"DID YOU hear?"

Nohx was standing over his desk, his hands braced on the wood. His head hung low, his eyes closed in frustration. He ignored the voice at the door for a moment, wondering if it would go away if he ignored it.

One of the worst parts of his new job was reporting back to Prince Puck. He was, on occasion, more insufferable than his own father. However, while the late Snow Clan Leader had been evil in his heart, Prince Puck was not.

Even Nohx could see that.

"Hear what?" Nohx turned, catching sight of Prince Puck in the doorway. He moved through the shadows as they called to him, and they swept over Nohx's office floor. He was used to them by now; being the Winter Prince's lackey made it so they spent many hours together.

"The Princess has been declared missing by the school." Prince Puck threw down a newspaper, letting the front cover face up. Nohx studied it for a moment where he stood, looking at the picture of the Princess looking up at a camera, wearing her school uniform. She was smiling, and there was someone next to her, right out of frame.

"Since when?" Nohx forced himself to be still, not moving an inch. Missing. Not dead. Nohx focused on that little detail. If she was dead, we would know.

Or so, he hoped.

"She didn't show up to her Monday or Tuesday classes. Princess Carling's daughter, her roommate, stated she never returned Sunday. My son is also missing."

Nohx's hand squeezed itself into a fist. He forced himself not to think too hard about the fact that it was already Thursday. She could have been anywhere by now, if she had been missing since Sunday. Nohx felt the flare of his Rali, the call deep inside of him. He needed to send his Rali out to search. He felt the urge burn inside of him, almost suffocating him.

"This seems like it affects you more than it does me." Nohx turned away from Prince Puck, gripping his desk. "Your son's life is on the line."

"I have a lead about that, actually. From Vulara."

Nohx froze, his fingers digging into his desk. If Vulara had kidnapped Andorra, then Nohx knew she was as good as dead. The ancient killing beast that was Vulara wouldn't leave any of his victims dead; he had never made that mistake.

Nohx felt panic swell in his chest. He needed Prince Puck to leave his house. He needed his Rali on the hunt. He felt like he was back in the human realm all over again.

"Then I think it's safe to assume she's dead." Nohx turned back to Prince Puck. The words tasted like ash in his mouth, and he held himself back from spitting them up. From begging Prince Puck to leave so that he could go on a rampage.

"She's not dead." Prince Puck waved his arm, and from out in the hallway stepped in Aihfie. She was grinning up at Nohx with a sickening smile, her hands clasped in front of her. Nohx could tell she had put effort into her appearance, like she knew she'd be seeing him.

"I'm here to help you find our Princess." The word Princess sounded like the punchline to a joke. "I think we'd be very successful in finding her if we put our Rali's together."

Nohx was not working with Aihfie. He would put his foot down on that one. "Not interested."

That didn't deter Aihfie, who continued to grin. "I know, finding the Princess is such a bore. She's such a damsel in distress."

Nohx was seconds away from freezing Aihfie into death. He wouldn't lose control, he never lost control, but she was driving him close. He glanced back down at the newspaper, looking at the smiling Andorra, wishing that her warmth was next to him. That her smile, that damned smile, was aimed up at him.

He could picture in his mind a clear image of her: the way she looked that night in the library. The way she found herself in his hands, the feel of her smooth cheek against his palm, the way her eyes drooped closed and she leaned into him. The warmth against his frigid skin had set him on fire, had burned through his brain. The first moment he had ever really gotten to touch her.

"You two can look for her. I have business I need to attend to. Besides, whether the Princess lives or dies, it doesn't affect me." Nohx turned back to his desk, flipping open his notebook, trying to ignore the winter fae in his doorway. He turned the pages of his notebook, but he didn't read a single word on the pages.

He needed them gone. He needed them gone right that instant.

He felt a finger against his spine, the tip of a sharpened nail scratching down, and he couldn't stop himself; ice exploded out of him, enveloping the person who had been touching him. When he turned, Aihfie's face was frozen in fear. Her father though didn't look surprised.

"You know, my daughter could be better for you than the Princess."

It was red hot anger that filled Nohx at that statement. "You don't know what you're talking about." The words were about as cold as the ice that had coated Aihfie. "Besides, your daughter isn't in my caste. So, sorry, but you won't be my father-in-law anytime soon."

Prince Puck barked out a laugh. "You continue to surprise me, Nohx."

Nohx waved his arm, unfreezing Aihfie the moment he stepped away. As she defrosted, she sent Nohx a look of disbelief, and then anger. "You... you froze me!"

"I don't like being touched." He slid his hands into his pockets, leaning against a bookshelf. "Now, I suggest you both leave. Perhaps you'll make good enough time and find the Princess by tonight."

Aihfie's eyes narrowed into angry slits. "I don't like being denied, Sir Nohx. I always get what I want. And I'll be back."

Aihfie stormed towards the door, shadows billowing behind her like a cape. She turned to give Nohx one last withering look. "You'll regret this."

Nohx knew there was no such thing as regret when Aihfie was involved. He gave a two finger goodbye salute, then turned back to his desk. He took a pen, scribbling down in the margins, who would take her?

If Vulara wanted her dead, he would have murdered her himself. On the spot. Vulara wouldn't have waited. And as foolish as Andorra could be, Nohx knew she wouldn't wander into a monster's den without protection.

If she was spotted with Vulara, then it had to have been for a reason. And if Callum had gone with her, then Nohx knew whatever had happened, it had been a surprise. And Callum didn't like surprises, nor did he take risks.

Callum had deemed Vulara safe. Safe enough for him and Andorra to enter his shop. So if it hadn't been Vulara...

