Below them, he made out the scattered, rustic huts of a ski resort. It wasn’t the season for it—which hopefully meant that most of them would be abandoned.
Once more he was grateful that mythological shifters were invisible to humans. It meant that he could land in the shadows behind one of the cabins and shift back there, then come strolling out into the light as if they were a pair of hikers who’d had an accident on the mountain.
Still carrying Chiara in his arms, he knocked on the door.
No one answered. After a long moment had passed, Jared forced the door open.
The cabin was empty. It had that telltale smell of detergent and bleach that told him that it had been given a good scrubbing and was now awaiting the start of the new season.
It wasn’t luxurious—the furniture consisted of wood, well-used but sturdy.
But it was a place to rest, a place for Chiara to recover.
A place where Zane wouldn’t find them.
And most importantly, this would give them a chance to talk. Because it was about time that Chiara knew the truth about him.
Carefully, he set her down on the bed. Her pastel-colored hair spread over the pillow as she sighed and moved a little. There was a frown on her face.
Gently, he reached out to brush a strand of pink and blue out of her eyes, feeling his own worries fade away at the heat of her skin.
That same instinctive joy surged through him once more.
Our mate, it called out, filling him with warmth and happiness.
Just looking at her made him feel like he’d come home. Which was perhaps the strangest thing of all for someone like him, who’d never even known his parents.
Chiara sighed again. Then, as he watched, her eyelids began to flutter.
“Chiara?” he said softly. “You’re safe. It’s all right.” His thumb tenderly smoothed along her cheekbone, and when her eyelids lifted, she smiled at him, dreamy and dazed.
“Oh, it’s you,” she sighed. “I had the strangest dream. I was falling...”
Then, with a gasp, she bolted upright. “It wasn’t a dream! I remember—the maze! And the dragon, and then—”
“We were falling,” Jared said. He rested a hand on her arm. “You must have been terrified. But we’re safe now. This is some sort of ski resort—all abandoned until the season starts. Zane won’t find us here.”
“The artifact.” Chiara’s eyes were wild as she looked around. “All that work, and it wasn’t even magic...”
Jared drew it from beneath his shirt. Gently, he fastened the chain around her neck.
“Here. I kept it safe. And I think I figured out what it is.”
Still visibly shaken, Chiara took hold of it, her fingers smoothing over the gold. “Oh?”
“It’s a map.”
Jared reached out. There was another spark of heat as their fingers touched, but he forced himself to ignore it, despite the way Chiara’s eyes widened.
“Here, see?” His fingertip drew over the stylized mountain ranges. “This i
s a specific place. It’s just like the map that led you here. I think these constellations are the key. All we have to do is find out which constellations appear above which mountains.”
“Oh, is that all?” Chiara laughed in despair, then shook her head. “I’ve spent all of my savings on this mad trip. I quit my job. I sold my car. I don’t have the funds for another crazy treasure hunt across the planet.”
“You’re not crazy,” Jared said calmly. Then he took a deep breath. “Actually... there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I just couldn’t figure out how to do it. You must be wondering how we survived that fall...”
Chiara narrowed her eyes, then grew pale as memories seemed to rush back in. “It was all dark. I thought I’d lost you. We were falling... and then there was the sound of wings. And then—”