All the bodies fade away. All the puddles of blood, all my footprints, even the wetness on my hands. Everything dissolves, except the girl in my arms. And then she’s gone, too.

My hands are dry, but the tears are still rolling down my face. I wipe at them viciously, turning to Gossamer in confusion. My skin tingles like it wishes it could rip away from my bones and jump out the window.

“Wh-who were those people?” I can hardly speak between ragged gasps for air. “Wh-what—?”

They weren’t real people. Not a real massacre. Not real blood. Not a real girl dying in my arms. Which means...

A trick, my mind screams. It was all a trick. A vision planted in your mind to make you give him control.

The most frightening part is that I would have done it.

Gossamer just closes his eyes and laughs. The sound is pure and clear, like an icy mountain stream. I’ll see you soon, Seelie.

And then he vanishes, too.

chapter twenty-nine

Raze appears in the doorway, red-faced and out of breath. I’m wiping off the memory of blood on my hands on my skirts again and again, still shocked by the sound of my name hanging in the air, by the faerie’s laugh, by everything I’ve seen and done.

As soon as he sees me, standing numbly in the middle of an empty room, apparently uninjured, he melts with relief. “I heard you scream,” he says. “What—?”

I don’t think. I throw myself into his arms, his wonderfully solid, warm, flesh-and-blood arms, and bury my face in his shoulder.

For a moment, he’s totally still, his question forgotten. Then he wraps his arms around my small, trembling form. My arms fold, pinned between us by his, and my hands press to his chest. I can feel his heartbeat, strong and steady, thumping against the warmed fabric of his soft undershirt.

I can feel myself shaking, unable to form words. Unable to even cry. Terrified in a way I’ve never been terrified before, of something I can’t escape from.

“You’re safe,” he whispers, over and over again. It’s comforting, even though I know it’s not true.

I should tell him what happened.

I can’t. He won’t be able to look at me the same if he knows there’s a faerie trapped inside my head. He won’t trust me; no one would. Besides, I brought this on myself, with my own foolishness, and I’m too embarrassed to admit it.

Raze’s chin tucks over my head protectively. I hate myself for letting him.

I can’t remember being this close to anyone outside of my family—besides that time on the horse. I should hate it, hate the feeling of being caged.

But I don’t. I’m glad he’s here with me, I’m glad for his huge arms and his gentle strength, I’m glad that somehow I screwed up badly enough to let him and Olani become my friends. Which is why I have to keep this whole Gossamer thing a secret.