My stomach flipped.

We’d just broken through a window and were flying through the air, away from the ogres’ mountain abode, over sharp black peaks.

Heavy leathery wings thundered either side of us, lifting us higher and higher.

Claws gripped Bella by the shoulders, and parallel to us, gripped within the dragon’s front right foot, was another ogre.

Several other dragons surrounded us, each carrying ogres of their own.

They held them in their claws like hawks holding rats.

I strained my neck to look at the dragon’s face, shiny and scaly and splattered with blood.

Up close, these creatures were even more terrifying.

And their scales gave off a musky, bitter odor.

“Where are they taking us?” I whispered.

Wincing, Bella grunted.

“Somewhere no good, Miss Rose.”

Chapter 11: Mona

As I stood at the gates of the Ageless’ celestial palace, a sea of familiar faces smiling to welcome me home, it should have felt like a dream.

But it didn’t.

It all still felt like a nightmare.

Even as the new Ageless herself, Thalia Adrius, descended the steps toward me in all her ethereal beauty, I couldn’t manage the faintest of smiles.

Grief was clamped around my heart like a barbed wire.

I could barely breathe.

She slipped her hand into my sweaty right palm, leading me up the stairs toward my quarters.

In my left palm, I still clutched the only possession I’d left the island with—my mother’s jewelry box.

I couldn’t pay attention to the elegance of the palace as Thalia, Brisalia and their third sister, Hermia, led me through chamber after chamber.

I just wanted to be alone.

Thankfully, the sisters were understanding.

On first arriving in The Sanctuary, I’d asked the first witch I came across to take me to Brisalia.

I’d explained to her briefly why I was here, and she hadn’t pressed me for many details.

I couldn’t have been more grateful for that.

I wasn’t ready to talk.

Brisalia brought me immediately to the city palace, where I was to be housed.

As we reached the top of the building, we stopped outside an ornate rosewood door.

Pushing it open, the sisters led me into a sprawling apartment.

From its pearl-studded window panes to gold-leafed bed frame, there wasn’t a single corner of the place that didn’t ooze extravagance.

But, as with the rest of the palace, I didn’t care.

“We’ll leave you now,” Brisalia said, as I entered the bedroom.

“If you need anything, there is a maid staying in the servant quarters.” She pointed toward the hallway to my left.

I nodded, watching as they backed away and closed the door behind them.

I walked over to the dressing table and, opening my palm, looked down at the jewelry box.

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes again as I stared at it.

Lifting it to my lips and placing a kiss on the gem-encrusted lid, I placed it down on the table directly in front of the mirror.

Then I looked up at my own reflection.

I looked a state.

My eyelids were puffy, my face deathly pale.

I shut my eyes, wincing as the memory of Sofia and Kiev kissing at the Port blasted through my head.

My head dropped down against the table, and now that I was alone, I could no longer hold back the tears.

They streamed afresh from my eyes as the question I’d asked myself a thousand times in the past twelve hours replayed in my mind.

Why would Kiev do this to me?

Chapter 12: Kiev

Mona’s departure had blazed a hole in my chest.

A hole I knew wouldn’t be filled until I once again held her in my arms.

After we extinguished my burning home, I entered it once again and walked from scorched room to scorched room, hoping she’d be there.

Our bedroom had borne the brunt of the flames.

It was practically unrecognizable.

The bed had disintegrated, as had most of the furniture.

I was about to walk into the bathroom when a soft voice spoke behind me.

“Kiev.” I turned around to see Sofia standing in the doorway.

She was looking at me with concern.

“Patricia and the others have finished examining the bodies that were left outside Brett’s cave.” I took a step toward her.

“And?” “The murderer squished their bodies up badly.

But not quite badly enough.

One of the witches, Leyni, noticed one thing in common with each of the corpses—their intestines had been completely removed.

Piecing this together with the strange visions some of us have been having, the witches have concluded that, somehow, a ghoul was placed on this island by those two white witches… it might even still be here, for all we know.” “A ghoul,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

I didn’t know much about such creatures, and I didn’t recall ever encountering one in my hundreds of years in existence, but I had heard rumors about them.

“How could Mona not have suspected that she was being influenced by a ghoul?” “Apparently, once a ghoul has you under an illusion, it’s very hard to detect anything other than what it wants you to see.” “So those bitches…They placed a ghoul on this island to trick Mona into returning to The Sanctuary.” Sofia nodded.

“I can’t think of anywhere else Mona would be now.

Vampires and werewolves have been searching everywhere for her.

She’s nowhere to be found on this island.” I swore, slamming my fist against the doorframe.