Nohx stormed from his office, moving through his castle with purpose. It was empty, which was unsurprising; his wing of the building was often isolated. His staff stayed away, and Nohx preferred it that way. He didn't want to be their Clan Leader. And he certainly didn't want nor need them waiting on him, hand and foot.

He was stealthy as he exited the castle, skirting around the back end towards the Truth Pond. Unlike the one in the human realm, Nohx hadn't visited it. He was half afraid, half determined not to. But this, this was important enough to break the seal.

The moment he stared into the inky depths, he let himself feel the real fear that sank in his gut. The fear that she was in danger. "Where is she?" he demanded, his voice harsh. He didn't need to clarify; the pond knew who he was talking about.

The water glimmered and shifted, and an image appeared, hazy at first. It cleared slowly, into the image of the Royal Castle. Ice gathered on his palms, and his eyes went dark.

"Show her to me." The demand felt thick on his tongue. He was back in the human realm, back in his old home, begging for a scrap of Andorra. He was a teenager, lost and in love. He was a young boy, afraid and heartbroken. Now, he was a man, terrified and lonely.

Just seeing her in the cell made his entire body coat itself in a thin layer of ice. She was laying on the concrete, her ankle encased in a shackle, and she slept. Her blond hair spilled out from under her head, tangled, and the way her body was bent looked painful.

So, she was being kept in the Royal Castle, locked away where no one could find her. And, if Nohx had to guess, he knew exactly who kept her there.

The Royal Counsel were known to be terrible. They were power hungry and stuck in their old ways. And they loved the thought of Anders being on their throne. Anders, primed since birth, to take over the kingdom under his hawklike gaze.

If the Royal Counsel had her, Nohx could only assumed they had found something that was incriminating. Did it have to do with her obsession with the Rabium Bellua? Did it have to do with Vulara? There were missing pieces that Nohx needed answered.

"Where is Callum?" The pond glimmered again, shifting and changing until it showed a basement, and there was the Winter Prince's son, trapped in stone. Next to him was Vulara, touching his shoulder.

So, Callum was turned to stone, and Vulara had him. Or, perhaps he had turned to stone there, in Vulara's home.

Nohx's questions couldn't be solved there. He turned from the pond, calling forth his Rali. He needed to find Andorra, turn Callum back into himself, and confront Vulara. His Rali came bounding from the woods, racing to meet him.

"We have work to do," Nohx said to the animal. "Let's go save the kingdom. Since the counsel seems to be doing a pretty good job of fucking it up."

* * *

Vulara was a solitary creature. He spent his time alone, ran his shop alone, and did his duties alone. He enjoyed the quiet, the chance to think for himself and act for himself. Like the Prophet, he didn't belong to a Court, didn't play by their rules. For most of his existence, he enjoyed this.

He enjoyed being feared by all. Being feared by the rest of the community meant people left him alone. It meant he was able to run his shop freely, without issues from the Royal Counsel.

Yet, somehow, they had come to his doorstep to do exactly that: deal out issues that needed to be solved.

Some customers stopped by his shop looking for weapons. Some stopped by to deal in assassinations. But no one, except the Princess, had stopped by for training lessons. She hadn't been afraid of him, not from the start. She had come in, her head high, and she demanded to be trained.

And yet, now she was gone. Because of him. Vulara wouldn't admit it, but that bothered him. The statue of Prince Puck's son in his basement bothered him. The creature, deemed a soulless murderer of fae, was bothered.

He paced back and forth in his basement, staring at the statue. The Princess's one guard was stuck in stone, and Vulara knew that meant that the Princess's chance of escaping was gone. It shouldn't eat him up to know that, but it did.

"This is why we don't say yes to training offers," he grumbled loudly. "What a waste of my time."

The chime of the door rang overhead, and Vulara shouted, "We're closed!"

The last thing he needed was more trouble entering his life. He clambered up the stairs to see who had entered, and he stopped in his doorway. "Get out. You ain't allowed here."

"Why, I thought we were on friendly terms, Vulara." The pink haired girl leaned against the counter. "I'm here to check in."

Vulara flung his hand towards the door. "Your kind was just here. Go bother with them if you have questions."

She drew her finger against the wood of the counter, but maintained eye contact. "I need to know what the Princess was doing here."

"You need to get out." Vulara took a step closer. "Your kind never listens! Get out of my shop."

"Were you hired to kill her?" She didn't stop talking. "Or, perhaps she was here for a weapon of sorts?" She stopped her finger, pressing it against the counter in a way that made her finger whiten. "Or, perhaps she was here for another reason. Perhaps she was here because someone sent her here, and she had a certain trinket you've been looking for."

Vulara had had enough. He grabbed her by the arm, his nails biting into her flesh, and he tore open the shop door. "I told you to get out. Never come back here!" He threw her out, slamming the door closed in her face. He slid the lock closed, but he knew that wouldn't stop her from entering.

"I need answers, Vulara," she sang through the door. "Either you give them to me, or I find out a different way. A dangerous, unfavorable way."

Vulara didn't take the bait. He turned back towards the stairs to his basement, putting space between them. She was a fool for coming here. A fool for thinking she could manipulate the answers from him, one of the oldest creatures in Anlithamy. But, all fae were the same: demanding, selfish creatures.

He stared at the stone version of Callum from the top of the stairs. He still needed to figure this out. And he was running out of time.

* * *

Hello everyone!

Golden only has 9 chapters left! Can you believe it?

I have begun planning the third book in this series, which will be released on November 1st. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported this series thus far! I can't believe the love it has gotten over the years. It blows my mind that other people read my silly little stories and actually enjoy them. So, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU <3

My readers are the reason I keep writing. Thank you for every comment, every vote, every read. I love replying to you guys, and having convos about my characters and my world. You absolutely do not understand how much I love replying to each and every one of you <3