside this tower.

Then, suddenly, Ghost is standing in front of me.

I’m… not in the tower anymore.

I’m down here. On the ground, at the base of the tower. Free.

What the hell?

I blink rapidly, trying to make sense of it.

Is this a dream? Did I teleport? Am I dying again?

But there’s no time to question it. I’m here, and now’s the time to act—not to sit around wondering how I pulled off whatever it is I just did.

Ghost turns his massive head toward me, his icy blue eyes locking on mine.

I reach out instinctively, my fingers brushing against his fur.

He’s solid. Real.

This isn’t a dream.

Somehow—by some miracle—I’m free. I have no idea how to get back inside the tower to Zoey, but being up there wasn’t helping either of us, anyway.

This is my chance to save us. Possibly my only chance.

So, I pull the hood of my sweatshirt over my head, tucking my hair inside to hide its unmistakable icy blonde color with blue highlights on the bottom tips.

Ghost watches me, his gaze steady, as if he knows how desperate I am.

“Take me to Riven,” I whisper, terrified that someone else might be lurking nearby to hear.

The giant snow leopard lowers himself to the ground, allowing me to climb onto his back. I settle in, get a firm grip on his fur, and he bolts forward with a speed that steals my breath away.

The world around me blurs as we race across the snow and weave through the trees, leaving the isolated prison tower far behind and giving me a burst of hope through the frozen fear I’ve been experiencing for days.

I just hope I can get back to Zoey before it’s too late.