I suspected he didn’t want to be heard talking to me while in shadow-form, that would be crazy suspicious. And since I did, in fact, trust him I had no reason to push my questions. He’d gotten me this far. I would follow him anywhere. Funny thing was, I’d already given this man my trust entirely when I barely knew him. I’d chastised myself for how quickly I did so, too. But now that I knew he was my husband for three centuries before I died, all of that hesitation and doubt was just gone. Turned out Tegan wasn’t the only person I’d blindly listen to.

We marched for a few minutes in silence until we reached the edge of the forest. Through the trees I saw that damned archway—wait. I jumped behind a tree. I kept my eyes on the archway so if anyone was looking at me, they would think I was talking to myself. “Magic does not work through that archway⁠—”

“I hate that you know that,” he grumbled. “That potion came from Valathame, it temporarily turned you into a vampire. Her magic is not affected by that archway.”

“Who put that archway there and why? Can I destroy it?”

He sighed. “None of those are questions for 1712. Reserve them for your Everest.”

I nodded. That was fair.

“You are incredible, remember that when you enter the doors.”

I smiled and drew a heart shape in the snow on the trunk of the tree next to me. With my head held high and my shoulders back, I marched forward. He trailed behind me as I walked, not that I saw him but I felt him. When I crossed beneath the arch I tried to imagine the shiver was from the breeze sweeping across the open field. You can do this, Frankie.

Don’t be suspicious.

Valathame has your back. Tegan has your back.

Everest would set this castle on fire before he let harm come to me.

Just breathe.

I made it halfway to the front door when it swung open. Four males in the same brown fur cloaks the other one had been wearing stepped out onto the snow. These had to be the sentinels of this era.

The one in the middle with red hair licked his lips slowly then wagged his eyebrows. “What do we have here?”

I am here to see Queen Sweyn, I said but it came out as “Estoy aquí para ver a la reina Sweyn.”

He scowled. “What language was that?”

“Español.”

“You’re a far way from Spain, little lady.” He stepped closer and bared his fangs. “Are you lost?”

I bared my fangs back. “Dije que había venido a ver a la reina Sweyn.”

All four of them scowled.

“¿Tu reina? Sweyn.” Reina was such a pretty word for queen.