“Oh gods, no. The outside world completely changed him,” Pres said. “That smile at the party last night—I’ve never seen him look at anyone like that in public.”

“Even in private,” Arbor said, flipping her dark hair off of her shoulder. “I don’t think it’s just the outside world. I think it’s you.”

Kerrigan shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Pres shared a secret look with his sister. “People he gets close to suffer the consequences. If he holds himself back, it’s for your safety.”

“I’ve heard the spiel.”

“But he’s not doing a good job,” Arbor said. “Not for someone who knows him.”

“Which means Wynter has noticed,” Pres filled in.

“And the king.”

“Great,” Kerrigan said. “Maybe we should open up that bubbly.”

Arbor laughed. “Now, you’re getting it.”

Kerrigan only had a glass. Just enough to put out the thoughts of what Wynter wanted her to do from her mind. She couldn’t share that with anyone yet. Not without deciding whether or not it was a good idea or if she could even do it. If it was possible, would she be a hypocrite for fearing what would happen if she let loose the House of Shadows? She could get Ben and Bay, and Arbor and Pres out of this hellhole, but she’d unleash the House of Shadows’ hate upon her world too. She wished Wynter had never come to her.

Arbor and Prescott kept up an endless litany of trouble they had gotten into with Fordham when they were growing up. She hadn’t laughed this much in a while. It was nice to sit and listen to these stories, all while they polished off the rest of the bottle.

“So, there he was, in the treasury, half-hidden behind a statue of the first dragon rider, Irena, and his father walked into the room.”

“No,” she gasped.

The door banged open just then, and all three of them jumped at the sound. Fordham stepped inside with all the force of a tempest. The hinges creaked as he slammed the door shut behind him. He ran a hand back through his perfect black hair. Then, he found Kerrigan seated with his two cousins.

“Rough day?” Pres joked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he growled and then stormed into the bedroom. The door rattled on its hinges again.

Arbor and Prescott cringed. “Gods.”

“His father?” Kerrigan guessed.

They nodded.

“We should probably go,” Arbor said. “Come hang out with us later. We’ll show you that this place isn’t all terrible.”

Arbor brushed a kiss to her cheek, Pres winked at her, and then they disappeared silently through the door.