CHAPTER 18
Mallory
Mallory stood alone on the snowy balcony long after Jakob disappeared down the hall.
The cold crept through her coat and into her bones, but she barely noticed it. All she could feel was the echo of his kiss and the rush of unanswered questions he’d left behind.
Your Majesty.
The very words Viggo had used that kept circling in her head. Royal family. Bodyguards. Breaches in security.
None of it fit with the man she’d met months ago when he’d saved her life. He had been just a quiet stranger who’d grabbed her off that cliff without a thought and made her feel safer than she had ever felt before. And all without being asked.
That man had felt simple and real. Truly genuine.
But, apparently he wasn’t simple at all.
Mallory wrapped her jacket tighter and stared out over the darkening mountains.
Tiny lights flickered to life in the valley below as evening settled in.
Somewhere far off, some kind of engine hummed and echoed off the peaks.
Mixed with the low howl of the winds as they wound through the peaks, it created a symphony of sorts.
Why would someone breach the walls of the castle?
Mallory had never sensed any fighting or deep issues within Onyxheim. Part of her wanted to hurry after Jakob and demand he finish what he’d started telling her. Another part of her wanted to retreat to her room and pretend none of this had ever happened.
She hated that she still cared enough for either option to hurt.
“He’s coming back,” she whispered. At least, he’d said he was.
Mallory turned away from the view and began walking slowly toward her room. Her thoughts were tangled in a chaotic knot as she replayed every word he’d spoken on the balcony.
I made love to you because I gave in to my true feelings.
Her cheeks warmed even now. Hearing him say it so plainly had shaken something loose inside her that she’d been trying very hard to keep locked away.
He cared about her. Really, truly cared. And had for quite some time apparently. And yet he’d let her leave anyway. The familiar ache pressed against her chest.
“Men,” she muttered under her breath.
Halfway down the path, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She almost ignored it, but something about the sudden vibration made her pulse jump.
Probably her mom checking in. Or Brooke asking for an update on the mysterious “talk” she’d mentioned earlier. While Violet remained distant, Brooke had come around quicker.
Mallory pulled off her glove and fished the phone out. The screen showed a single new text message from an unknown number. Her steps slowed.
She never got messages from numbers she didn’t recognize except for the one regarding her sister. Curiosity kicked into gear to open the message. Her finger shook as she reached for the screen, and the moment she did, the cold night seemed to drop another ten degrees.
We know you’re in Onyxheim.
Mallory stopped dead on the trail. Her heart thudded once, hard. Another message appeared before she could even process the first.
We have your sister.
For a second she forgot how to breathe.The first mention of a ghost.
Meg.
The name echoed through her like a shockwave. All the months of no calls, no postcards, and no answers came crashing down around her, along with all the memories of a person who was always there for her and then just… gone.
The fragile hope that Mallory had always held on to was about to come to fruition right here in Onyxheim.
Or was it a cruel joke? Her fingers trembled as she typed back.
Who is this?
The reply came almost instantly.
That doesn’t matter. What matters is that she’s with us. If you want to see her again, you’ll do exactly what we say.
Mallory pressed a hand to her mouth.
“No,” she whispered. “No, this isn’t possible.”
Another text buzzed through.
Come alone. Tell no one including the king.
Her breath caught. They knew about Jakob, which meant this wasn’t random. Somehow, this entire situation was connected to him.
A small map pin followed. It lit up on her screen with a location deep in the wilderness beyond the resort. It looked like the old service road that she and the others had hiked on that first trip when she met Jakob.
Meet here. One hour.
Her knees felt suddenly weak. Meg was alive. After all this time, there might finally be some answers.
But alive didn’t necessarily mean safe.
Think, she ordered herself. Don’t panic. Think.
If this was real, if someone truly had Meg, then calling the police would be the logical thing to do. If this was all a hoax, she would ruin whatever credibility she had and might need in the future.
Plus, the message had been very clear. All she could figure is that someone had been at the cafe and seen her with Jakob.
Mallory looked back down the hallway Jakob had taken.
He had resources. Guards. An entire security team. He could fix this. He could help. All she had to do was wait for him to come back. Or just go find him.
But what if waiting cost her the one chance she’d had in two years to find her sister?
What if these people disappeared again the moment she hesitated?
Her mind spun in frantic circles. She’d come to Onyxheim chasing a ghost, following a thin thread of hope everyone else told her to give up on, and now she had an actual chance to find that ghost. She’d promised herself she would never stop looking for Meg.
And now, somehow, that search had found her.
Jakob had left to handle a security threat of his own. Something serious enough to drag him away in the middle of a conversation that had clearly mattered to him.
He wasn’t exactly available.
And even if she could reach him, would involving him put Meg in more danger?
Mallory closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing.
Meg.
Brave, reckless Meg who’d taught Mallory how to drive and how to stand up for herself and how to laugh when life got hard.
If something happened to her now, she couldn’t handle even the thought.
“I can’t wait,” Mallory whispered.
She wished desperately that she could. Wished she could sit safely in the warm castle and let Jakob handle the frightening parts of his world.
But this wasn’t his problem. He wouldn’t even have a clue if someone asked him directly. This was hers.
Decision settled over her with a heavy, frightening calm. She turned down the corridor that led to her room and quickened her pace.
If she was going to do this, she needed to prepare, and an hour wasn’t much time.
Inside her room she changed into sturdy snow boots, grabbed the thickest coat she owned, and stuffed her phone charger and a small flashlight into her pocket. She hesitated over whether to leave a note for Jakob in case he came looking for her.
Her fingers hovered over the hotel stationery before she shook her head.
Tell no one.
The words glared in her mind like a warning sign. If these people were serious, and given the limited knowledge she had of them forced her to believe they were, she couldn’t risk it. They might have someone check her room after she left to see if she betrayed them.
Mallory slipped her phone into her coat pocket and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked pale. Determined. Terrified.
“Okay,” she whispered to herself. “You can do this.”
The screen lit up again with another message.
Time is ticking. Don’t be late.
Her heart hammered.
“I’m coming, Meg,” Mallory murmured.
With one last glance toward the window that faced the dark mountains, she drew in a shaky breath, stepped out into the cold night and prepared to go alone.
Even if it meant walking straight into the dark.